By Travis Johnson

The Make it Australian campaign launched last night, with events held in various cities across the country. An initiative by the Australian Directors’ Guild, the Australian Writers’ Guild, Screen Producers Australia, and the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance, the campaign aims to protect Australian content and foster the Australian screen industry in the face of a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Actress Helen Dallimore hosted the Sydney launch, which was held at Event Cinemas George Street, and saw contributions from acclaimed director Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career, Women He’s Undressed), Oscar winning sound mixer Ben Osmo (Mad Max: Fury Road), producer John Edwards (Police Rescue, Offspring), TV writer and producer Holly Lyons (Home and Away, Help, I’m a Teenage Outlaw), and actresses Camilla Ah Kin and Kat Hoyos, of Here Come the Habibs.

The movement was prompted by two government industry reviews currently underway, coupled with concerns that Australian content will continue to be underrepresented in the burgeoning streaming sector without quotas and similar controls being put in place.

Dallimore stressed a need to insure the future of stories “…by us, for us, and about us,” saying “We need a renewed commitment from the Australian government to keep our stories on our screens.”

Edwards acknowledged that many of his successes were due in part to mandated Australian content quotas, and stressed the economic benefit to the wider community that Australian production brings, saying “We have to have something which is in our own voice.”

Osmo recalled his 10 year stretch learning his craft at the ABC before transitioning into film, noting that such opportunities are increasingly rare. He observed that, rather than apprenticeships and attachments, emerging practitioners and technicians often found themselves stuck in the “favour economy”, working on very low budget projects for reduced or deferred fees. He advocated expanding the feature film 40% producer offset to include television and online projects as a way to help address the issue.

Lyons, who made her bones in the UK after finding opportunities scarce in the Australian industry, underlined the need for greater support for emerging filmmakers, saying “There isn’t enough money for broadcasters to be brave.”

However, it was Armstrong who spoke most vehemently, stating that “Nothing changes without a fight – or, as my husband says, a whinge.” The veteran director went on to note that the Australian film industry has always been somewhat fragile and precarious and that, without governmental protections, Australian voices would be lost from the mainstream culture, pointing to the early ’60s, when Australian content accounted for a mere 1% of broadcast television, as an example of an unprotected and unregulated industry.

Repeatedly, the need for Australian content provisions in locally available streaming services was highlighted.

The evening also saw the launch of the #MakeItAustralian social media campaign, with supporters urged to tweet, insta and post selfies including the logo and hashtag:

https://twitter.com/chickennchips_/status/909938401234755584

https://twitter.com/ABFilmReview/status/909740406513922048

For more information, head over to the Make It Australian official site.

 

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