'Make it Australian,' Aus film industry's biggest stars urge

The Australian film industry's biggest actors and filmmakers have joined a campaign urging the federal government to help protect 'our nation's stories.'

The Make it Australian campaign Source: Make it Australian

You name it, they've signed it. 

Rose Byrne, Joel Edgerton, Cate Blanchett, Gillian Armstrong, Rachel Perkins, Noni Hazlehurst, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Ward, Peter Weir, David Williamson, David Wenham, Sam Neill, are just some of the industry heavy weights who've added their name to the campaign. 

"Our ability to keep telling Australian stories on screen is at risk," the open letter on the campaign website implores. "Our voices (are) in danger of being drowned out by a deluge of overseas content.

"And if our nation’s stories aren’t told, they die. And when they die, future generations won’t know who we are and what makes us us. That’s why we need to ‘Make it Australian’."

The campaign is asking for help from the federal government to "commit to growing" Australia's screen industry namely through the following ways:  

• Australian content rules to evolve, to cover new media like Netflix, Amazon, Telstra TV, telcos and ISPs;
• Competitive tax incentives; and
• Well-funded public broadcasters and screen agencies.

For more information about the campaign, click here. 

Watch SBS' pick of the best Australian movies online free with the Homegrown Cinema collection from SBS On Demand.