The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was founded with a budget of A$6.5 million in 1975 with the hope of revitalising the Australian film industry to a point where it could sustain itself without government support.

The funding resulted in what is now generally regarded as the “golden age” of Australian cinema in the 1970s and 80s. But even today, most Australian films are still primarily funded through government bodies such as Screen Australia (the successor to the AFC) and through tax offsets.

Despite the release of many critically-acclaimed films in 2014 (The Babadook, Charlie’s Country, and The Infinite Man, among others), ticket sales were relatively low.

Australians don’t watch enough local films to sustain the industry without substantial government support. And yet the success of Australian films can’t be measured on box office numbers alone.

Vincent O’Donnell speaks with David Tiley, editor of the online industry magazine ScreenHub, about financing film production in Australia and measuring success by looking beyond the box office.

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Vincent O'Donnell does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.