director Abe Forsythe (second from left) watches a take with actor Justin Rosniak, director of photography Lachlan Milne and stunt co-ordinator Tony Lynch. Credit:David Dare Parker

Directors are often dismayed – depressed even – when their films struggle at the box office. But Abe Forsythe is surprisingly philosophical after the black comedy Down Under, about racism during the Cronulla riots, has taken just $130,000 on its second weekend. "I feel we had the right film and we were releasing it at exactly the right time in terms of what's going on here and abroad," he says. "For a multitude of reasons Down Under just didn't have some of the key support that it needed. While it's disappointing that it's not going to catch on immediately, we're already seeing an audience that really cares passionately about the movie and what it says." Forsythe believes it would be different if he was disappointed with the film. "But I couldn't be happier with everything we achieved with the movie and how we told that story," he says. "So for me, it feels like a victory considering the subject matter and the tightrope walk the film takes with tone. It could have been a momentous failure. Just to have a movie that I'm proud of is all the success that I need right now." Forsythe heads to the US soon for the film's North American premiere at Fantastic Fest in Texas.

Buzz for two Australian films

As the Venice and Toronto film festivals loom, there is strong buzz for two Australian films having their world premieres that could head all the way to the Oscars. Those who have seen Garth Davis' Lion, a drama drawn from real life about an Indian-Australian man tracking down his long-lost family in India using scraps of information and Google Earth, have raved about its emotional impact and the strong performances by Dev Patel (as Saroo Brierley, pictured) and Nicole Kidman (as his adoptive Australian mother). It is screening in Toronto, which starts on September 4. The same is true for Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge, a drama about a real-life American conscientious objector (Andrew Garfield) who became a war hero by saving 75 lives at the Battle of Okinawa. It is screening at Venice, which starts next week. Hacksaw Ridge is getting an Australian cinema release on November 3 but we will have to wait until January 19 to see Lion. The buzz means both films are lined up for US release in November to qualify for the Hollywood awards season. After six Oscars for Mad Max: Fury Road this year, could Australia have another best picture nominee next year? Or even two?