Trendsetters (1989)

The movies, like it or not, have become largely an American medium, especially in the English-speaking world. Our cousins in the far-off Australian empire are perfectly capable of supporting a vibrant film industry that would relate meaningfully to the homeland market. But as the frustrated but successful Down Under screenwriter hero of Trendsetters (1989) discovers, picture producers, directors, and stars are all crafting their art with an eye toward the United States wealth generators. We of Hollywood nation, according to the premise of Trendsetters, not only export our vision to the world at large, but we dictate the types of productions foreign investors are willing to bankroll and send back at us. If, as a result, fewer stories on Trendsetters’s level of wit and perception are made, all citizens of the planet are poorer for it.