An early presence of Italians in the Australian film industry: The Pugliese family

This article attempts to trace the rise and fall of the Pugliese family which represents, perhaps, the earliest involvement of Italians in the Australian film business. An immigrant from Southern Italy, Antonio Pugliese arrived in New South Wales in 1881 and by the early 1900s had become a successful film exhibitor, owning and managing three cinemas in Sydney. Following his death, his family expanded its activities into film production, financing, among other things, one of Raymond Longford’s early triumphs. The move, originally crowned with success, ultimately proved to be ill-fated and the family eventually withdrew from the film business altogether