Eric Bana thinks Aussie films rock!
Hometown boy Eric Bana was the 'star attraction' at the 50th AFI Awards. As a local boy whose work has seen him leap from comedy roles in Full Frontal to Hollywood movies like Troy and J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek movie, he still has no qualms about supporting the local industry.
While there are some who lament the poor box office of Aussie films, Bana prefers to look at the climate with some perspective.
"I think you have to look at our year in a sort of five-year cycle," he said. "If you look at one year at a time it's kind of like looking at a footy season over four games. I think our industry's too small to break it down and be hyper-critical so I think we're in a pretty good cycle at the moment."
As one who has clearly found international fame, Bana feels it's great when Australian talent is working overseas because it's put everyone on show.
"The more cinematographers and writers we can get working overseas, and directors, is a huge benefit for the local industry. As long as we can get them to come back and work occasionally."
Another who found international success is veteran actor Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. Now viewed as the 'godfather' of the Aussie industry, 85-year old Tingwell worked in the UK in the '50s and '60s. He says Australian films have always been celebrated overseas.
"It's always been marvellous it's just that Australians are waking up to it," he said. "The rest of the world always has. I just think it's lovely Aussies can say 'we really can do it'. And that's change."
Tingwell says for many years Aussie film-goers were too snobbish.
"They wouldn't go to see Chips Rafferty, the greatest of all time. They thought people would say 'ohh now they'll think we all talk like that'.
"But we do talk like that!"
I'm an Aussie who's been living abroad for close to four years. After being away from Oz, it sometimes hurts to watch Aussie films and TV. Wow, when you haven't heard the accent in a while, it can be tough! Bud is right, we do talk like that!That said, I love Aussie cinema. I've missed a lot of them of late but I can't wait to make up for lost time and visit my local Video EZY when I finally make it home. I'm very much looking forward to watching "The Square".
I think the problem in Aussie cinema is that not enough mainstream genre films are being financed and the ones that are have average scripts. I can only hope that more funding can be given to the industry so the AFFC don't have to be so careful with what films they finance. But Black Baloon was good so it's not all bad!