Welcome to Aussiewood - big changes to Australian film industry
The Australian film industry has been involved in some memorable and groundbreaking films - Breaker Morant, Gallipoli, The Piano, Murial’s Wedding, Rabbit Proof Fence, Shine, Lantana, Ten Canoes. But with a population of only 20 million people, government funding for the film industry has always been limited and until now, the majority of recent Australian films have been made on an average budget of $4M per film (and many for less, as little as $1M-$2M) and whilst these ultra low budget films have won awards locally and some also at international film festivals, most have failed to make it internationally.
Compare this with the average budget for a US film of $60M and upwards (with small Indies as ‘little’ as $15M) and you will have some idea why Australian film has struggled to produce the slick productions which make it to international distribution.
The Australian film industry, however, is undergoing major changes with the three main film financing companies, the AFC, FFC and Film Australia now joining at one new company, the Australian Screen Authority (ASA) and the government is offering up to a 40% rebate for feature films to attract greater overseas investment. This means bigger budget films with international appeal. Aussiewood awakens.
author, artist, composer, screenwriter
I saw The Piano. It is one of my faves.:)
The average budget for a US film is actually around $60 million (US). The average budget for an Australian film is about $4 million (Australian)
Thanks Craig. Have updated the article accordingly.