The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the early 1970s and lasted until the mid-late 1980s. The era also marked the emergence of Ozploitation, a film genre characterised by the exploitation of colloquial Australian culture.
Background
The Australian film industry declined after World War II, coming to a virtual stop by the early 1960s. The Gorton (1968–71) and Whitlam governments (1972–75) intervened and rescued the industry from its expected oblivion. The federal and several state governments established bodies to assist with the funding of film production and the training of film makers through the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, which fostered a new generation of Australian filmmakers who were able to bring their visions to the screen. The 1970s saw a huge renaissance of the Australian film industry. Australia produced nearly 400 films between 1970 and 1985, more than had been made in the history of the Australian film industry.
In contrast to pre-New Wave films, New Wave films are often viewed as fresh and creative, possessing "a vitality, a love of open spaces and a propensity for sudden violence and languorous sexuality". The "straight-ahead narrative style" of many Australian New Wave films reminded American audiences of "the Hollywood-maverick period of the late 1960s and early '70s that had just about run its course".
Notable films
1970s
1980s
Notable figures
Many filmmakers and actors launched international careers through their work in the Australian New Wave.
Directors
Gillian Armstrong
Henri Safran
Bruce Beresford
Tim Burstall
John Duigan
Richard Franklin
Ken Hannam
George Miller
Russell Mulcahy
Phillip Noyce
Fred Schepisi
Brian Trenchard-Smith
Peter Weir
Simon Wincer
Actors
Elizabeth Alexander
David Argue
Ray Barrett
Pat Bishop
Steve Bisley
Graeme Blundell
Bryan Brown
Tom Burlinson
Terry Camilleri
Chantal Contouri
Barry Crocker
Max Cullen
Judy Davis
Mercia Deane-Johns
Jeanie Drynan
Carmen Duncan
Mel Gibson
David Gulpilil
John Hargreaves
Paul Hogan
Harold Hopkins
Wendy Hughes
Barry Humphries
Bill Hunter
John Jarratt
Hugh Keays-Byrne
Bill Kerr
Nicole Kidman
John Meillon
Sam Neill
Angela Punch McGregor
Bruce Spence
Nick Tate
Noah Taylor
Jack Thompson
Sigrid Thornton
Roger Ward
Jacki Weaver
Vernon Wells
Others
Russell Boyd (cinematographer) John Seale (cinematographer) Dean Semler (cinematographer) Donald McAlpine (cinematographer) Brian May (composer) Bruce Smeaton (composer)
Legacy
Several films of the Australian New Wave are regarded as classics of world cinema and have been ranked among films considered the best. Published in 2004, The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made includes Walkabout, Mad Max, Breaker Morant, Gallipoli, Mad Max 2, The Year of Living Dangerously and Dead Calm. In 2008, Empire magazine chose Mad Max 2 and The Year of Living Dangerously as two of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, ranking in at #280 and #161 respectively. The 2011 book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die features Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, My Brilliant Career, Mad Max and Gallipoli (winner of multiple AACTA Awards). Since its re-release in 2009, Wake in Fright has been assessed as one of, if not the greatest, Australian New Wave film.
The term "glitter cycle" refers to a subgenre of eccentric Australian comedies that came to prominence in the early 1990s, spurning a post-new wave revival of Australian film. These films are noted for their celebration of Australian popular culture, camp aesthetic, colourful makeup and costuming, and musical performance pieces. Prominent glitter films include Strictly Ballroom (1992), Muriel's Wedding (1994), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Love Serenade (1996). Other prominent post-new wave revival films of the 1990s include The Big Steal (1990), Proof (1991), Romper Stomper (1992), Babe (1995), Shine (1996), Kiss or Kill (1997), and The Castle (1997).