Closer Productions is a film and television production company founded by filmmakers

Sophie Hyde Sophie Hyde is an Australian film director, writer and producer based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is co-founder of Closer Productions and known for her award-winning debut fiction film, '' 52 Tuesdays'' (2013) and the comedy drama ''Anim ...

and Bryan Mason in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, in January 2004. It is known for award-winning feature films such as ''

52 Tuesdays ''52 Tuesdays'' is a 2013 Australian coming of age drama film directed by Sophie Hyde, with the screenplay written by Matthew Cormack and story by Cormack and Hyde. The film centres on a teenage girl dealing with the gender transition of a pare ...

'' (2013) and ''

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

'' (2019), as well as television series and documentary films.

History

Closer Productions was founded by Hyde and Mason, who are personal as well as professional partners, who began Closer Productions in 2004 and produced their first work under the Closer banner in 2005. Writer Matthew Cormack joined the pair soon afterwards, and Matthew Bate came in 2010. Previously, Bate had his own company, Plexus Films, but after working on separate projects after winning FilmLab funding, with Bate having his short film ''The Mystery of Flying Kicks'', he and the Closer team decided to amalgamate. Closer Productions was registered as a private company on 28 January 2010. Producer Rebecca Summerton joined the company shortly after the merger.

Description

The company is located in the inner Adelaide suburb of Glenside, sharing the historic former administration building of Glenside Hospital with Adelaide Studios, which are managed by the

South Australian Film Corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...

(SAFC). The company is self-described as a "collective of film-makers". , in addition to the four directors, Hyde, Mason (editor, DOP, producer, director), Cormack (writer, sales/delivery), Summerton (producer), and Bate (writer, director), other members of the team include editor, designer, and visual effects creator Raynor Pettge, emerging director and screenwriter Matt Vesely, and director Maya Newell ('' Gayby Baby'', ''In My Blood It Runs''). Closer Services creates promotional films for industry clients and projects documenting various aspects of arts and architecture, including for clients such as the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

and the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

(AGSA). They created a series of videos for the 2020 Tarnanthi exhibition at AGSA, which included profiles of

Ernabella Arts Pukatja (formerly Ernabella) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti, ...

, Iwantja Arts and

Tjala Arts Tjala Arts, formerly known as Minymaku Arts, is an Aboriginal Australian-owned and -managed arts centre located in the remote community of Amata in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the remote north-west of South Australia. ...

Grants and mentoring

In September 2020, Closer Productions and the

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in Octobe ...

announced a "new grants program aiming to broaden accessibility to the Australian filmmaking industry for artists from underrepresented communities". Four selected emerging filmmakers would be awarded as well as the opportunity to participate in three workshops with the Closer Productions team.

Selected filmography

Feature fiction

*''

'' (2013) * ''

'' (2019)

Television series

*'' Hannah Gadsby's Oz'' (2014), a 3-part series directed by Bate and featuring comedian and writer Hannah Gadsby * '' Fucking Adelaide'' (2017) comedy drama, for ABC TV. AKA F*!#ing Adelaide and F**king Adelaide. * '' The Hunting'' (2019) * ''

Aftertaste Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying fe ...

'' (2021), created by Matthew Bate and Julie De Fina, directed by Jonathan Brough

Short films and documentaries

*''Beyond Beliefs: Muslims & Non-Muslims in Australia'' (2007) * ''Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure'' (2011), documentary/comedy/drama, written and directed by Matthew Bate * '' Life in Movement'' (2011), a documentary about choreographer

Tanja Liedtke Tanja Michaela Karin Liedtke (6 October 1977 – 17 August 2007) was a German-born professional choreographer and dancer. She was most noted as a dancer, choreographer and director of contemporary dance in Australia and Europe. Early life an ...

*''Sam Klemke's Time Machine'' (2015), feature-length documentary, written and directed by Matthew Bate * ''My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling'' (2015), s short comic film written and directed by Matt Vesely. *''A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl'' (2017), written and directed by, and starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey * '' In My Blood It Runs'' (2019), feature-length documentary, directed by Maya Newell and others

Awards

*''Life in Movement'' won the best work award at the 2011

Ruby Awards The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame Ruby Litchfield (1912–200 ...

, the 2011 Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize and

AACTA The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

nominations for direction and for best feature documentary. It was also nominated for the AACTA Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Direction in a Documentary, and the Australian Film Critics Association Awards Best Documentary. *''52 Tuesdays'' – 10 wins and 20 nominations *''Fucking Adelaide'' (2017) –

Screen Producers Australia Screen Producers Australia (SPA), formerly the Screen Producers' Association of Australia (SPAA) and earlier names, is a national organisation representing film production businesses, emerging producers, service providers and screen industry supp ...

(SPA) Awards 2018: Winner, Online Series Production of the Year APDG Award for Costume Design for a Web Series 2018: Nominee (Renate Henschke); Adobe Award for Production Design for a Web Series 2018: Nominee (Amy Baker)

References

External links

*{{official, http://closerproductions.com.au Film production companies of Australia Australian companies established in 2004 Companies based in Adelaide