Theme: Australian Cinema

Films have been made in Australia since 1906 and sporadically since. However, the true growth of Australian Cinema came from the 1970s onwards. During this period, it exploded with a considerable outpouring of films that gained international acclaim.

Not long after the emergence of Australian cinema as its own identity, it also begat a deluge of exploitation films and a number of genre works – the so-called Ozploitation cycle. This had some enormous international successes most notedly with the trend-setting post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max 2 (1981), and other works. The Ozploitation cycle died away by the mid-1990s but Australia still produces a number of genre works.

Recurrent themes within Australian cinema include the relationship between man and the Outback, which is often seen as having mystical, overwhelming power or be lurking with dangers. Adjacent to these is the popularity of the Crocodile Dundee films about the superiority of a man with knowledge of bushcraft. The mythology of the native Aborigines also features in some films – for which see Aborigine Mythology.

Australian filmmakers of note include Shane Abbess, Bill Bennett, Jamie Blanks, James Bogle, Terry Bourke, Rolf de Heer, Everett de Roche, Justin Dix, Colin Eggleston, Richard Franklin, Anthony I. Ginnane, Rod Hardy, Mark Hartley, Zak Hilditch, Stephen Hopkins, Jennifer Kent, Justin Kurzel, Greg McLean, George Miller, George Miller (ii), Philippe Mora, Russell Mulcahy, Chris Noonan, Phillip Noyce, Alex Proyas, Kimble Rendall, Kiah Roache-Turner, Yahoo Serious, The Spierig Brothers, Andrew Traucki, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Leigh Whannell, Peter Weir, Simon Wincer and Karl Zwicky.