by Dov Kornits
Reporting today from Japan, where local films dominate the top 10. So, how did Australian films fare this Australia Day, you ask? In honour of that embarrassment, we will not be collating the paltry figures for Australian productions this week – and we’re not talking about Robbie Williams biopics masquerading as Australian films. Instead, as Moana 2 and Wicked approach the magic $50m mark here in Australia, we have to ask, what is it going to take so that Australians actually get the chance to see local stories on the big screen and beyond? Better films, stories that are more commercial blah blah blah; we call bullshit; until this industry – both production and exhibition – is regulated properly, our cultural identity will be more aligned with a Sega video game than anything truly enriching and authentic. We simply cannot allow the free market to dictate culture. Rant. Finished.
