Australian Cinema
Though the Australian New Wave of the 1970s began to wane in the 1990s a few new directors and stars gained international acclaim.
Baz Luhrmann‘s flamboyant Strictly Ballroom (1992) attained commercial and critical success, and explored quirky characters inhabiting contemporary Australian suburbia –
WATCH: the trailer for Strictly Ballroom
marking something of a departure from the Outback and historical sagas which obtained success in the 1970s and 1980s. This was followed by Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet (1992) and big budget Australian-international co-production Moulin Rouge! (In 2001)
And 2008’s Australia, which showcased a host of Australian stars including Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and David Wenham and went on to become the second highest grossing film in Australian cinematic history.
George Miller’s Babe (1995) employed new digital effects to make a barnyard come alive and went on to become one of Australia’s highest grossing films.
WATCH: the trailer for Babe
Stephan Elliott‘s 1994 film Priscilla Queen of the Desert mixed traditional outback cinematography and landscape with contemporary urban sub-culture: following three drag queens on a road trip to Central Australia.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert trailer – CC
Russell Crowe’s rise began with his role as a vicious ‘skinhead’ gang member– in 1992’s Romper Stomper–and then as an inner-Sydney working class gay man in 1994’s The Sum of Us before he transferred to the USA to commence his Hollywood career.
The early 2000s were generally not successful years for Australian cinema, with several confronting dramas proving unpopular at the box office. In 2008, no Australian movies made $3 million at the box office.