The latest PwC Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook report paints a dire image for the next five years of cinematic entertainment in Australia. In the report, President and CEO of the HOYTS Group, Damian Keogh, calls cinemas “the cockroach of the entertainment industry – nothing can kill it off”, which paints a beautiful image of a place that many filmgoers consider to be a church (of sorts). But, unlike a cockroach, it’s questionable whether cinema will be able to survive an impending apocalypse. Sure, the humble dark room with pretty pictures has had more than a few bells and whistles attached to it, with everything from newfangled 4K screens and pumped up Dolby Atmos speakers, to, um, beds and increased instagrammability, all applied in the hope that people will move away from their small screens to look at a bigger screen for a few hours.
But, what concerns me the most is the fact that the cinema has become a venue where only the biggest of the big films are cause for attendance, with the occasional ‘special event’ screening getting the nostalgia addicts out and about. Sure, Avengers: Endgame is better on the big screen, and sure, it’s great to see Alienon the big screen with full surround sound, but is this all that cinema is going to be from now on? A venue for the biggest of the big, and for a select few socially deemed ‘Hollywood classics’ that get run out every so often? Apparently live sports streaming is another thing which has given cinema a boost, and sure, that’s something, but it’s not a film as such.
In turn, this isn’t an article about what defines what a ‘cinema’ is – traditionalists would say that it is a sacred house where the art form of film lives, but with the arrival special screenings of television episodes, and the aforementioned sports screenings, one has to submit to the notion that the cinema is now just a really big, fancy television. Given the concept of ‘movies’ and ‘television’ is blending into one – if Nicolas Winding Refn is to be wilfully misinterpreted, there is no film, there is no show, there is only streaming now -, it’s very likely that the sanctity of cinema is now less about what is being shown, and more about how it is being shown. A better comparison is to hold the cinematic experience up against the live music experience – nowadays, gigs have swaths of people holding discussions amongst themselves, taking selfies, instagramming the music live to their followers, with complete disregard to the actual human beings on stage banging out tunes for the audiences ‘entertainment’, and it appears that cinemas are no different.
Sidetrack aside, this evolution of cinema is hurting the Australian film industry the most. Yes, smaller, sub-$20 million films from all around the world struggle to get a footing in cinemas, with the first week that films are in cinemas being the most important time for traction and word of mouth. In a world where people flock to see the biggest films on the opening day for fear of spoilers, the same amount of people seemingly avoid going to see smaller films because of a wealth of reasons. Whether it’s because they’ll await the home release, or for the film to hit streaming, or simple lack of interest, these smaller budget films that have minimal advertising dollars to splash around go by relatively unnoticed. Yes, the world of streaming is changing things dramatically, and there has been more content than ever, but again – Australian film is being left in the wake of everything else out there.
The PwC report wraps up the outlook of Australian cinemas with a glimpse into the future of Australian filmed content. I’ll quote this part directly as it’s worth dissecting this in its entirety:
The growing availability of foreign content being introduced by video-on-demand platforms is placing the Australian content under pressure. The Make it Australian campaign was launched in September 2017 by a number of industry leaders, including high profile Australian actors. The campaign aims to promote and protect local Australian filmed content by lobbying to extend local filmed content requirements to include streaming services and other new forms of delivering media and to boost government funding. Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia says, ‘we get more applications now per round than our legacy agencies used to get in a year’. The ability to grow Australian storytelling and compete on the international stage would be enhanced with Government investment in production and distribution.
Shit, hey?
The Make it Australian campaign is an interesting one, designed to encourage the screen industry and the government to embrace Australian content and support the screen industry as a whole. Launched in 2017, it’s mildly concerning to see that in that period of time (as per the website) there have only been 1,206 emails sent to local representatives to campaign for Australian film and to encourage the implementation of ‘Netflix’ quotas so more Australian stories are seen on Australian screens. With that said, if Australian content is on Netflix, then there will be an international audience for Australian content. One only needs to look at the massive success of Wentworth both domestically and internationally as one singular reason to support Australian content.
If we take a look at some of the films that have recently been produced in Western Australia – Breath, Jasper Jones, Dirt Music - one can’t help but scratch their head over whether these are actually the results of the WA tourism board and not Screenwest. Now, Breath and Jasper Jones are two of the better Australian films in recent years, but the cynicism side of me can’t shake the feeling that these films are being created to sell Australia, rather than to sell the Australian film industry as a whole. The same can be said of Top End Wedding – as great as that film is, it’s easy to imagine a cut of the film including Daryl Somers shouting at audiences ‘you’ll never never know if you never never go’, so strong is the ‘tourism’ angle of the film. To be clear, these two things can work in unison. There is no reason that a high quality film can’t also promote the region that it’s being filmed in. It’s just can’t feel like an advertisement.
From my perspective, I’ve long wondered what the future of Australian cinema is. With a singular government body doling out dollars to ensure Australian films are made, one can’t help but raise an eyebrow at some of the decisions made by the board. Given the uncertainty of how films are produced in Australia, it is refreshing to see that there is a huge wealth of independent films being produced despite the lack of government support. It’s concerning that there is little support for these independent filmmakers, even if the fact that they still make films on fumes alone is inspiring. But, what’s even more concerning is that even though these films are being produced, there’s a huge lack of optics for audiences to be aware that they exist. People are genuinely surprised that we have more than ten films released in a year, let alone over fifty films. They are there – but you have to work hard to find them.
While these genuine Australian stories are being told, there are also the Australian films by stealth – the Peter Rabbit’s, the Winchester’s, the Hacksaw Ridge’s of the world that are not Australian stories as such, but because they were made in Australia they are considered Australian. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, by that measure, then Aquaman and Thor: Ragnarok and Alien Covenant should all technically be Australian films. But, that’s not what this article is about.
Instead, what I’m more concerned about is the apathy for Australian films. I wrote about this a mere six months ago when I banged on about ‘where is the love for Sweet Country?’, and sure, I’m repeating myself again, but the genuine antagonism and apathy directed towards the Australian arts is devastatingly depressing. The key line in that PwC report is:
The ability to grow Australian storytelling and compete on the international stage would be enhanced with Government investment in production and distribution.
Australian film is not alone with being abandoned by the Australian government, with the games industry getting a profound shrug from the government. The yearly Digital Australia iGEA report is always a fascinating read, giving a great explanation of the state of the games industry in Australia, and in turn, the value of the Australian games industry. But, as with the Australian film industry, it always suggests that greater involvement and engagement from the Australian government would help that industry grow.
So, why I am digging up this old chestnut again? I guess it’s partly a response to the deserved accolades heaped upon tennis star Ashleigh Barty. It’s brilliant to see Barty’s success on the big stage, and it’s heart-warming to see Australia get behind a new Aussie sports icon. But, as has been said ad infinitum, where is the Aussie pride for the Australian film industry? I know it’s not like for like across the industries – obviously, Australia is more of a sports focused country than most, so the dedication and adoration for all sports codes is understandable – but, when different industries are in trouble, Australians have banded together to ensure that that industry doesn’t struggle. When the farmers were in trouble, Australians came together and supported them.
It’s clear that Aussie pride is selective. Got a gold medal for Australia? Fantastic, drinks on the house! Making a film about Australia? Fuck you, pay your own way!
The labelling of foods in supermarkets to show what percentage of the food is Australian made or owned has helped inform those buying the groceries as to how much they are giving back to Australian companies by buying Australian. But, there’s no labelling for Australian films, and certainly there’s little encouragement from outside the Australian film industry to actually seek out Australian films.
As with the lack of government support, the Australian film industry rolls on despite the lack of support from the Australian public. No matter how many times the Australian film industry thanks the Australian public for purchasing and engaging with Australian content, Australian audiences simply do not care. The PwC report that projects a stagnation of Australian cinema attendance over the next five years suggests an even more dire projection for Australian cinema than expected.
So, is it time that fans of Australian cinema accepted that this is a niche outlet? Is it time to call defeat and recognise that despite our best efforts, we’re going to have to simply ensure that we support Australian films via festivals and niche speciality screenings? After all, it seems this is the future of Australian films – instead of a traditional release, they find life at one of the many festivals around Australia, catering to hundreds instead of thousands. While this is frustrating, and certainly not exactly an economically viable model, is it the inevitable result that faces the Australian film industry?
I look at these revival screenings that roll out around Australia, and I see the same handful of titles being rolled out. Alien, The Godfather, Blade Runner, and maybe Mad Max or The Castle. Where’s the travelling Australian film festival within Australia? Where’s the celebration of Australian cinema across the board? Yes, I know that the Sydney Film Festival is hosting a David Stratton mini-Australian women directors festival, but that’s a very localised run. The next time your local cinema runs a revival screening, send them an email and request some Australian films.
Not to get too dour, but I fear that regardless of how many positive reviews are written about Australian films, or how many articles like this exact one are written about ‘what can be done to help Australian cinema’, the general populace at large simply do not care enough to encourage a major change across the board. For a while, I considered that maybe if international audiences started to appreciate Australian films, then maybe Australian audiences might also appreciate them – but that’s a big ‘what if’.
I know from talking to filmmakers that reviews help, and I know that discussing films in Australian media helps, but it’s simply not enough. I’m not saying ‘put down tools folks, head on home’, I’m just saying that there needs to be more innovation than simply ‘Make it Australian’ or ‘Thanks for Buying Australian’. There needs to be government support. There needs to be grand changes across the board, such as reduced advertising costs for Australian films, or even quotas for Australian cinemas to play Australian films (not too dissimilar from radio stations needing to play a percentage of Australian music), or a percentage of the box office from international films being reinvested into Australian films.
On top of this, if you want to see more Australian content, then we need to continue to petition the Australian government to do something. The incumbent Minister for Arts is Paul Fletcher, and he can be contacted here.
If you want to go the next step, you can always rely on FanForce to help host screenings in your local area of some Australian films. A film like Backtrack Boys, which is now out on home release, is still getting screenings via FanForce. It works.
There is a wealth of issues facing Australian cinema, whether it’s funding bodies, or distribution streams, or general apathy, but one things for sure: I’m not ready to give up the fight for Australian films. I’m not ready to stop shouting about them. I just don’t entirely know how to get Australia as a whole on board with it. The Australian film industry needs your help. Do the ‘Aussie Pride’ thing an stick up for the underdogs bringing Australian films to life. Watch Australian. Support Australian. Buy Australian. Because, otherwise, just like the humble Holden car, you’ll be heartbroken when it’s gone.