HEATHER EWART: Do you worry that that approach is in fact going to limit the number of the sorts of films that you've just made?
PETER WEIR: Um, yes, although I think I'm at a point - you know, if I were starting out now, I'd be very concerned. And I am concerned for younger filmmakers in a way.
HEATHER EWART: If you were starting out, what would you do now?
PETER WEIR: I would not try and beat a path to Hollywood - not that I did when I ws young. I made films here for 10, 15 years. But here now I'd concentrate on television I think and the Australian audience. I don't think I would go down the film path. Someone like - so impressive like Chris Lilley, Rob Carlton - you know, these are people who have gone into television and really made very interesting programs. And if somebody comes knocking at your door as with Chris Lilley, HBO, BBC, great. Or if someone says, "Why don't you come and do a film?" But let them come to us. Let's make it here - that's the way I would approach it if I were starting.
HEATHER EWART: How would you categorise the state of the Australian film industry at the moment. If you're saying that TV is the place to start out in now.
PETER WEIR: Well if we talk about just talent, it's very healthy. In front of the camera and behind the camera. Wonderful people and they just keep go coming. The sort of Underbelly series, the first series produced a wonderful crop of actors, new to me, and then behind the camera too, terrific directors. But I think the kind of challenge remains distribution again. I would love to see a sort of young Harvey Weinstein appear on the scene here. Or a - instead of saying I'm going to be a director or an character; I am going to create a distribution company and get out to that audience and open an office in LA and New York. That would be thrilling.
HEATHER EWART: Do you think it's an industry that is prepared to take enough risks ... here in Australia?
PETER WEIR: Well, you know, I don't think we really have a film industry. We have a television industry. I think we have filmmakers. And it's true of most national film industries. There's really only Bollywood and Hollywood; the rest of us just struggle along picture by picture and so you look to individuals. That's why we do need world marketing and world markets, which makes it tough. We'll see. It's an interesting period. No-one quite knows where this will settle, but it would be a horrible thought that in the future movies would just be for children.
Read the rest here and have a look at the trailer for his latest below.
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