Eternity 24 times a second to stop the passage of time

The NFSA restores Eternity, a documentary about time, decay and the cosmos. For the filmmakers it is a message from the past.

Twenty five years ago, producer Susan McKinnon and writer/director Lawrence Johnston released Eternity, a 56-minute documentary funded entirely by the Australian Film Commission and the NSW Film and Television Office. 

Shot on film, with exquisite black and white images from Dion Beebe, it is a poetic hymn to Sydney, to the night, to mystery, anonymity and inspiration. The film tells the story of Arthur Stace who crept through the city by night to chalk the word Eternity half a million times on the pavement. 

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.