A few years ago, Tourism Australia launched a $34 million campaign riffing on Crocodile Dundee. The ad premiered during the Super Bowl and featured American actor Danny McBride, who was billed as Crocodile Dundee’s American son. The campaign was a “fake trailer” for a sequel to the series, which saw Australian icons such as Hugh Jackman, Chris Hemsworth, Ruby Rose, Margot Robbie and the original Dundee himself, Paul Hogan, appear. The ad was bloody funny and a resounding success.
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Tourism Australia realised that, to promote Australia in a cinematic way, it made sense to use our most iconic film: a weird, super-dated, transphobic comedy from 1986. Tourism Australia did not choose The Dry or Snowtown. The 38-year-old film still represents the cultural “vibe” of the country significantly better than most of what Screen Australia believes is “integral Australian cinema”.
In Australia, unlike the United States, if you have an idea for a film or television show, you cannot go to a random producer and say you want to make this. There is no “studio system” here. You have to go through months, and sometimes years, of government applications, and then, and only then, will you be able to talk to a network partner like SBS or a streaming service such as Stan.
In theory, it should give anyone, no matter their financial background, gender, sexuality, etc the same opportunity. However, it’s well understood in the industry that Australia’s screen hubs are really only looking for a few types of things, from a few types of people. These hubs are determined to make Australian cinema look and feel a certain way and want taxpayer money for “important” and “culturally significant” projects.
But this is not the way to craft important or culturally significant narratives at all; it’s perfecting a formula.
Australia’s latest hit at the international box office was Talk to Me, a horror film that embraced how genuinely stupid Australian teenagers are. The film absolutely could not have been made by someone who was not a delinquent themselves in their youth. It was perfect, which was why it found a massive audience worldwide, grossing just over $92 million, far more than any other recent Screen Australia release.
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Talk To Me was a much-needed step in the right direction. It should be the start of a whole new approach to making Australian movies. One that focuses on narrative and genre over importance or cultural significance. I guarantee, more people will remember movies like Talk to Me in 50 years than the ones Screen Australia thinks you want to see.
Roby D’Ottavi is a writer and director based in Melbourne.