RESEARCH QUESTION
Based on the past and current trends, what prediction could be made for the future of the Aboriginal Film Industry in Australia?
KEY FINDINGS
- funding and education are highly important in Aboriginal films being made and becoming successful
- international demand is growing
- genre films are increasingly popular, there is a move away from Aboriginal filmmakers only telling ‘Aboriginal’ stories
- Representation in media important to public perceptions and Australia’s national identity
- Progression of Indigenous film industry mirrors the progression of government policy and Indigenous rights
Filmmaker Tony Krawitz likens the film situation now to the New Wave of the 70s which which created the careers of Fred Schepisi Peter Weir and Philip Noyce. “If you think about when the film commission first came into being, with that burst of new talent, it’s just the same now. Filmmaking is an expensive business. It’s about being given the opportunity and the training to make a film. There are so many great, talented Indigenous filmmakers with great stories to tell. And a lot of them have been finding that balance, of telling indigenous stories with really good films. Audiences are engaging because of that, it’s exciting.”
A project by:
Hannah Andrews
Prani Harrison
Kate Nickels
Gezhang Chen
Jia Li