Closer Productions is a film and television production company founded by filmmakers Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

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 paren ...

'' (2013) and ''

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

'' (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 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 ...

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 (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 Maya Newell is an Australian filmmaker, known for the feature-length documentaries '' Gayby Baby'' (2015) and ''In My Blood It Runs'' (2019). She works at Closer Productions in Adelaide, South Australia. Newell had intended to study internation ...

(''

Gayby Baby ''Gayby Baby'' is a 2015 Australian documentary film directed by Maya Newell that follows four children raised by same-sex parents. Synopsis ''Gayby Baby'' observes the lives of four children—Gus, Ebony, Matt and Graham—whose parents are e ...

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

Iwantja Arts Indulkana (also known as Iwantja, from Iwantja Creek) 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 Ernabella/ Puk ...

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 October ...

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 Hannah Gadsby (born 1978) is an Australian comedian, writer, and actress. She began her career in Australia after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006. In 2018, her show '' Nanette'' on Netflix wo ...

* '' Fucking Adelaide'' (2017) comedy drama, for ABC TV. AKA F*!#ing Adelaide and F**king Adelaide. * ''

The Hunting ''The Hunting'' is an Australian drama series starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, screening on SBS TV and SBS on Demand on 1 August 2019. The four-part miniseries was created by Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack at Closer Productions, ...

'' (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 f ...

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

Jonathan Brough Jonathan Brough is a New Zealand-born film director based in Australia. He is best known for the comedy TV series ''Rosehaven'', ''Aftertaste'' and '' The Family Law''. Early life and education Brough grew up in Hawera, New Zealand, the son o ...

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 and ...

*''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 Tilda Cobham-Hervey (born 1994) is an Australian actress from Adelaide, South Australia, with a background in circus and physical theatre. In 2014 Cobham-Hervey made her film debut at the age of 19 in ''52 Tuesdays'', a critically acclaimed ind ...

* '' In My Blood It Runs'' (2019), feature-length documentary, directed by

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 (1912–2001 ...

, the 2011 Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize and AACTA 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