Ajax Films was an Australian production company and studio that operated in the 1960s and 1970s. It was crucial to the revival of the Australian film and TV industry in the 1970s because it was involved in many of the early feature films from that era, either as a production partner or provider of facilities. Ajax also produced a large number of documentaries, cartoons and advertisements. It was established by Brian Chirlian, primarily to make TV commercials for the British Tobacco Company in a studio at Argyle Street in Sydney. They eventually expanded to another location at the old Warringah Hall at Neutral Bay, with a second studio at Bondi Junction. This studio had previously been used by

Cinesound Productions Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian feature film production company, established in June 1931, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred on Greater Union Theatres, that covered all facets of the film process, from produ ...

and Southern International Productions and was where Ajax became involved with feature films, providing facilities for ''

They're a Weird Mob ''They're a Weird Mob'' is a popular 1957 Australian comic novel written by John O'Grady under the pseudonym "Nino Culotta", the name of the main character of the book. The book was the first published novel by O'Grady, with an initial print run ...

'' (1966), among others. TV commercials and documentaries would be shot at the Neutral Bay studio. Among the personnel who worked there were

Jack Lee (film director) Wilfred John Raymond Lee (27 January 1913 – 15 October 2002) was a British film director, screenwriter, editor, and producer, who directed a number of postwar films on location in Australia for The Rank Organisation. Biography Early life Le ...

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(editor) and

Bryce Courtney Arthur Bryce Courtenay, (14 August 1933 – 22 November 2012) was a South African-Australian advertising director and novelist. He is one of Australia's best-selling authors, notable for his book '' The Power of One''. Background and early ye ...

(ad agency creative director who did much work at Ajax).

Selected filmography

*''Alpine Way'' (1962) – documentary *''

'' (1966) *'' Age of Consent'' (1969) – feature film *''

Color Me Dead ''Color Me Dead'' is a 1969 Australian thriller directed by Eddie Davis, starring American actors Tom Tryon, Carolyn Jones and Rick Jason. It is a remake of the 1950 film '' D.O.A.''. Due to the failure on renewing copyright of ''D.O.A.'', the ...

'' (1969) – feature film *''Eddie's Alphabet'' (1968–70) – animated TV series *''Woobinda: Animal Doctor'' (1969) – TV series *'' Squeeze a Flower'' (1969) – feature film *''

Adam's Woman ''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western". Plot In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in Liv ...

'' (1970) – feature film *''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' (1970) – feature film *''

Wake in Fright ''Wake in Fright'' (initially released as ''Outback'' outside Australia) is a 1971 psychological thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Evan Jones, and starring Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay and Jack Thomps ...

'' (1971) – feature film

References

Film production companies of Australia {{film-company-stub