Australians don't have a preconceived notion of what things have to be... we can go on a fantastic journey.
In 1905 Albert discovered Relativity, in 1906 he invented Rock and Roll.
We've got so many stories to tell, you know, we could take on the world.
My background was art school, documentary director and surfer with a keen interest in thrilling acts of life threatening stupidity.
It was always easy for me. I was born very rich and lucky.
You go overseas and people are oppressed and scared and worried but we're not like that... we're more like my films and how people come out at the end of seeing them - they feel good.
The obsession required to see a feature through from concept to release is not a rational thing to do with your brief time on this planet. Nor is it something to which an intelligent person should aspire.
It's an infinite creative universe to explore so why chase conservative options?
Hollywood is horrible... it's beyond satire.
Movies are a complicated collision of literature, theatre, music and all the visual arts.
Now both my films have been number one at the Australian box office and it took about two years just to get the finance for this film, so if it's hard for me then God help everyone else.
The American formula things are out there but they don't have any stories to tell - we have all the stories to tell - but they're all formula.
I support all Australian films.
All the jokes in my films, the comedy, they're not me, I just try to hold a big mirror up to us.
Getting your screenplay right is the most important thing you'll ever do on your film.
So we have to be careful because if you don't protect your culture you won't have it for very long.
There are a thousand weird untold stories in the Australian film industry, this has been one of them.
The journey of your first movie is not just beyond belief it can be truly beyond satire.
We cheer everyone who goes off to Hollywood and tells American stories but telling Australian stories is the greatest thing you can do.
I kind of worry about that a little bit - we lost our film culture for 30 years because the Americans came in and bought up all the cinema chains and wouldn't show any Australian films.
Three years after starting, by physically doing everything from raising the finance to special effects, we'd finally cobbled together our low budget film.
Making your first feature film is actually impossible.
I don't know what it means to be out there against the Olympics.
I just wanted to do this all Australian film and we didn't want to give creative control to overseas 'cause whoever comes on my sets, whether you're sweeping the floor or an actor, it doesn't matter who comes up with the ideas, it's a collaboration.
In a kind of a way there's a bit of that happening now so we have to be careful to preserve our culture.
