A local emerging filmmaker is planning a documentary that will look into why Australian moviegoers don't seem to support Australian cinema.
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Courtney Dawson, 23, of Ainslie, put out a teaser trailer yesterday on YouTube and her website, Advance Australian Film, in a bid to tap into the patriotic pre-Australia Day mood and get people thinking about the Australian film industry.
She said the industry had been in decline for decades and hadn't reached great box office heights since the early '90s, when Strictly Ballroom hit No1.
Piracy was one issue, but not one Dawson planned to investigate, because it was a broad subject on its own.
Instead, she will delve into why audiences seem to avoid Australian films in favour of foreign-made blockbusters with big budgets and special effects. She is curious as to why some she has spoken to actively dislike Australian cinema.
''Some people attach a stigma to them [Australian films] because lately there has been a string of depressing dramas and it has been hard to see past that.''
Dawson believes little money with which to market movies is another factor behind the decline of the industry.
''Sometimes the marketing budget of an American film is more than the entire budget of an Australian film,'' she said.
Some of the industry figures she spoke to for her trailer do not believe Australian films are dying as such, but that their success is cyclical.
''Now is a good time to go back to our peaks of the '90s - we had popular comedies that people seemed to relate to.
''In 2000, there were dramas, great, critically acclaimed films with fabulous acting, but this might not be what the general population want to see.''
Dawson is soliciting opinions on Australian films via social media (www.facebook.com/advanceaustralianfilm and @advanceausfilm).
''I want the general public to tell me what kind of films they want to see, so hopefully we can get people to listen and start making a difference with films for the public.
''My goal is to demonstrate there's a problem now and I want us to fix it. We're in a dry spell, we need to make a change, and now is the time to do it.''
To cover the costs of creating a 60-minute documentary, she is seeking donations via ''crowdsourcing'' website Pozible, through which she hopes to raise $7500.
This reporter is on Twitter: @clairelow