(Mad) Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts, Hugh Jackman, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Simon Baker, Isla Fisher, etc … no other country has dominated Hollywood the way Australia has, but what lies in store for the future (and specifically, 2011)?

It’s no secret that the ‘big four’ Hollywood talent agencies and a few of the large LA management firms have been scouting for talent ‘down-under’ since Australian’s became prominent in the 80s and 90s. However, it’s not just our actors that are sought after … Jane Campion, Baz Luhrmann and Geoffrey Wright are all considered outstanding directors (to name a few) and we continue to produce excellent ‘behind-the-camera’ talent.

The twelve top Aussie actors in Hollywood appeared in films that had made $US8.94 billion since 2000 (according to a study from August 2009).

Australians are recognised for the solid ‘soapie’ training they receive in Australia (think ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Home and Away’).

Will this trend continue? Yes, if Mia Wasikowska (‘Alice in Wonderland’), Sam Worthington (‘Avatar’) and Chris and Liam Hemsworth’s success is anything to go by.

On the Australian film front, Rupert Murdoch (the head of Fox) is Australian, and was instrumental in facilitating the filming of the ‘Matrix’ and ‘Star Wars’ II and III in Sydney. If the Australian dollar falls against the US dollar, filming in Australia may yet again become an attractive proposition for US studios, especially given the presence of a more than generous 40% tax rebate.

Guy Pearce believes the appeal of actors from Australia stems from the fact that the continent is “built on a convict history. We started with nothing” he says.  There’s no shortage of twinkling convicts in Pearce’s latest film, the gripping indie epic Animal Kingdom, which won the World Cinema Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

In fact, the depth of talent in Australia is so great, that a prominent Australian talent agency recently opened an office in a city not usually associated with the arts. Australia also has a rapidly expanding population – this should mean that there will be no shortage of talent in the near future.

Gene Goodsell is Australian and works for Abrams Artists Agents in Los Angeles. Prior to this, he worked as a talent agent for the Sydney branch of a global sports and entertainment firm and before this, was a commercial lawyer in Sydney and London.

This was the first Australian trial to be covered on Twitter – demonstrating the enormity of the case.

The case was important because it set a legal precedent as to what ISPs are required to do to prevent customers from downloading movies and other content illegally.

In a 200 page judgment, Justice Cowdroy held that the evidence established that iiNet had done no more than provide an Internet service to its users. It was found that the ISP provided a legitimate communication facility which was neither intended nor designed to infringe copyright.

The studios claimed that the ISP was liable for authorizing copyright infringement because it failed to warn offending customers when repeatedly notified of the infringements by the studios. The studios had hired an online investigatory firm to intercept BitTorrent traffic and record instances of iiNet users downloading pirated movies.

This decision appears to be consistent with the theory of secondary copyright liability developed in the US case of Sony v Universal: the lack of control over the system meant that iiNet had no legal responsibility over its users, despite knowledge that some users were infringing copyright.

As far as Australia goes, this case proves that if you provide facilities that assist in infringement but you do not have control and do not act in bad faith, you will not be liable for secondary copyright infringement.

Gene Goodsell is the Managing Director of an entertainment management firm (www.navitasmgmt.com) and law firm that specialises in media & entertainment law (http://www.navitaslegal.com/entertainment-law.php). Both firms are based in Sydney but have strong links to agencies, management firms and law firms in Los Angeles. Please contact Gene regarding any global media & entertainment issues.

Queensland is a northern state of Australia that is nicknamed the ‘Sunshine State’, due to its warm weather and tropical positioning. The region is surrounded by warm ocean waters and features the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef.

The new James Cameron film, Sanctum, joins the growing list of international productions being filmed in Queensland. For the filming of Sanctum, the water tank facility at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast will be utilised. This is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the moment, there are over $52 million of Queensland Government supported film and television being shot in Queensland. Last year, production expenditures were approximately $160 million. This is a very good figure, considering that the world was in the throes of the Global Financial Crisis in 2009.

The British reality TV series ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’ was recently shot at locations around the Gold Coast and Stradbroke Island. Meanwhile, the major international production ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ wrapped production at the end of last year.

Part of the Baz Luhrmann epic ‘Australia’ was shot in Queensland. Apart from the generous government incentives on offer, one of the main reasons for filming occurring in Queensland is the natural beauty of the Whitsundays (location of the Great Barrier Reef). Much of this region is characterised by turquoise water, palm trees and pristine white beaches.

For more information on shooting a film or TV production in Australia or the Asia-Pacific in general, please email me at ggoodsell@navitaslegal.com or call +61 (0) 488 139 921.

Talented Australian actress, Abbie Cornish had her hopes of receiving an Oscar for her performance in Jane Campion’s Bright Star curtailed when she failed to pick up a best actress nomination at the SAG nomination ceremony in LA. This followed her snub at the Golden Globes nomination ceremony.

Nicole Kidman has had more luck, however, and is in the running for an award at the January 23 SAG ceremony inside Los Angeles’ Shrine Exposition Centre.

Kidman, along with the all-star cast in her musical Nine, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and Fergie, were nominated for best film ensemble. They will compete for the SAG Award against the ensembles of The Hurt Locker, An Education, Inglorious Basterds and Precious.

In almost a repeat of the Golden Globe nominations and the recent Emmy Awards, Australia’s Simon Baker and Toni Collette came up big in the SAG TV categories. Baker is nominated for his role in The Mentalist and Collette is nominated for her role in United States of Tara.

Former Home and Away star Ryan Kwanten is also in the hunt for a SAG ensemble prize with the cast of his vampire TV drama True Blood nominated against the cast of Mad Men, The Good Wife, Dexter and The Closer.

George Clooney (Up in the Air), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Colin Firth (A Single Man) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) were nominated for SAG’s lead male actor in a film category.

The actress nominees were: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side); Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia).

The Academy Awards nominations will be revealed February 2 and winners announced at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre on March 7.

Good luck to all those nominated Aussies!

G’Day USA 2010 kicks off for another year on January 9, 2010.

The ‘celebration’ of Australian culture has become somewhat of an institution since its inception in 2004. It is now arguably the largest foreign country promotion held annually in the US, showcasing all things Australian –­­­ from investment, to food and wine, the arts, and tourism. The program is designed to promote Australia as a place to work and play.

The event is the brainchild of the Australian Consulate in LA, Austrade LA, Qantas and Tourism Australia.

The annual ball is renowned for being the meeting place for Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and past honourees include Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, Mel Gibson, Olivia Newton-John, Hugh Jackman, INXS, Naomi Watts, Russel Crowe and Kylie Minogue.

Every year, a contingent of Australian film industry professionals travel to the US to meet with major studios, independent production companies, lawyers, directors, producers and agents to pitch the Australian film incentive system, our considerable artistic talent, our world-class production facilities and diverse natural locations. The event also provides a valuable forum for up-and-coming Australian filmmakers to demonstrate their work.

The highlights of G’Day USA 2010 for the Australian and US entertainment industry will include:

1. The Palm Springs International Film Festival – in 2010 the focus will be on Australian cinema with a series of new Australian releases constituting part of the 2 week showcase. January 9 will be “Australian Film Day” featuring screenings of each of the Australian films in the festival, as well as a high-profile gala reception.
2. On January 11 there will be a unique Australian film experience in LA (as yet undisclosed).
3. On January 16 the Black Tie Dinner will take place at the Renaissance Hotel, LA and is expected to attract heavy media exposure as usual. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be preparing an Australian-style dinner, along with Australian celebrity chefs Curtis Stone and Pete Evans. Many prominent US and Australian actors and industry heavyweights are expected to attend.
4. On January 20-21 leading Australian fashion designers will showcase their designs to high-end retailers and the media in one of the world’s leading fashion capitals – New York.

In addition to LA, Palm Springs and NY, there will be other events taking place in San Diego and San Francisco.

G’Day USA 2009 media coverage generated 600 million global audience impressions. Some of the major media organisations present last year included the New York Times, the LA Times, the Hollywood Reporter, the Austereo Network, and Encore Magazine.

For more information, see www.australia-week.com

I will be attending the event and will be writing a full recap for www.entertainmentagentblog.com, so stay tuned.

Gene is a talent agent and lawyer. He has a law degree with honors, and a business degree. He is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Gene represents actors, writers and producers. He also has a keen interest in film financing and packaging.

Please contact Gene (please refer to my profile in the ‘About’ section of this site) if you would like any more information about G’day USA 2010, or would like to meet with Gene when he is in the US.