Yes, doing a Kannada film is like a homecoming. This industry is like family to me. I have known people here since my childhood.
I owe all the name and fame I have earned to regional cinema.
There's something that people misunderstand about screen quotas. It's not about rejecting or hating other countries' films, but about protecting our domestic film industry.
I support all Australian films.
We probably do not have a large enough industry here to ably support the independent filmmaker to move in and out. Much of the industry is based on full-time jobs here, institutionalised jobs.
I still, by and large, make low-budget Australian films.
Can you imagine what it would be like if all the Aussie film talent was able to make Australian stories?
Growing up in the Philippines, I loved all kinds of movies. We had a very healthy film industry there when I was a child.
Suddenly, the screens were dominated by American entertainment to the extent of something like 95 percent. As a result, audiences turned away from the kinds of films that we used to make.
