Perhaps the first example of this specific sub-genre is They’re A Weird Mob (Sono strana gente), a 1966 film based on the 1957 eponymous novel by Nino Culotta.

Culotta is also the name of the protagonist in both the film and the book.

The plot unravels as Culotta migrates to Australia and expects to begin working for his cousin as a journalist at an Italian language magazine.

When Culotta arrives, he discovers that his cousin has abandoned the publication and is in substantial debt.

He finds work as a labourer, promising to pay back the debt his cousin has accumulated.

Culotta is perplexed by the cultural nuances of the Australians he works with, and is faced with racism on a daily basis.

Ultimately, Culotta finds common ground with his colleagues, when he mentions the Pope.

Much to audiences’ surprise, it was later revealed that Culotta, the author, didn’t exist.

An Irish-Australian man called John O’ Grady was in fact the author of the novel and had based his account off his experience observing Italian immigrants in New South Wales. 

The most Italian thing about the film itself is the lead actor, Walter Chiari.

A more Italian example of this subgenre is Bello, onesto, emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata (A Girl in Australia).

The film was classified as a comedy and released in 1971.

The protagonists include Amedeo (Alberto Sordi) and Carmela (Claudia Cardinale), as they navigate the complexities of falling in love.

Cardinale won the 1972 David di Donatello Award for Best Actress for her role in this film.  

In 1977, Adriano Celentano and Monica Vitti appear together in L’altra metà del cielo (The Other Half of the Sky), in which Celentano plays a priest in an Australian mining village and sets out to redeem the Sicilian character played by Monica Vitti.

Strangely, neither cast nor crew set foot in Australia – the entire production was filmed in Spain.

Celentano and Vitti were at the peak of their popularity at the time, but the film is rarely mentioned today.

More recently, Love’s Brother (Corrispondenza d’amore) was released in 2004 and tells the story of two Italian brothers in Australia.

Angelo is seeking a bride in Italy, though sneakily sends his potential wife, Rosetta, a photo of his more handsome brother, Gino.

Rosetta only discovers the truth after she arrives in Australia, but Gino already has a girlfriend - Connie.

The film is based on a screenplay by Italo-Australian Jan Sardi, famed for the Australian blockbuster Shine. Love’s Brother is a partial remake of the 1930 Hollywood film, A Lady to Love.

In the end, Connie and Angelo pair off, and Gino realises that he has feelings for Rosetta.

The main star of the film is actor Giovanni Ribisi, who plays Phoebe Buffay’s little brother, Fran Buffay Jr in the hit series, Friends.