Kelly Culture

A Documentary series about the art inspired by Ned Kelly.

Tentatively called “Kelly Culture” it would explore the songs, paintings, books, films, comics, TV shows and video games inspired by Ned. The documentary will feature interviews with artists, academics and historians about these works and attempt to reveal the reason why Ned resonates so much in our culture and what it say about us. From the first feature film ever made to the iconic Sidney Nolan paintings, Ned is intrinsically represented in our art and culture and it’s time to explore why.

November 2025

Production begins in earnest

And just like that, Kelly Culture is one step close to reality. From an idea I had going on 4 years ago, we have now commenced production with our first round of filmed interviews taking place in Melbourne in early November 2025. And boy, were our efforts rewarded, with incredible material gathered from a range of authors, historians, composers, street art guides and film researchers. The major take away from the shoot was a clear validation of the concept as evidenced by the passionate and in-depth analysis shared by our contributors. We now eagerly anticipate more of the same from the contributors we have lined up around Australia – all excited to explore the cultural legacy of one of the most iconic Australians.

Onwards and upwards.
Drew Roller, Producer/Director – Kelly Culture

We want to hear from artists and art buffs

In the documentary we want to explore the connection between Ned and free expression, anti-authoritarianism and art. And we want to do this without having to rely on funding from corporate institutions, to build a grass roots community that can help bring the project to life.

Please take the time to share your thoughts on the idea below.

Here are just a few questions we would like the answers to:

Give us your feedback here