FOR: BRIAN ROSEN

THE question as to whether a film's nationality is based on its setting and characters is a conundrum. The Cannes Film Festival uses the producer's nationality to determine what country it is from. So The Piano, which won the Palme d'Or, is set in New Zealand, was written and directed by a New Zealander but produced by an Australian. Thereby, under Cannes criteria, it's Australian. The Rocket, which is set and filmed in Laos with Laotian characters speaking Lao but was written, directed and produced by Australians, qualified in the foreign film category of the Academy Awards as Australian.

Dr Zhivago: from a book written by a Russian, set in Russia with Russian characters, filmed on location in Spain and Finland, screenplay by an Englishman, directed by an Englishman, leading actors English, American and Egyptian - is it Russian, English or American? Out of Africa: based on a book by a Danish woman, set in Kenya with Danish, American and English characters, filmed in Kenya and England, directed by an American, screenplay by an American, leading actors American and German - is it Kenyan, Danish or American?

The Book Thief: based on a book by an Australian, set in Germany with German characters, filmed on location in Germany, directed by an Englishman, screenplay by an Australian, leading actors Australian, English and Canadian - is it German or Australian?

There is no doubt The Great Gatsby is a great American novella by a great US author. Yet, while the story, characters and setting are American, this is not a work bound by place. In fact, to suggest its setting is the story's definable characteristic is to overlook its moral centre, a critique of social progress and materialism foreshadowing the Great Depression. This is why it continues to resonate so widely.

The creator of the latest filmed version is Australian director Baz Luhrmann, whose idiosyncratic vision is very much his identity and audiences see his films because of that signature trait. He, together with his Australian writing collaborator, wrote the screenplay and filmed in Australia with an Australian crew and mainly Australian actors.

Our filmmakers must be empowered to have the choice to adapt the best the world has to offer, to tell stories with a unique perspective. We must not be ashamed of these ambitions nor underestimate the relevance of their universal themes. Instead, we should celebrate these interpretations, which build audiences and industry alike.

Brian Rosen is the president of Screen Producers Australia

AGAINST: MARIA LEWIS

WHEN you hear the words "The Great Gatsby" you don't necessarily think "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Oi, Oi Oi!" It's considered one of the great American novels and is written by one of the great American writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It deals with the dangers of pursuing the American dream and the pitfalls of decadence, vanity and materialism. When it hit our screens last year it was one of the greatest working American actors, Leonardo DiCaprio, who fronted the production, playing the title character himself. So what about The Great Gatsby - the clear frontrunner at tonight's AACTA Awards with a staggering 14 nominations - makes it Australian?

First, it had one of our most celebrated Australian directors , Baz Luhrmann. He directed, produced and co-wrote the film with fellow Aussie Craig Pearce.

It was filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney with a mix of Australian and American cast and crew and Screen Australia fronted a large part of the cash to secure the production on home soil.

At Tuesday's technical awards, of which Gatsby took out six, AACTA president Geoffrey Rush said "every culture should have a celebration of the expression of its national imagination".

When you consider Gatsby's rivals for best film - Satellite Boy, Dead Europe, Mystery Road, The Rocket and The Turning - surely they better celebrate the different shades that make up the Australian palette.

After all, what makes an Australian film? Angelina Jolie is directing Unbroken in Australia; it is based on the real-life tale of American track star and prisoner of war Louis Zamperini. It stars a mix of American, British and American actors and its crew is just as universal. Will it be nominated for 14 awards this time next year?

And what about Hugh Jackman's The Wolverine, which was partially filmed in Australia and at Fox Studios with a largely Aussie cast, but was deemed too international to earn any AACTA nominations?

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Sanctum, Superman Returns, The Matrix and I, Robot were all filmed here with a mix of local money and staff. But does that make them Australian?

Compared to a film such as Mystery Road, which follows an Aboriginal detective investigating an Outback murder, or The Rocket, an important story outside the constraints of stereotypical 'Straya, they don't come close.