Cinema of Australia

The cinema of Australia has a long history—in fact, it is possible that the first feature-length narrative film was the Australian production, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906). Australia's film history has been characterised as 'boom and bust', because of the unstable and cyclical nature of the industry, with deep troughs when few films were made for decades and high peaks when a glut of films reached the market.{{ref|stratton}}

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The first peak occurred in the second decade of the 20th century. After beginning slowly in the years from 1900, 1910 saw 4 narrative films released, then 51 in 1911, 30 in 1912, and 17 in 1913, and back to 4 in 1914, which was the beginning of World War I.{{ref|pike-1}} Australia was one of the most prolific film-producing countries at the time. The demise of the industry can be seen as a response to falling audience numbers, a lack of interest in Australian product and narratives, or to the decision to participate in World War II. However, the real reason lay in the fact that Australian accountants for theatre chains realised that Australian product was much more expensive than the imported material from the U.S., which could be purchased cheaply as production expenses had already been recouped. To redress this decline, the federal government imposed a tax on imported film in 1914, but this was removed by 1918. No matter what the cause, by 1923 U.S. films dominated the Australian exhibition sector, with 94 percent of all films coming from that country.

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During the 1970s an influx of government funding saw the development of a generation of directors and actors telling distinctively Australian stories. Films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and Sunday, Too Far Away had an immediate international impact. The 1980s is regarded as perhaps a golden age of Australian cinema, with many successful films, from the dark science fiction of Mad Max to the blatantly commercial Aussie-bloke romantic comedy of Crocodile Dundee, a film that defined Australia in the eyes of many foreigners despite having remarkably little to do with the lifestyle of most Australians.

Related Topics:
1970s - Picnic at Hanging Rock - Sunday, Too Far Away - 1980s - Mad Max - Crocodile Dundee

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The industry has produced a number of successful actors and directors, including Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Russell Crowe, directors Peter Weir and Baz Luhrmann, and associated production experts. However, in common with other English-speaking countries, Australia has often found it difficult to compete in a market place dominated by American product. The most successful actors and film-makers are usually easily lured by Hollywood and rarely return to the domestic film industry.

Related Topics:
Cate Blanchett - Toni Collette - Nicole Kidman - Naomi Watts - Geoffrey Rush - Russell Crowe - Peter Weir - Baz Luhrmann - Hollywood

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The indigenous film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year, also many US producers have moved productions to Australian studios as they discover a pool of professional talent well below US costs.

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Studios established in Australia, like Fox Studios Australia and Warner Bros. Movie World, host large international productions like The Matrix and Star Wars II and III.

Related Topics:
Fox Studios Australia - Warner Bros. Movie World - The Matrix - Star Wars II - III

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The Australian animated short film Harvie Krumpet also recently received an Academy Award.

Related Topics:
Harvie Krumpet - Academy Award

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