Samsung, NIDA and Baz Luhrmann team up to premiere short film at Opera House

AWARD winning director Baz Luhrmann has urged the Australian government to get behind young artists believing it does not do enough to foster creativity.

Luhrmann said the government had failed to support the arts and collaborate with young, underprivileged filmmakers.

BAZ Luhrmann has urged the Australian government to get behind young artists believing that it does not do enough to foster creativity.

"I would say to any government and the government of this moment - don't take your eye off the ball - both on the incredible results of what has come before and what has come from the arts," he told news.com.au.

Luhrmann has teamed up with tech giant Samsung and the National Institute of Dramatic Art to foster creativity and film making, running a short film competition.

The 10 winners were selected to work with Luhrmann and other professionals on a short film which aired at the Sydney Opera House last night.

Samsung provided the young artists with all the technology and funding they needed to realise their vision, which you can watch in full below.

Luhrmann told news.com.au that having grown up in the small town of Port Macquarie, he wouldn't have made it to where he is today - an Oscar winning director and producer - if it weren't for the help of others and that he wanted to "pay it forward" by providing help to young creatives.

"Samsung were committed to getting their technology to underprivileged people in isolated places that may not have access to the internet or smartboards," he said.

"Our children have quite a lot of privilege, certainly they have smart classrooms and that part of it is so credible and unassailable, it was easy to get involved.

"Of course it's a huge technology company but it's also recognises that if you don't put some good spirit out there, you're not going to get it back.

"Being part of that is kind of easy. It makes you feel good doing something useful, like you're impacting progress."

Luhrmann said he was blown away by what the young film makers came up with in just three days of shooting.

"Certainly it has made me rethink my schedule," he said.

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