Editing Cinema of Australia (section)

===Renaissance – 1970s and 1980s===
[[File:Gorton Press Conference 1970 (8).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[John Gorton]] initiated several avenues of government support for Australian cinema]]
[[John Gorton]], [[Prime Minister of Australia]] from 1968 to 1971, initiated several forms of government support for film and the arts, including the [[Australian Film Development Corporation]]. The [[Gough Whitlam]] government (1972–75) continued the support via its successor the [[Australian Film Commission]], and state governments also established assistance programs. These measures led to a resurgence of Australian film-making in both the low budget 16mm format and 35mm cinema - the [[Australian New Wave]] - which lasted until the mid-to-late [[Australian films of the 1980s|1980s]]. The era also marked the emergence of the "[[Ozploitation]]" style – characterised by the exploitation of colloquial Australian culture.

{{anchor|womencinema}}
Also notable during this era was the effect of the  growing [[feminism in Australia#1970 onwards|feminist movement]]. The role of women's films was discussed at the Women's Liberation Conference in [[Melbourne]] in 1970,<ref name=gillnfsa/> and groups such as the Feminist Film Workers collective (1970s and 1980s), Sydney Women"s Film Group (SWFG, 1972–), Melbourne Women's Film Group (1973–), Reel Women (1979 to 1983 in Melbourne), and  Women's Film Unit (Sydney and Melbourne, 1984/5) were established.<ref>{{cite book | last=Liddy | first=S. | title=Women in the International Film Industry: Policy, Practice and Power | publisher=Springer International Publishing | year=2020 | isbn=978-3-030-39070-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkz2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA289 | access-date=30 August 2022 | page=289}}</ref> A number of filmmakers, including [[Jeni Thornley]], Sarah Gibson, Susan Lambert, [[Martha Ansara]], [[Margot Nash]] and [[Megan McMurchy]], were involved in these groups.<ref name=gillnfsa>{{cite web| url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/feminist-filmmakers| website= [[NFSA]]|title=Feminist filmmakers| first=Heather| last= Gill| access-date=30 August 2022}}</ref> The 1975 [[International Women's Film Festival (Australia)|International Women's Film Festival]], the first of its kind,<ref name="gillnfsa"/> was initiated by the SWFG,<ref>{{cite thesis| first=Pauline| last=Webber| type=MA| publisher= [[University of Technology, Sydney]]|date=2005| url= https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/20050/1/01front.pdf| title=History of the Sydney Film Festival, 1954–1983 | access-date=30 August 2022}}</ref> but groups around the country organised screening events in other state capitals. In Melbourne and [[Sydney]] the festivals ran for nine days (with an audience of around 56,000), and in the other states they spanned two to three days.<ref name=zetterling>{{cite journal| author=Zetterling, Mai |url=https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/ielapa.636989311447701 |title=International Women's Film Festival [abstract]| journal= [[Metro Magazine]]|issue= 32 |date=1975}}</ref>

Films such as [[Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)|''Picnic at Hanging Rock'']] (directed by [[Peter Weir]], 1975) and ''[[Sunday Too Far Away]]'' ([[Ken Hannam]], 1975) made an impact on the international scene. The 1970s and 1980s are regarded by many{{who|date=March 2021}}{{quantify|date=March 2021}} as a "golden age" of Australian cinema, with many successful films, from the dark dystopian fiction of ''[[Mad Max (film)|Mad Max]]'' ([[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]], 1979) to the romantic comedy of ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'' ([[Peter Faiman]], 1986) and the emergence of such film-directing auteurs as [[Gillian Armstrong]], [[Phillip Noyce]] and [[Bruce Beresford]].

A major theme of Australian cinema which matured in the 1970s was one of survival in the harsh Australian landscape. A&nbsp;number of thrillers and horror-films - dubbed "[[outback]] gothic" - have appeared, including ''[[Wake in Fright]]'', [[Walkabout (film)|''Walkabout'']], ''[[The Cars That Ate Paris]]'' and [[Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)|''Picnic at Hanging Rock'']] in the 1970s, [[Razorback (film)|''Razorback'']], [[Long Weekend (1978 film)|''Long Weekend'']] and [[Shame (1988 film)|''Shame'']] in the 1980s and ''[[Japanese Story]]'', [[The Proposition (2005 film)|''The Proposition'']] and [[Wolf Creek (film)|''Wolf Creek'']] in the 2000s. These films depict the [[Australian bush]] and its creatures as deadly, and its people as outcasts and psychopaths. These elements combine with futuristic post-apocalyptic themes in the [[Mad Max (franchise)|''Mad Max'' series]]. 1971's ''Walkabout'' was a British film, set in Australia, which became a forerunner to many Australian films related to indigenous themes; it introduced [[David Gulpilil]] to cinematic audiences. 1976's ''[[The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (film)|The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith]]'' directed by [[Fred Schepisi]] re-told an award-winning historical drama from the book by [[Thomas Keneally]] about the tragic story of an Aboriginal [[bushranger]].

Classic stories from [[Australian literature]] and [[Australian history]] continued to provide popular cinematic adaptations during the 1970s and 1980s. [[Gillian Armstrong]]'s ''[[My Brilliant Career (film)|My Brilliant Career]]'' (1979) featured [[Judy Davis]] and [[Sam Neill]] in early lead-roles. 1982's ''[[We of the Never Never (film)|We of the Never Never]]'' followed up on the theme of the female experience of life in the [[Australian bush]]. 1982's [[The Man from Snowy River (1982 film)|''The Man from Snowy River'']], starring [[Tom Burlinson]] and [[Sigrid Thornton]], dramatised the classic [[Banjo Paterson]] poem of that name and became one of the all-time box-office successes of Australian cinema. In addition to the serious historical dramas popular in the 1970s, a number of films celebrating and satirizing Australian colloquial culture appeared over the decade, including: ''[[The Adventures of Barry McKenzie]]'' (1972), ''[[Alvin Purple]]'' (1973), and ''[[Barry McKenzie Holds His Own]]'' (1974). The [[Barry McKenzie]] films saw performing-artist and writer [[Barry Humphries]] collaborating with director [[Bruce Beresford]]. In 1976, [[Peter Finch]] won a posthumous [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role in the American satire [[Network (1976 film)|''Network'']], thus becoming the first Australian to win an Oscar for best actor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/australian_productions/F_A_Success/Academy_42_89.asp |title= Screen Australia: Australian Productions|website=www.screenaustralia.gov.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226195718/http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/australian_productions/F_A_Success/Academy_42_89.asp |archive-date=26 February 2011}}</ref>

1980's [[Breaker Morant (film)|''Breaker Morant'']] (starring [[Jack Thompson (actor)|Jack Thompson]] and [[Edward Woodward]]) dramatised the controversial trial of an Australian soldier during the [[Boer War]] of 1899-1902; there followed 1981's [[World War&nbsp;I]] drama [[Gallipoli (1981 film)|''Gallipoli'']] (directed by [[Peter Weir]] and starring [[Mel Gibson]]). These films, now considered classics of Australian cinema, explored contemporary Australian identity through dramatic episodes in Australian history. Gibson went on to further success in 1982's [[The Year of Living Dangerously (film)|''The Year of Living Dangerously'']] before transferring to pursue his Hollywood career as an actor and director. Many other Australian stars would follow his path to international stardom in the coming decades. The director of ''The Year of Living Dangerously'', Peter Weir, also made a successful transition to Hollywood. Weir contributed to the screenplay along with its original author, Christopher Koch, and playwright [[David Williamson]]. Williamson rose to prominence in the early 1970s, and has gone on to write several other original scripts and screenplays made into successful Australian films, including: ''[[Don's Party]]'' (1976); ''Gallipoli'' (1981), [[Emerald City (play)|''Emerald City'']] (1988), and [[Balibo (film)|''Balibo'']] (2009).<ref>[[IMDbName:0932011|David Williamson – IMDb]]</ref>

Actor/comedian [[Paul Hogan]] wrote the screenplay and starred in the title role in his first film, ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'' (1986), about a down-to-earth hunter who travels from the Australian outback to New York City. The movie became the most successful Australian film ever, and launched Hogan's international film career. Following the success of ''Crocodile Dundee'', Hogan starred in the sequel, ''[[Crocodile Dundee II]]'' in 1988. 1988 also saw the release of the drama [[Evil Angels (film)|''Evil Angels'']] (released outside of Australia and New Zealand as ''A Cry in the Dark'')<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094924/releaseinfo#akas|title= A Cry in the Dark (1988) – Release dates|publisher= IMDb.com|access-date= 14 June 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180921204840/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094924/releaseinfo#akas|archive-date= 21 September 2018|url-status= live}}</ref> about the [[Lindy Chamberlain]] saga, in which a [[dingo]] took a baby at [[Ayers Rock]] and her mother was accused of having murdered the child.

[[Nicole Kidman]] began appearing in Australian children's TV and film in the early 1980s – including starring roles in [[BMX Bandits (film)|''BMX Bandits'']] and ''[[Bush Christmas]]''. During the 1980s she appeared in several Australian productions, including [[Emerald City (play)|''Emerald City'']] (1988), and ''[[Bangkok Hilton]]'' (1989). In 1989 Kidman starred in [[Dead Calm (film)|''Dead Calm'']] alongside [[Sam Neill]] and [[Billy Zane]]. The thriller garnered strong reviews, and Hollywood roles followed.<ref>[https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117790280.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 Dead Calm] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081227225718/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117790280.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 |date= 27 December 2008 }}. Variety.com. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2007.</ref>