PRESS RELEASE
After Australian cinema’s prosperous period in the 80s and 90s where well-known, crowd-pleasing classics such as Crocodile Dundee, Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla Queen of the Desert were all produced, the Australian film industry has been in decline. Since 2004, Australian films have consistently grossed under 5% of annual box office revenues and are currently tracking a dismal 2.3% share for 2014 – the second lowest figure since 1977.
Emerging independent filmmaker, Courtney Dawson has experienced first hand just how hard it is to get a film off the ground in Australia. Her documentary Advance Australian Film investigates the state of the industry and looks at why around 80% of Australian films will earn less than $1 million at the box office year after year.
Courtney talks to Australia’s film heroes and movie greats including David Stratton (At the Movies), PJ Hogan (Muriel’s Wedding), Kriv Stenders (Red Dog), Emile Sherman (King’s Speech) and Russell Crowe. These discussions with key actors, producers, film historians and distributors shed some light on the problems facing the industry today and looks at what we need to do to create a new golden age of local cinema.
“While the film gets down and examines some of the key issues facing the industry today (marketing, funding and distribution being major factors), I also wanted to showcase the great successes we’ve produced over the years – to celebrate Australian film and inspire people to go back and watch their favourite Aussie movie, or take a chance on a new one at the cinemas”.
Courtney gives us answers and arms us with some reasoning for the current state of affairs so we can hope for a new climate of optimism and reconnection with audiences.
The documentary also looks at the changing state of the film world in general; crowd-funding, new marketing models and video-on-demand platforms are changing the way movies are being produced and accessed. As a world first, the film will be made available on “Sharetapes” which gives viewers the option to purchase a physical credit-card sized “tape” (embedded with an NFC chip). This allows you to download the film and play it directly on smartphones and tablets.
“It’s really exciting to be tapping into new digital distribution methods! It’s befitting of the film’s subject matter and should provide a good case study for future independent Australian filmmakers looking reach new audiences”
Tune in to the fascinating exploration of the industry – Advance Australian Film, premiering on STUDIO Channel on Tuesday 28th October at 9pm and on World Movies on Sunday December 7th at 8.30pm. After the premiere broadcast, you can purchase the film on a Sharetape, as a digital download or DVD at www.advanceausfilm.com from November.
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