What's Wrong with Australian Films (2014)

Australia produced the world's first feature film with The Story of the Kelly Gang but today our film industry is struggling. Since the 1980s Australian films' total share of the local box office has fallen steadily from over 23% to below 4%. During this time the Australian Government's involvement in filmmaking has increased. Today the Government funds most local films, as well as locally produced Hollywood films. Yet in spite of the Government's growing involvement in filmmaking, and spending hundreds of millions on production, the box office slide has continued unabated-leading to concerns for the future viability of the industry. The question is, what's wrong with Australian films? And can Australia ever hope to reverse the slide and build a self-sufficient commercial film industry? One group of industry insiders and corporate executives believe it is possible. They have formed an initiative called Pure Independent Pictures, which is dedicated to supporting local independent filmmaking. They believe Australia can build a thriving independent film sector to rival the likes of Hollywood. But is it really possible? Join Amie Bransgrove as we hear from experts in economics, finance, marketing, and filmmaking on such questions as, is our economy large enough to make commercial films, can we ever compete with Hollywood, do we have enough scripts, does our accent work on-screen, and do Australian's really want to make films? This documentary will change the way you see Australian films.