Were this week’s AACTA Awards any better than the old AFIs? The spruced-up gongs show the Australian film industry still hasn’t come to terms with its niche status.
Australian film industry
My Cup Of Tea: Leave the glamour to Hollywood and celebrate niche
My Cup Of Tea: Australia doesn’t need better films, just better distribution
Australian films only took 3.9% of the domestic box office last year. The Adelaide Film Festival’s outgoing director Katrina Sedgwick argues the entire business model of cinema is changing fast.
New Aussie film Surviving Georgia’s deceptive marketing manoeuvrings
New Aussie film Surviving Georgia is, sadly, a true blue howler, says Luke Buckmaster. So why does The Guardian give it four stars? Actually, it was a reader on the Guardian’s website, not the publication itself…
First Gatsby, now Miller … how American stories win Aussie film funds
How Australian is Arthur Miller’s 1955 classic A View From The Bridge? A new Australian film production is testing definitions and sparking renewed debate on funding, writes Grace Jennings-Edquist.
My Cup Of Tea: Taxpayer dollars head to Hollywood
In screen policy, an open-ended and uncapped tax subsidy is considered a good thing. The bigger the film, the larger the tax-payer contribution, writes Ben Eltham.
Five case studies in the unsung art of film editing
The film industry provides countless examples of celebrated professionals: actors, directors, writers and producers. But film editors - particularly Aussie ones - are amongst the jobs often overlooked. Here are five of our best.
Pomeranz: Don’t mix business with art
While wannabe sports stars gets thousands in government support and sponsorship, young Australian film makers struggle to make a living in Australia and that talent heads overseas, writes film critic Margaret Pomeranz.
Off-screen drama: disquiet over film school boss Levy’s management
Executive board meetings at the Australian Film Television and Radio School are being held under an atmosphere of suppression and “sycophantic compliance”, according to the school’s director of research and education.
Is Australia’s film industry really that bad?
Bemoaning the woeful state of Australia’s film industry has almost become a cliche in the local media. But are things really that bad? 2009’s fantastic crop of Aussie feature films should prove the critics wrong, says Sylvia Lawson.
Australia’s 3D film debut set to be a real toad
In the wake of Avatar’s monolithic success, Australian film makers are keen to get a slice of the three-dimensional pie. Our first 3D flick? A nature doco about cane toads.
Stop trying to recreate Lantana, just make an Aussie Mad Men
This should have been a bumper year for Aussie films, with titles like Balibo, Mary and Max and Blessed, but realistically the profits aren’t that large, writes Lynden Barber. Should federal funding instead go to more profitable television dramas and digital channels?
The 2009 AFI nominees
The nominees for the 2009 AFI Awards have been announced, and capping off a bumper year for Australian cinema, it’s an impressive list, says Luke Buckmaster.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Brisbane lord mayor’s latest white (concrete) elephant
Brisbane City Council go begging for fans of King George Square, Big Food is looking for a lobbyist who ticks all the right boxes, does Clive Hamilton want to kill koalas? trouble in the NT education system, and more tip-offs from Crikey readers.
Film review: Into the Shadows
Luke Buckmaster reviews Into the Shadows: a dense and compelling documentary about the beleaguered state of the Australian film industry. Required viewing for those interested in the business side of Australian cinema.
Aussie films left in the dark
‘Quirky’ was key in the Australian film industry for awhile (think Muriel’s Wedding), while now the buzz is around ‘dark’ films. Luckily all classic films are dark, writes Lynden Barber.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Della Bosca and his upstanding member
Crikey readers continue to weigh in on the John Della Bosca sex scandal, in light of the article by Bob Ellis. Plus, what’s happening with the Australian film industry?
Crikey cage match: Is Australian film still down in the dumps?
In last week’s Sunday Age, Michael Coulter said he’d rather watch the next Transformers film than watch anything made by down-in-the-dumps local filmmakers. Crikey’s movie blogger Luke Buckmaster begs to differ.
Interview with Balibo director Robert Connolly
Luke Buckmaster sits down with Robert Connolly, director of acclaimed new film Balibo, which recreates the events surrounding the murder of five Australian journalists in East Timor in 1975.
Interview with Cedar Boys‘ Les Chantery
Cinetology’s Luke Buckmaster chats to Les Chantery, star of explosive new Australian film Cedar Boys about taking a risk, Australian cinema and the allure of Adidas jackets.
Aussie screenwriter to direct Tomorrow When the War Began trilogy
Australian screenwriter Stuart Beattie is set to make his directional debut with a film adaption of John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began teen book series.
Interview with Bert Deling, director of Pure Shit
Made in 1975, the Australian film Pure Shit has lingered on the precipice of existence for 34 years. To mark its DVD release, the loquacious and fascinating Bert Deling (now 60) sat down for a yak with Cinetology.
VCA cuts an act of barbarism
The loss of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts will be a disaster for arts professions, says Barista.
Green Lantern to be shot in Sydney’s Fox Studios
The next big budget Hollywood movie to be filmed in Sydney’s Fox Studios will be the long anticipated superhero flick Green Lantern.
Q&A with Mark Forstmann
Luke Buckmaster speaks with Monkey Puzzle director Mark Forstmann.
Q&A with Adam Elliot
Cinetology chats to animator, Oscar winner, and Mary and Max director, Adam Elliot.
