To be a part of something collective, that might be called a “New Wave”, considers that I have some touching points with the people to whom I am attached in this way. The moral points from which I attempt to use this sacred medium of cinema are so high that, in comparison, these people certainly seem not to have any. This is not the case of me not wanting to have any touching points, but our life experiences have been so different, and mine have granted me a great sense of moral intensity, one I simply cannot but embrace fully and intensely, to the point of practising the great genius innovation of cinema: intimisation and elimination of every trace of representation.

To gather a bunch of hourly or daily pretenders and to film them in this soulless gathering for the sake of telling this or that story, and never to see them or experience them truly as human beings, I find to be a great and unforgiving and unacceptable sin, and I can never accept being put in the same basket with people who do that, with the blind and nonchalant ignorance to this great continuing sin they are committing, while somehow still attempting to differentiate themselves from mainstream cinema. What are their differences to the mainstream? What are their true, soul-essential differences to the mainstream cinema, from which we are here trying to alienate ourselves and redefine? What are these differences truly? What? In substance, nothing. Their philosophies are the same in one way or another, full of moral-less and cheap pretending, meaningless for life and lasting art, and instant death of what cinema can be.

Where else does the cinema have to go, to become a true renaissance, but into the intimate sublime? This journey into sublime intimacy is the process of discovering that can only really happen on the principles of utter responsibility and morality, of every single frame and breath taken in front and behind the camera. The only way to achieve the true genius of cinema is this ruthless and madly intense awareness of morality in every breath taken from ourselves, while we make it, and every breath used by those who are making it with us.

This is why there are very few people in my cinema, because I respect them too much to banalise their existence in front of my camera, while making a piece of cinema. To banalise a single breath of their precious lives. This is why, and it is the only reason. Now when you reach this point of moral responsibility, when you are pushed in this intensely moral corner of utter awareness of the importance of the human breath, that's when you are forced to truly invent and create what can be considered a genius work. You have to give yourself a chance to be a genius, and for that you have to prepare the space. This doesn't have to be a subconscious journey, even though one is thankful for any help and magic he receives – this mostly must be a fully conscious achievement.

Now, in presenting this crucial manifesto on my cinema, and in waiting with great patience to be convinced and made extremely happy by witnessing such developments and achievements from these here my contemporaries, I must insist to be withdrawn from this list of the “New Wave”.

Editor/Publisher's note: I have advised Saidin that I will not remove his name from the Australian New Wave list of people, because there's nothing wrong with me placing his name in a list of up-and-coming indie filmmakers in Australia. Whilst Saidin believes he stands irreconcilialby above the other people on the list, I believe all the filmmakers on the list are equally as interesting as Saidin, even if it is in different ways. I will support all of these filmmakers, and others too. I reserve the right, for this website, to make lists and write reviews and commission essays, and group filmmakers together if I feel like doing so. I believe we are a community of filmmakers and film lovers, and that we should support each other. If any action of mine or this website offends any filmmaker or other person, I am happy to publish any grievance the person may have, thus the piece on this page by Saidin. – Bill Mousoulis

Saidin Salkic is an independent filmmaker living in Melbourne.