Australian features flourish, but head into dangerous future

Dominating the box office, but faced by cuts, what is the future of the Australian feature film sector?

The loss of the American tentpole releases in cinemas created a unique space for local films to flourish, and Australian film producers are riding high on the box office success of domestic releases since Christmas. But a panel on the future of film at Screen Forever feared that the current success masks the threat of extinction.

Everyone on the ‘Australian feature films: 2021 and beyond‘ Zoom panel bets against the odds again and again to invest resources and reputation on Australian film production. Joel Perlman runs Roadshow Films, the distribution company responsible for The Dry and Penguin Bloom and High Ground. The larger Roadshow company went international from an Australian base long ago, but it has never completely given up on local investment. sse

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.