Who am I Mr Lawrence?

In the 21st Century we base opinions on ourselves through new technological advances in the media, not only do magazines and advertising control our views but the film and television industry have been showing us what we want and who we want to be for over a hundred years.

I disagree with people when they state that we are becoming more "Americanised", there is proof of how creatively, morally and politically different we are in out film and television that has been produced throughout the 20th and 21st Century. We as young Australian writers, filmmakers, students, need to work together to make sure that the industry does not evaporate into nostalgic memories of a dead film industry. Australia is ever changing in terms of politics and multi-culturalism, these are issues which need to be seen on the screen, to educate and entertain but to also make sure that the representations of who we are and what we want to be are easily accessed.

People like Denny Lawrence have helped the industry tell relevant stories for Australian people, focusing on our lives and in general the complex issue of what it means to be Australian and how diverse that outcome can actually be. There is no simple answer to who we are, but there is a way of equally showing all of our values, cultural and local concepts of our way of life.

To some the "Ozploitation era" of filmmaking was one which they believe should be disregarded, but it in fact gave Australia a place in the film industry across the world, we as a whole were recognised and that is incredibly important. Without a film or television industry Australians cannot have a voice, a place where they can solve their problems or see their lives through the lense of a camera. In the end it doesn't matter if the quality of the production is not very good, or the acting it stilted, what matters is that we continue to make productions that are for "us" and by "us".

So thank you Mr. Lawrence for making me gain a new appreciation of Australian film and cheesy daytime melodrama.