Down and out Down Under

The international film scene has a lot for which to thank the Land Down Under. After all, Australia has spawned such movie greats as Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson and acclaimed director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games). However, these A-listers are rarely associated with Australian films. Despite numerous efforts to bolster its local film scene, including the creation of an elite government -ponsored filmmaking school, Australia continues to export a wealth of talent into Hollywood films without managing to find an independent cinematic voice.

In fact, the only Australian film to truly make a dent into the American box office, 1986’s Crocodile Dundee, was set primarily in New York City, a phenomenon Therese Davis, a lecturer in film and cultural studies at the University of Newcastle, calls the phenomenon “no coincidence”. Because “mainstream cinema and television in the U.S. [are] incredibly homogenous compared with other places in the world,” Davis says the American public has lost its palate for foreign culture. Says Davis, “most Americans love to watch films about Americans.”

What this doesn’t explain, however, is the relative success of other completely non-American stories such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Amélie. Jodi Brooks, post-graduate research coordinator for The School of Theatre, Film, and Dance at the University of New South Wales, provides an alternate perspective: “[Perhaps] the thing that might make it more possible for foreign films to really get a look-in in the U.S. is less to do with the films themselves and more to do with questions of free trade.”

To protect its fledgling film industry, Australia has quotas that limit the number of American films that can be played on Australian screens. Although this prevents the over-importation of Hollywood movies, it also makes it harder for Australian filmmakers to sell their films abroad. Australian movies, such as the Heath Ledger crime comedy Two Hands, which are readily available in countries like the United Kingdom due to more favorable trade agreements, are near impossible to view, rent or buy in the U.S. Other international markets are often too flooded with U.S. exports to accept Australian products.

Because of this lack of access to large film markets, many Australian actors, filmmakers and technicians have turned to American studios, virtually guaranteeing screen time. Davis explained that the result for Australian film is an industry in which “local production is at an all-time low, [while] we are experiencing international recognition for our expertise in specialist aspects of film production.” Notably, the Oscar-winning sound editing and visual effects in The Matrix, which many would consider a quintessential American film, were all done by Australian technicians. Babe, Moulin Rouge and Master and Commander also fall into this list of Australian labor funded with American money.

Additionally, Davis notes that many experts are concerned that the increasing popularity of Australia as a filming locale may be “detrimental to local production and local filmmaking styles.” Rather than being recognized as a producer of independent cinema, Australia has become a land where American stories can be told cheaply.

With the new Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement taking effect, Davis predicts matters will only get worse. The agreement continues to protect Australia’s right to keep foreign product out, yet offers no provision for Australia to return the heavy influx of U.S. exports. The result? Superman Returns is slated to film Down Under, along with the teen horror flick House of Wax starring Elisha Cuthbert, which is already in production. And as for a real taste of Australian cinema? We’re still waiting.