1890s

1896 Sept-Oct. Maurice Sestier held the sole franchise for Lumiere equipment, and his first project in Australia was in late September and early October 1896, when, together with Walter Barnett, his new business partner, he shot scenes around Sydney Harbour, including a short documentary film called Passengers Alighting from Ferry 'Brighton' at Manly, which is still in existence. Sestier >

1896 Oct 31. Sestier filmed scenes the AJC Derby at Flemington, and footage of that also still exists, and there's a clip on this doco. < Barnett

1896, 3 November. The following Tuesday, Sestier filmed the Melbourne Cup, and even managed to get a long shot of the running. The Governor appeared, among other worthies. The film was preserved in suitable storage in Paris, so it is all still in good condition. It premiered at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, then ran at the Criterion Theatre in Sydney for three months.

Photo of Sestier by Barnett. His own photo (from Wikipedia) may be a selfie.

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