Australia Up Close

Local film takes the international stage

By Chelsea McLean

The Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast March 24 to an estimated audience of one billion people, making it the biggest celebration of movie-making in the world. This year the stakes for the Australian film industry were higher than ever with nine Academy Award (or Oscar) nominations for four films. Seven of those, including a best film nomination, were for the movie "Shine."

"Shine" is a charming and positive small-budget, independent film which tells the true life story of musical genius David Helfgott. He is a lovable and eccentric character who develops a mental illness during adolescence. Australian Geoffrey Rush took out the prestigious best actor award for his portrayal of Helfgott, leaving famous American actors Tom Cruise and Woody Harrelson in his shadow.

"Shine"'s success symbolized a large step forward for the Australian film industry and for the international recognition of small-budget, independent films. With a budget of only A$6 million (¥600 million), "Shine" enjoyed big box-office success in Australian cinemas and across the United States.

Five years ago international film companies spent around A$10 million (¥1 billion) in Australia. Now, according to the industry organization Ausfilm, overseas investors will spend over A$200 million (¥20 billion) this year alone.

One of the most popular Australian film studios for production of Aussie and overseas films is the Warner Roadshow Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast. Over the past eight years films such as "The Phantom," "Delinquents," "Fortress," "Streetfighter" and a host of telemovies and TV series have been shot there.

Australian filmmakers have to compete with big-budget Hollywood films by creating innovative story lines, that attract Australian audiences. The problem is most film investors don't want to put money into "cultural" films believing they don't attract as many people as films with big action scenes and predictable endings.

The author of one of my university textbooks summed this up perfectly by asking: "Is film an industry, as investors would have it, a machine for cranking out crowd-pleasing and audience-pulling product? Or is it part of culture ― a vehicle for the expression of the sensibility of an individual artist or of the `social imaginary' of a culture or a community?" Films should have a cultural focus but this concern is often ignored by investors who want a big return on their money.

The Australian government has been struggling for decades to turn film into a profitable industry and a medium for the expression of cultural identity. Government-run organizations like the Australian Film Commission encourage development by providing funding forproduction. One of the chief goals of the AFC is to boost Australian content by encouraging Australian investment in films with Aussie scripts, locations and subject matter.

The number of films released in Australia each year is dominated by American material. AFC figures show that between 1984 and 1990 more European films were released in Australia than Australian films. A large number of Asian movies are also released in Australia, but these are outnumbered by Australian releases.

Australian films, like the U.S. box-office hit "Babe," must be pre-sold overseas because the Australian market is too small to generate a profitable return on large-budget films. This means Australian films have to be produced for international audiences. "Babe" is a film about a lovable talking piglet who lives on an Australian farm and struggles for acceptance from his animal peers. It managed to appeal to an international audience and retain its Australian identity. It is one of the most successful Australian films to date, along with "Crocodile Dundee," "Strictly Ballroom," "Mad Max" and "The Man From Snowy River."

Last year "Babe" scored seven Oscar nominations and took the award for best visual effects. Other Australian films to be nominated for Oscars were "Breaker Mordant," "Crocodile Dundee" and "The Adventures of Priscilla," which won an Oscar for best costume design in 1994.

Australians are really beginning to make their mark in the international film arena. If Australian filmmakers can continue to identify Aussie stories that appeal to international audiences then it may not be long before Australian films catch up with Hollywood at the box office.

Shukan ST: May 9, 1997

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