Ballarat-based film producer John Chase is angry about the difficulty of getting Australian films shown in this country.
A LOCAL veteran filmmaker says it is becoming harder to get films into cinemas, warning that it might result in less Australian content available for moviegoers.
John Chase, producer of the film Dalkeith, said his new $2.4 million teen horror film 6 Plots had been largely ignored by cinemas.
He said Australian films were getting very little support in the way of advertising, making it harder to stand up to Hollywood blockbusters.
“The trouble with the Australian film industry, right across the board, is it’s not treated as a business, whereas the Americans and everyone else treat it as a business.”
Chase’s new film had half of its scenes shot in Ballarat, with about a third of the crew coming from the area.
He said 6 Plots had so far been on five cinema screens across the country as part of a very limited release.
He said a small advertising budget had made it hard to generate buzz around the film.
“You spend a couple of hundred thousand on advertising, that’s gotta come back before the film starts,” he said, adding that public often wanted stars in their films.
“We don’t have big names, you’ve got to have big names.”
Chase said he was in talks with the Regent Cinemas to get the film shown locally.
The Rex Cinema in Daylesford had also shown interest.
He said his film distributor, Rialto, had struggled to find a way into the crowded market.
“They tried really very hard. They found it incredibly difficult coming up against what you’re up against.”
The governments rules were also making it hard for Australian filmmakers to produce an international hit, said Chase.
“We have to make films to a great extent that satisfy the Australian rules, but internationally they don’t work.”
Chaise said a local and overseas DVD release had provided way of the film making its money back.
But he also warned a lack of support from both the public and government would mean a lot more Australian films on the shelves that “no one will ever see”.
tom.cowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au