WA mines for movie gold and delivers the nuggets in spades

Top honours: These Final Hours, an apocalyptic road movie. Photo: Supplied

 

Garry Maddox, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

So why are so many good films coming out of Western Australia?

These Final Hours, the apocalyptic road movie that won the critics prize at the Melbourne International Film Festival this month, has joined a strong list that includes Red Dog, Mad Bastards, Drift, Wasted on the Young and Satellite Boy.

Yet to be released from the state are Julius Avery's drama Son of a Gun, starring Ewan McGregor, John V. Soto's thriller The Reckoning, the Tim Winton adaptation The Turning - six chapters were filmed in WA - Carmelo Musca's thriller Foreshadow and Rachel Ward's World War I telemovie An Accidental Soldier.

And two more promising films are due to start shooting soon - Kriv Stenders' Kill Me Three Times, another thriller starring Abbie Cornish and Simon Pegg, and Robert Connolly's Paper Planes, about a boy who wants to compete in the world paper plane championships.

The west also has what's described as the country's fastest growing ''destination'' film festival, with this week's CinefestOz in Busselton attracting such film identities as David Wenham, Gillian Armstrong, Jack Thompson, Robert Connolly and executives from Screen Australia, Roadshow Films, Hopscotch and Madman Entertainment for screenings and industry workshops.

Perth-based producer Tania Chambers, a former chief executive of both Screen West and Screen NSW, says Western Australia had a long filmmaking slump after producing Fran, Shame, Windrider and Father decades ago, with producers focusing on children's television drama and factual programming.

But a long process of fostering talented directors, state lottery and regional funding, mining industry finance and new sources of private investment have produced results.

''There was a deliberate focus over the last 10 years to try and bring through talent and team people up with experienced executive producers and co-producers,'' she says.

The chairman of CinefestOz, David Barton, says festival attendance has grown from 1800 to an expected 15,000 in six years, with screenings and events expanding from Busselton, a three-hour drive south of Perth, into nearby towns.

As well as the world premiere of Ward's An Accidental Soldier, the program includes Australian films that have only screened at the Sydney or Melbourne film festivals so far, including These Final Hours, The Rocket, Mystery Road, Patrick, Aim High in Creation and the WA chapters of The Turning.

Red Dog star Koko dies in Perth

Red Dog producer Nelson Woss with Koko. Koko has died of congestive heart failure. Picture: Karin Calvert Source: PerthNow

Alexa Coetsee, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Koko, the Red Cloud Kelpie which starred in hit Australian film Red Dog, has died peacefully in Perth.

The seven-year-old had been diagnosed with congestive heart disease in early 2012 and had been receiving treatment but succumbed to the disease.

Red Dog producer Nelson Woss, who became Koko's owner after forming a close bond with him during the film shoot, said he was devastated to have lost his best mate.

"Through the making of Red Dog, Koko became Australia’s favourite dog. He certainly changed my life forever," Mr Woss said.

"I will miss his companionship, his remarkable outgoing, friendly nature and the many long walks that we enjoyed together in Perth and around the country. His incredible journey has come to an end."

Feel-good film Red Dog was based on the novel by Louis de Bernieres, about the true story of the kelpie who wandered the WA outback in the 1970s.

Koko starred alongside actors Josh Lucas and Rachael Taylor in the film, which grossed more than $21 million at the Australian box office in 2011 and became the eighth-highest grossing Australian film of all time.

Koko was the true star of Red Dog and was awarded Best Dog in a Foreign Film at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards in Los Angeles. A portrait of him by artist Adam Cullen received a special commendation at the 2012 Archibald prize.

A video of Koko’s audition has received more than 300,000 hits on YouTube. Originally a show dog, he learned more than 50 commands from animal trainer Luke Hura for the film.

Woss has suggested that Koko's fans make a donation in his name to the Shenton Park Dog Refuge where he was an unofficial ambassador.

Movie investors face wait for a glittering prize

Garry Maddox, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

As The Sapphires heads into British cinemas this week after its Australian success, the heartfelt comic musical has boosted careers left, right and centre.

But who makes money out of all this success?

In taking $14.2 million at the box office, the film has confirmed the talents of Deborah Mailman and Jessica Mauboy and established little-known Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell, who play the four sassy singers in a 1960s girl group.

It has also launched actor-director Wayne Blair into feature films.

An estimated one million cinema viewers have now seen a story about Aboriginal women rising above racism with warmth and humour, giving a fresh perspective on indigenous Australia.

Only 13 Australian releases have taken more at the local box office - a strong result for a film costing less than $10 million from a first-time director with no huge stars.

While film is a notoriously complex business and The Sapphires producers say it is too early to talk about income, only a small share of an $18 cinema ticket will flow to its creators and backers.

An estimated $11.50 will go to the cinema operators to screen the film.

The remaining $6.50 goes to the distributor, who might have risked up to $3 million on creating prints of the film and advertising, as well as providing a hefty advance during financing.

That leaves just $1 to $3 to flow, via Screen Australia to the financiers, the investors (including Singapore's IFS Capital, private backers, Screen Australia and Screen NSW) and the producers.

Sometimes the director and stars will eventually get a share; other times they won't.

But the Australian cinema release is only the first stage of a roll-out that can bring revenue to the producers and investors from around the world for three years.

Last year's hit Red Dog rewarded its investors from an even better Australian cinema box office of $21.3 million.

The heartwarming drama about a kelpie who united a mining community became the country's third-highest seller, behind only Avatar and Finding Nemo, with more than 800,000 DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

''A great result at the cinema can be the locomotive to generate other revenue streams that are cleaner, like DVD and digital downloads,'' producer Nelson Woss says.

The distributors of The Sapphires are planning a more conservative 200,000 DVDs and Blu-rays when it is released next month, although digital downloads on phones and tablets have become increasingly valuable in the past year.

The revenue breakdown for The Sapphires shows how tough the film business is for Australians.

''The exhibitor is in the box seat - the guy who takes the dollar over the counter,'' says Screen Australia's head of production investment, Ross Matthews.

''Then the distributor is next on the list. Down the back of the bus, you'll find the poor old equity investors, looking pale.''

Mr Matthews says the cinema ticket breakdown demonstrates why a country the size of Australia needs a subsidised film industry.

''It's pretty hard to turn a dollar for the investors out of an Australian film,'' he said.

Kath and Kim beat The Expendables 2 at the Australian box office

Kath and Kim and the cast from their movie Kath & Kimbrella. Source: Supplied

Vicky Roach, News Limited Network, reports

Who would have thought? Kath and Kim have more box office muscle than Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham combined.

The long-awaited silver screen debut by those foxy ladies from Fountain Lakes has taken $2.1 million and the No 1 spot in its opening weekend at the Australian box office, ahead of Sly's old school action adventure The Expendables 2.

''I told you I looked great on the big screen mum!'' said Kim.

''Well, I agree with the BIG part of that Kim,'' replied Kath.

But even with a crown prince and a fairytale European holiday at their disposal, TV's favourite comedians couldn't outshine The Sapphires.

The feelgood 60s musical took $2.34 million in its opening weekend, pulling in the biggest crowds for an Australian movie since teen action film Tomorrow When The War Began opened with $3.86 million in September 2010 and beating the $1.78 million debut of last year's success story Red Dog.

And in its fifth week of release, The Sapphires, which tells the story of an indigenous all-girl group that travels to Vietnam to entertain the troops, was holding firm in the No 3 spot at the box office.

A weekend gross of $919,000 took the film’s overall tally to within a whisker of $11 million ($10,952,085.)

The Sapphires a box office smash hit on opening weekend

Aussie flick The Sapphires has been a big success on opening. Picture: Hopscotch Source: Supplied

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

The Sapphires has enjoyed the best opening for an Australian movie in almost two years, taking $2.32 million at the box office last weekend.

The feel-good musical drama about an all-girl Aboriginal singing group sent off to Vietnam to entertain the troops has put a sparkle into an otherwise dull 2012 at the local box office, pulling in the biggest crowds since teen action film Tomorrow When the War Began opened with $3.86 million in September 2010 and beating the $1.78 million debut of last year’s runaway success story Red Dog.

The Sapphires’ total gross now sits at $2.59 million, with distributor Hopscotch/eOne expecting it to reach $3.4 million by the end of the week.

“The reports we’ve been getting from cinemas is people applauding after each session,” said Troy Lum, managing director of Hopscotch/eOne. “Word of mouth seems to be very strong, so we hope the film is going to have really good legs.”

The performance puts the film at No.2 on the weekend chart behind The Dark Knight Rises with $2.74 million. Lum believes Batman can be defeated: “We might catch it by the end of the week,” he predicted.

“Batman is showing on more screens (500-plus) than we are, but we’re pleased as punch. It’s very difficult in this very studio-driven environment to get a result like this. When you’re punching above your weight the way The Sapphires is, it’s really heartening.”

The Aussie flick has benefitted from advance interest overseas, with a well-received premiere at Cannes, Hollywood heavyweights the Weinstein Company buying the rights for a US release and star Jessica Mauboy catching the eye of American Idol impresario Simon Cowell.

Such “international approval” can do wonders for a film locally – as happened when Melbourne crime drama Animal Kingdom picked up US awards buzz – but Lum believes Australian audiences make up their own minds.
“I don’t think Australians buy into that stuff unless they see it and they think it’s good. While it’s helpful the film played well at Cannes, if Australian audiences didn’t take to it, it wouldn’t have generated the kind of result it did on the weekend.

“My feeling with Aussie films is that people need that personal recommendation. People need to be told, ‘Yes, this is a good movie, you should go and see it’. That has happened with this film – we screened it a lot beforehand, really got it out there and people are talking about it. That’s the best advertisement for a movie.

“The unknown variable for us was whether the film was going to play in the suburban and regional areas. There’s always the danger that you get a really strong result out of the urban areas and not so much anywhere else. But the most heartening thing about the result for us is it is spread out all over Australia. It’s not just playing to upmarket audiences, it’s been embraced by middle-Australia.”

By capturing suburban and regional audiences, The Sapphires has maximised its chances of reaching Red Dog-levels of success.

“We’ve always had pretty high expectations, so I don’t think we could raise them any more,” Lum said. “When you see it and feel it, it’s hard to dampen those expectations. If you see this movie, you feel compelled to tell other people about it.

“No matter how much money you spend on advertising or marketing, that’s really the key.”

The Sapphires opened on 275 screens, slightly wider than recent local hits Mao’s Last Dancer ($2.75 million off 266 screens in 2009) and Red Dog (which at its height was showing on 268 screens).

Red Dog opened on the same August weekend last year with $1.78 million, then increased its takings the following two weekends. It went on to gross $21.3 million, just scraping into the Top 10 of overall box-office takings in 2011 and becoming the eighth highest-grossing Australian film of all time.

However, Red Dog was well ahead of the pack; the next best-performed Australian films of 2011 being 3D cave-diving thriller Sanctum ($3.9 million) and child-migration drama Oranges and Sunshine ($3.8 million). Sanctum, backed by Avatar maestro James Cameron, travelled best, taking $103 million worldwide.

Australian films last year accounted for 3.9 per cent of total box office of $1.09 billion. That was down on the 4.5 per cent of total box office in 2010, when nine Australian films grossed over $2 million, led by Tomorrow When the War Began, Bran Nue Dae, Animal Kingdom and The Kings of Mykonos.

So far in 2012, wedding comedy A Few Best Men (a co-production with the UK team behind Death at a Funeral) leads the way, its $1.8 million opening weekend in January leading to a total gross of more than $5 million.
The Joel Edgerton-starring drama Wish You Were Here is next best with $1.46 million, followed by Any Questions for Ben?, the disappointing comeback from the makers of The Castle, which took $1.43 million.
Animated sequel Happy Feet Two was released last Boxing Day, but took the bulk of its $10.4 million this year.

The Australian movie industry still has some tricks left up its sleeve for 2012.

September 6 sees the release of Kath & Kimderella and Bait.

The former, the movie debut for TV’s beloved foxy morons Kath & Kim, should be able to ride its built-in audience and heavy nation-wide promotion to a strong opening weekend. Bait, a 3D thriller in which Xavier Samuel and Julian McMahon are trapped in a supermarket with a killer Great White shark, is likely to follow in the footsteps of Sanctum and do impressive business internationally. It will have its world premiere on September 1 at the Venice Film Festival.

Mental, which reunites Muriel’s Wedding pair PJ Hogan and Toni Collette, will close the Melbourne International Film Festival on Saturday and open the Australian International Movie Convention on the Gold Coast on Sunday. A convention for distributors and exhibitors, AIMC last year built up plenty of advance buzz for A Few Best Men.

Mental opens nationally on October 4.

With Baz Luhrmann’s Warner Bros-backed The Great Gatsby moving to mid-year, local cricket-tour comedy Save Your Legs! (out January 24) appears set to have summer to itself.

The Sapphires also opened in France last weekend (box office results not yet available), with Britain and US releases to follow from November.

Best Australian movie opening weekends of the last three years

1. Tomorrow When the War Began – $3.86 million – Sept 2010
2. Mao’s Last Dancer – $2.75 million – Oct 2009
3. The Sapphires – $2.32 million – Aug 2012
4. Happy Feet Two – $2.21 million – Dec 2011
5. A Few Best Men – $1.83 million – Jan 2012
6. The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2 – $1.83 million – May 2010
7. Red Dog – $1.78 million – Aug 2011
8. Bran Nue Dae – $1.61 million – Jan 2010
9. Sanctum – $1.6 million – Feb 2011
10. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole – $1.36 million – Sept 2010
11. Daybreakers – $1.06 million – Feb 2010
12. I Love You Too – $874,533 – May 2010
13. Oranges and Sunshine – $681,018 – June 2011
14. Animal Kingdom – $604,319 – June 2010
15. Beneath Hill 60 – $548,371 – April 2010

Box office hit Red Dog set for Aussie stages

Could Red Dog be our next big Aussie stage star? Barking right he could. Source: Herald Sun

Vanessa Keys, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Rumours that box office smash hit Red Dog will be adapted into a stage spectacular were confirmed today, with the film's producer Nelson Woss joining forces with acclaimed stage producer John Frost.

The true story of the globe-trotting kelpie dog makes “perfect fodder for the stage'', said Frost, the man behind musical hits Annie, Doctor Zhivago, Chicago and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

“Not only does it showcase this beautiful country, but it presses all the right emotional buttons,'' he said. “It's an iconic Australian story that needs to have another life.''

With preliminary workshops slated to start in the next three months, the hunt is on to find the perfect kelpie for the role.

Koko the dog may have won accolades for his star turn in the film but Frost remains close-lipped on whether he'd pass muster for the stage role.

“I'd let him audition but he may be a bit past it,'' he said. “Maybe Koko will have offspring by then. I'd certainly like him to walk the red carpet at the opening.''

No dates have been announced, but fans should anticipate a wait of up to three years.

Australia's latest award winner barks at Hollywood

Jenna Clarke, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

In the midst of awards season in Hollywood an Australian has been awarded the canine equivalent of an Oscar.

Koko, the star of West Australian based story of Red Dog, won Best Dog in a Foreign Film at today's Golden Collar Awards in LA.

The 6-year-old kelpie is busy preparing for the film's UK premiere on February 24 so accepted his accolade via satellite.

"This win has cemented Koko's status as cinema's top dog," Koko's owner and Red Dog producer Nelson Woss said.

"I am very proud that Koko has finally won an acting award, which recognises his terrific performance and contribution to the film."

Koko's big screen debut alongside Josh Lucas and Rachael Taylor last year has since earned him more than 5,000 Facebook friends and throngs of fans around Australia and within international film circles.

Red Dog and Koko were the break out stars of Australian cinema in 2011.

The adaptation of Louis de Bernieres story about a dog bringing together an outback community is the eighth highest grossing Australian film and the biggest selling Australian DVD of all time.

Prior to Koko's coup, the film also won Best Film at the recent Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards.

The cast, including the five-star hotel loving pooch, will travel to the US later in the year for the Hollywood premiere.

'Charlie's Angels' Rachael Taylor: 'I will always do Australian films'

© Rex Features

Rebecca Davies, Digital Spy, reports

Rachael Taylor has revealed that she will "always" support the Australian film industry.

The Charlie's Angels actress, who recently starred in AACTA Award-winning movie Red Dog, said that she doesn't see why films from her home country can't appeal to international viewers.

Taylor told The Daily Telegraph: "I will always come back to do Australian films. I've done four over the busiest five years of my career and I would like to keep it that way, because I am so passionate about the Australian film industry. I think it matters.

"I think we can make films that people go and see. And I don't think it's too much to ask that films in this country make a profit and that we embrace them. There's a place for all different types of films, but it was so great to see Australian audiences passionately get behind something [with Red Dog].

Taylor, who lives in Los Angeles, is currently visiting Australia to promote her latest film Any Questions for Ben?, in which she stars opposite real-life boyfriend Josh Lawson.

She also attended the AACTA Awards ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday (January 31) and said that she enjoys "red carpet moments for what they are", adding: "Every girl likes a fab outfit."

Kelpie fetches the top prize at new film and TV awards

Olivia Newton John. Photo: Ben Rushton

Garry Maddox, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

IT WAS one more triumphant yelp for Red Dog. The warm-hearted hit film won the top prize at the first Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards at the Opera House last night.

The comic drama by the director Kriv Stenders about a kelpie who unites a mining town in the Pilbara, loosely based on a true story from the 1970s, added best film to the previously announced member's choice award.

But with Red Dog's directing, acting and craft nominees all overlooked, the intense drama Snowtown surprisingly won four of the stylish trophies modelled on the Southern Cross at the replacement for the Australian Film Institute Awards.

Presenters at the black-tie ceremony included the Australian of the Year and academy president Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska, Anthony LaPaglia and Jacki Weaver, with performances by Olivia Newton-John and Megan Washington.

Justin Kurzel's dark Snowtown, which dramatised South Australia's infamous bodies-in-the-barrels murders using mostly non-actors from the Adelaide suburbs where the early crimes took place, won best direction, best actor for little-known Daniel Henshall, best adapted screenplay for Shaun Grant and, in the night's biggest upset, best supporting actress for first-timer Louise Harris.

Henshall took the role of serial killer John Bunting to break away from being cast as an ''affable loser'' in TV shows and commercials. He beat three big names - Geoffrey Rush for The Eye of the Storm, Willem Dafoe for The Hunter and David Wenham for Oranges and Sunshine.

Kurzel cast Harris, a non-actor, as the mother of teenage killer Jamie Vlassakis after seeing her arguing in the street about a dog off the chain.

She was considered a long-shot against Helen Morse and Alexandra Schepisi (both for The Eye of the Storm) and young Morgana Davies (The Hunter).

At the earlier craft awards, Snowtown also won won best editing and sound.

The six-time AFI winner Judy Davis won best actress for playing a fragile expat who returns to see her dying mother in The Eye of the Storm, Fred Schepisi's adaptation of a Patrick White novel.

Hugo Weaving, a three-time AFI winner, won best supporting actor for playing a former ''lost child'' shipped to Australia in the drama Oranges and Sunshine.

The Tasmanian wilderness drama The Hunter led the nominations with 14 but won just two - best cinematography and music score - at the craft awards.

In the TV categories, the drama The Slap won five prizes and the Tim Winton adaptation Cloudstreet had eight nominations but won only best young actor for Lara Robinson.

Asher Keddie, who memorably played Ita Buttrose in the mini-series Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, collected the audience choice award for best performance in a TV drama.

Packed To The Rafters collected the audience choice award for best TV program.

Kath, Kim and Baz to rejuvenate box office after slow year

Great Aussie hope ... The Kath & Kim Filum. Photo: RTP Films

Garry Maddox, The Age, reports

WITH at least three potential hits, last year's underwhelming box office for Australian films - except for Red Dog - is expected to improve this year.

Figures released by Screen Australia show last year's Australian releases took just $42.9 million - 3.9 per cent of the annual box office. But commercial prospects look bright for The Kath & Kim Filum, the romantic comedy Any Questions for Ben?, the Working Dog team's return to filmmaking after The Castle and The Dish, and Baz Luhrmann's star-powered The Great Gatsby.

Last year's results, dominated by Red Dog's exceptional $21.3 million, were down on the previous year's 4.5 per cent but still well above the record low of 1.3 per cent in 2004.

The acting chief executive of Screen Australia, Fiona Cameron, believes the wedding comedy A Few Best Men, shark attack horror film Bait 3D, musical The Sapphires and Ronan Keating comedy Goddess are also potential hits.

Other prospects include the Toni Collette comic drama Mental and the Sundance selection Wish You Were Here.

While Cameron expects the slate to top the 4 per cent mark this year, she won't predict a figure, citing Screen Australia's investment in culturally significant films whose impact often transcends box office results.

The Australian share of the box office has cracked 10 per cent only five times in the past 35 years, with Crocodile Dundee driving the record 23.5 per cent in 1986.

In a year when the total annual box office dipped 3 per cent to $1.094 billion, Screen Australia is citing other measures of success for Australian film, including sales to 19 territories for the sexually charged drama Sleeping Beauty after its world premiere at Cannes and 12 territories for the Tasmanian drama The Hunter after its Toronto festival debut.

The 3D cave-diving thriller Sanctum also grossed more than $100 million worldwide.

Also, the federal government agency claims 72.7 million ''downstream'' viewings for Australian films on DVD, online, pay TV and free-to-air TV, although cinema box office and international sales still largely determine financial success.

The challenge for small-scale Australian films with modest marketing budgets has only increased as the cinema business has polarised into ''events'' at both ends of the spectrum - blockbuster franchises in multiplexes and acclaimed films in arthouses.

But Red Dog's success shows how much audiences respond to even low-profile Australian films when they work creatively and are marketed strongly.

''They put together a warm, friendly, accessible script,'' Cameron says.

''Accessibility shouldn't be a dirty word.''

Local cinema has gone to the dog after disappointing year at box office

Cashed-up canine ... Red Dog earned $21.1m locally.

Karl Quinn, The Age, reports

IT'S been a dog of a year for Australian films at the box office. The hit family oriented movie Red Dog accounted for more than half the local take.

Red Dog has earned $21.1 million locally (it has yet to go on general release overseas), accounting for 2.1 per cent of the estimated Australian box office of $995 million to December 21.

All the other Australian films combined accounted for a further $18 million, for a total local share of $39.1 million, a shade over 3.9 per cent. The 10-year average is 4.2 per cent.

The final figures for the year, which are likely to be released early next month, will be bolstered by Happy Feet Two, from Sydney director-producer George Miller, but are still likely to be down on last year's result.

At the same time last year, total receipts were about $1.08 billion, en route to a record $1.13 billion for the year. That result was bolstered by the performance of Avatar, which took more than $76 million last year and a total of $106 million since its release in December 2009.

James Cameron's blockbuster was one of six films that earned more than $30 million at the local box office last year, but this year only three films, all of them sequels, have passed that figure - the final Harry Potter, the latest Transformers and The Hangover Part 2.

Last year, Australian films accounted for $50.6 million, or 4.5 per cent, of the local box office and nine of the top 100 films. This year, only four Australian films made the top 100. Joining Red Dog were Sanctum, (77th place, $3.83 million), which was produced by Cameron but made on the Gold Coast, Oranges and Sunshine (79th place, $3.73 million) and The Cup (93rd place, $2.67 million). Of those, Sanctum has performed best globally, earning $107 million.

Things look a lot healthier if The King's Speech is included. The film took the bulk of its $31 million local box office this year, but despite having an Australian producer (Emile Sherman), an Australian co-star (Geoffrey Rush) and an English director who considers himself half-Australian as his mother was born here (Tom Hooper), officially it is British.

The best year for Australian cinema locally in dollar terms remains 2001, when a line-up that included Moulin Rouge, Lantana, The Man Who Sued God and Crocodile Dundee in LA earned a record $63.4 million.

This Red Dog has his day

Red Dog is the eighth highest-grossing Australian film of all time.

Karl Quinn of the Sydney Morning Herald reports

RED Dog has passed the $20 million mark at the box office, making it the most successful Australian film domestically since Baz Luhrmann's Australia in 2008 and the eighth highest-grossing Australian movie (in raw dollar terms) of all time.

The only films to have performed better are Crocodile Dundee (1986, $47.7m), Australia (2008, $37.5m), Babe (1995, $36.7m), Happy Feet (2006, $31.7m), Moulin Rouge (2001, $27.7m), Crocodile Dundee 2 (1988, $24.9m) and Strictly Ballroom (1992, $21.7m).

In adjusted dollar terms, Red Dog sits at No. 20, but after 10 weeks in release this tale is still wagging strongly.

The family film - based on a novella by Louis de Bernieres, which was in turn based on the true story of a kelpie that roamed the outback in the 1970s in search of his missing master - is still showing on 210 screens nationally and took more than $800,000 last week.

The $8 million feature, filmed by Brisbane-born director Kriv Stenders, is due for release in Singapore next week and the UK in January.

''Australia has fallen in love with Red Dog,'' producer Nelson Woss said from the US, where he is presenting the film to festival audiences. ''Now it's time to share our story with the world.''

On location and finally acting the part

Shining ... from left, Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Shari Sebbens, Jessica Mauboy and Miranda Tapsell on the Sydney set of The Sapphires.

Article by Garry Maddox, the Sydney Morning Herald

After a slow time for the film industry, Sydney is enjoying star billing, writes Garry Maddox.

When Sydney was named a UNESCO City of Film last year, it was hard to know what to make of it. The only other city with the honour was - no, not Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, London or Mumbai - but 'oomble Bradford in northern England.

Almost a year later, Sydney seems to be living up to the title. Consider these developments:

In the biggest movie to shoot in the city in three years, Baz Luhrmann is filming The Great Gatsby in 3D with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. Instead of the tumbleweeds that have blown through Fox Studios since Australia and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there are hundreds of crew, cast and extras, with word from the set suggesting the movie will look spectacular and show the creative potential of 3D.

The Sapphires, the film version of Tony Briggs's successful stage musical about the Aboriginal equivalent of The Supremes in the 1960s, has just finished the Sydney leg of its shoot. The director, Wayne Blair, is in Vietnam with his cast, led by Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman, to shoot scenes set during the war. After the success of Bran Nue Dae, there will be high hopes for the film next year.

George Miller is down to the last few weeks of work on Happy Feet Two, having turned an old railway shed at CarriageWorks into a thriving animation studio with more than 600 crew. The sequel to the Oscar-winning penguin tale will be released in the US next month and here on Boxing Day.

While the falling dollar will need to hit US85¢ to regularly attract Hollywood production again, two other big movies are also in the early stages: Alex Proyas's Paradise Lost, based on Milton's epic poem and reportedly due to star Casey Affleck as the angel Gabriel and Bradley Cooper as Lucifer; and Walking With Dinosaurs 3D, adapted from the famous BBC documentary series.

These films come amid a promising time for Australian cinema.

When Red Dog was released, the feel-good drama about a dog that united the Pilbara mining community in the 1970s looked likely to take $5 million. It has cracked $19 million, which makes it the eighth-highest grossing Australian film in domestic box office history, and has sold strongly around the world.

On limited release, The Eye of the Storm has taken $1 million in three weeks. While the director Fred Schepisi's lavish adaptation of a Patrick White novel won't be a money spinner in cinemas, the blue-chip cast headed by Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis and Charlotte Rampling will give it a long life on DVD, video-on-demand and television.

After selling widely at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Hunter opened in cinemas this week, with Willem Dafoe playing a mercenary tracking down the last Tasmanian tiger. Next week comes The Cup, which tells the story of jockey Damien Oliver's stirring win in the 2002 Melbourne Cup shortly after his brother's death in a race fall.

Outside Australian film, the final Harry Potter movie took $52 million and showed that when a film is good, audiences seem prepared to pay for 3D.

The city is also back on the radar for film events, with the state government underpinning the Sydney Film Festival's viability for the next three years and the Australian Film Institute bringing the new Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards to the Opera House in January. The City of Sydney council is also financing a feasibility study for a new film centre for screenings, exhibitions and courses.

The only blip in all this encouraging activity is the state government's scrapping of the $5 million Production Investment Fund that lured film and television projects to NSW. ''The impact is more likely to be in television than in film but there will be an impact in film,'' the executive director of the Screen Producers Association, Geoff Brown, says.

''It doesn't impact at the top level with Happy Feet and Gatsby-type productions, but the smaller-budget Australian films will be looking elsewhere.''

Film Red Dog, starring Rachael Taylor and Josh Lucas, leads nominations for 2011 IF Awards in November

Vicky Roach, Arts and Film Editor from The Daily Telegraph, reports

THIS year's IF Awards, which are voted for by the public, has a clear leader for best film.

Red Dog is two legs ahead of the competition for this year's IF Awards. The family film, which has taken $19 million at the box office in just nine weeks, has been nominated for seven awards, including best film, best director (Kriv Stenders), best actor (Josh Lucas) and best actress (Rachael Taylor).

Oranges and Sunshine, Jim Loach's hard hitting drama about forced child migration from the UK to Australia, follows closely behind with six nominations, including best film and best actor (David Wenham) and best actress (Emily Watson).

Also in contention for best film are the low-budget ensemble drama Face to Face, directed by Michael Rymer, and The Eye of the Storm Fred Schepisi's adaptation of Patrick White's novel.

Squaring off against Lucas and Wenham for best actor are Geoffrey Rush (The Eye of the Storm) and the entire male ensemble cast of Face to Face (Vince Colosimo, Luke Ford, Christopher Connelly, Matthew Newton, Robert Rabiah and Josh Saks).

Taylor and Watson also face stiff competition for best actress -- from Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm), and the female ensemble cast Face to Face (Sigrid Thornton, Ra Chapman, Laura Gordon, Lauren Clair).

The IF Awards will be held at Sydney's Luna Park on November 16. The host will be Eddie Perfect.

Aussie films flavour of the year overseas

Story by Jessica Tapp / ABC News website

For the first time in a decade, Australian films have featured at six of the world's premiere international film festivals this year. The head of Screen Australia, Ruth Harley, says Australian filmmakers and their films are becoming more popular every year, thanks in part to the Federal Government's producer offset tax incentive. The head of the Australian Film Critics Association, Peter Krausz, says the success is also the result of hard work, and increased international experience.

PETER CAVE: For the first time in just over a decade, several Australian films have made it into six premier international film festivals.

"Red Dog", a film set in the Australian outback has been the most popular film both at home and abroad.

Critics say Australia's success this year is due to the filmmakers choosing scripts with a broader international appeal.

Jessica Tapp reports.

JESSICA TAPP: It's the audience every film-maker dreams of - the A-list film festivals are held every year in Berlin, Toronto, Cannes, Venice and Korea.

This year, Australia has films screening at all of them.

The head of Screen Australia, Ruth Harley, says Australian filmmakers and their films are becoming more popular every year.

RUTH HARLEY: I think one of the things that's helped is that Australia has got a buzz around it and I think that's because we've had a number of films over the last two or three years attracting significant international notice.

JESSICA TAPP: Ruth Harley says financial incentives like the producer offset, which offers a 40 per cent tax rebate to producers, has helped.

RUTH HARLEY: I do think the producer offset has been really influential and not just because of you know of getting very large films made here, like the Great Gatsby and Happy Feet and things like that, but because there are films, you know we've got bigger scale films coming out of the domestic industry.

JESSICA TAPP: The head of the Australian Film Critics Association, Peter Krausz, says it's not just about the money.

He says the success is the result of hard work and increased international experience.

PETER KRAUSZ: It shows the amount of work that has gone into the writing of Australian films over the last few years and also of making films that tap into a broader audience so they've become more successful.

JESSICA TAPP: Peter Krausz says being selected for an A-list screening will itself provide a huge boost to the Australian film industry.

PETER KRAUSZ: It doesn't matter so much which film festival a film is screened at - to be selected and to be part of a film festival already gives a film a lot of kudos and a lot of marketing potential but also demonstrates that there is a broader audience out there that would be interested in that film but certainly Toronto, Cannes, Venice, Berlin are some of the top festivals.

JESSICA TAPP: Peter Krausz says this year's result is part of an ongoing trend in the Australian film industry. He expects the success to continue.

PETER KRAUSZ: So really in Australia, we're punching above our weight in many respects with the percentage of films that are achieving some sort of success and I think you'll find that with films like the Animal Kingdom, Red Dog, The Hunter and so on, that these are films that have been very well written and very carefully produced but also with the idea in mind that there is a very large audience potential out there and that they will appeal to people overseas because of the ideas and the universality of some of their themes.