Australian Films On A Boom

For those visiting Australia, culture is one of the things that they often would want to know more about. And with Australian culture as diversified as the people living in the country, there are countless things to get to see here with regards to the topic. Thus, you are sure to have a great time in learning more about them.

And of all the cultural aspects of Australia, films are perhaps the most popular here. This one is, of course, not that surprising, since films are indeed very much popular all over the world. And with the Australian film industry now on a boom, film buffs are sure to have lots to watch out for.

But before that, it is interesting to note that Australian cinema's history is in itself a notable one to learn more about. The country was actually home to the first feature length film (that is, over 60 minutes long) ever made. The “Story of the Kelly Gang” debuted in Australia in 1906 and was also released in the United Kingdom a year later. However, only about 17 minutes worth of scenes have been recovered today from the original film.

Australia was also one of the birthplaces of the modern studio system of film making. For those who don't understand the term, the studio system is a method of film making in which everything that the movie needs, including props, lighting and scenery are located in one building, as opposed to location shoots. Some of the earliest movies shown in the country were religious films done by the Limelight Department studio.

Despite being only a far second behind American films for most parts of its history, the Australian cinema begun to boom in the 70's and 80's. These are the periods where Australian films, like “Mad Max” and the highly popular 'Crocodile Dundee”, first became well known to audiences outside the continent. It is also the time when Australian actors first began penetrating foreign markets.

Today, Australian producers regularly collaborate with Hollywood studios to make films. Some of these, such as “Australia” and “Moulin Rouge”, have since became a resounding success, both critically and financially. Also, many actors of Australian descent are now well received by a wider audience. One example of is Hugh Jackman, who became popular as Wolverine in the “X-Men” film series.

And it seems that Australian cinema is bent on reaching more audience in other countries. Just recently, the Australian government, through the Ministry for Sport, Youth, Early Childhood Education and Childcare, has signed up an agreement with the South African Ministry for Arts and Culture for the recognition of joint film production of the two countries. This, paves the way for more collaboration between the Australian film industry and other countries.