Urtext Film Productions
Encyclopedia
Urtext Film Productions is a film company located in Adelaide
, South Australia
. It was set up in 2005 when Matthew Salleh combined with a number of other young university graduates to establish a place where they could pursue their filmmaking dreams.
These like-minded filmmakers combined their resources in the hope of making interesting new films. “The idea was to create something of a filmmakers co-op," said Matthew Salleh. "We’d all develop our own films but pool our creative and technical resources to achieve them. It can be hard getting a film project up on your own – we figured our strength would be in numbers".
By 2008, Urtext was a full-fledged independent arts and media collective. They produced films, and held art exhibition
s and played host to gigs
. The company not only produces its own film projects, but plays a pivotal role in the production of many new South Australian films. It moved from the original studio in 2010, and now acts solely as a commercial production company, with Rose Tucker as head of production and Matthew Salleh as creative director.
was independently financed. When writer/director Carlo Petraccaro
took his script to Urtext, the collective quickly embraced the idea. It was shot in less than 30 days, with limited access to locations. Executive producer, Matthew Salleh, said that he believed Australian "audiences want to see themselves reflected on the screen" and that Offside fulfills that desire.
The film gained enormous support from the local football community. Intense interest from numerous local businesses and individuals made private funding of the film achievable, and, as Filmink put it, "something the neighborhood could be a part of". Many members of the Adelaide United Football Club
attended screenings of the film. Matthew Salleh explained that Offside is "about those die-hard football fans we all know and love. They're who this film is based on, and they are the ones that want to see this film, so we're looking to them, as opposed to the mainstream film industry, to help promote this movie".
Awards
A $1300 short film made with borrowed equipment, Hole in the Water was beaten for Best Film at the SA Short Screen Awards by Anthony Maras
's professionally produced, AFI
Best Short Film
winner Spike Up
, which cost more than ten times as much to make. Aaron Schuppan defeated a more experienced field to win the Best Cinematography award.
, Victoria
, sought meaning in a celebration of the music of such artists as Lobby Loyde and The Coloured Balls
, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs
, the Skyhooks
, and the Beasts of Bourbon
. In the film, Nassari interviews several such musical figures as well as Sharpie gang members from that era.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. It was set up in 2005 when Matthew Salleh combined with a number of other young university graduates to establish a place where they could pursue their filmmaking dreams.
These like-minded filmmakers combined their resources in the hope of making interesting new films. “The idea was to create something of a filmmakers co-op," said Matthew Salleh. "We’d all develop our own films but pool our creative and technical resources to achieve them. It can be hard getting a film project up on your own – we figured our strength would be in numbers".
By 2008, Urtext was a full-fledged independent arts and media collective. They produced films, and held art exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
s and played host to gigs
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
. The company not only produces its own film projects, but plays a pivotal role in the production of many new South Australian films. It moved from the original studio in 2010, and now acts solely as a commercial production company, with Rose Tucker as head of production and Matthew Salleh as creative director.
Offside
Their first feature film OffsideOffside (2009 film)
Offside is a 2009 Australian romantic comedy written and directed by Gian Carlo Petraccaro , and produced by Matthew Salleh at Urtext Film Productions.-Plot:...
was independently financed. When writer/director Carlo Petraccaro
Gian Carlo Petraccaro
Gian Carlo Petraccaro is a film director from South Australia. He is usually called "Carlo Petraccaro", though he has received film credits as "Gian Carlo". He is best known as the screenwriter and director of the independent film Offside.-Life and career:Carlo Petraccaro was born in Adelaide, the...
took his script to Urtext, the collective quickly embraced the idea. It was shot in less than 30 days, with limited access to locations. Executive producer, Matthew Salleh, said that he believed Australian "audiences want to see themselves reflected on the screen" and that Offside fulfills that desire.
The film gained enormous support from the local football community. Intense interest from numerous local businesses and individuals made private funding of the film achievable, and, as Filmink put it, "something the neighborhood could be a part of". Many members of the Adelaide United Football Club
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
attended screenings of the film. Matthew Salleh explained that Offside is "about those die-hard football fans we all know and love. They're who this film is based on, and they are the ones that want to see this film, so we're looking to them, as opposed to the mainstream film industry, to help promote this movie".
Hole in the Water
Nominated for eight, and winner of three 2008 SA Short Screen Awards, Hole in the Water tells the story of a terminally ill man's demise and journey into fantasy and the afterlife. It was written and directed by Dimitrios Pouliotis, produced by Matthew Salleh, with cinematography by Aaron Schuppan.Awards
- Recipient: SASSA Awards 2008 - Emerging Producer Award: Matthew Salleh
- Recipient: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Cinematography Award: Aaron Schuppan
- Recipient: SASSA Awards 2008 - People's Choice Award
- Nominated: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Film
- Nominated: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Drama
- Nominated: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Direction: Dimitrios Pouliotis
- Nominated: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Soundtrack: Daniel Varricchio
- Nominated: SASSA Awards 2008 - Best Actor: Nick Bennett
A $1300 short film made with borrowed equipment, Hole in the Water was beaten for Best Film at the SA Short Screen Awards by Anthony Maras
Anthony Maras
Anthony Theo Maras is an Australian film director, writer and producer born in Adelaide, South Australia.-Biography:Maras graduated from Flinders University in South Australia with a degree in Law and Legal Practice , before going on to study both film production and "Law and Society" at the...
's professionally produced, AFI
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Best Short Film
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
winner Spike Up
Spike Up
Spike Up is a 2007 Australian short film, written and directed by award winning film-maker Anthony Maras, and produced in association with the Australian Film Commission, the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund and the South Australian Film Corporation....
, which cost more than ten times as much to make. Aaron Schuppan defeated a more experienced field to win the Best Cinematography award.
In Search of G.O.D.
In this short film, Paul "Nazz" Nassari, Aaron Schuppan and Matthew Salleh conduct an exploration of the musical contribution made to 1970s Australian Nation|Identity. A subculture known as "Sharpie" found across Australia, but with its strongest expression in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, sought meaning in a celebration of the music of such artists as Lobby Loyde and The Coloured Balls
Lobby Loyde
Lobby Loyde , also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer....
, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs
Billy Thorpe
William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
, the Skyhooks
Skyhooks
Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vocals, and Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards;...
, and the Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
. In the film, Nassari interviews several such musical figures as well as Sharpie gang members from that era.
15/Love
15/Love was written and directed by Stephanie Mountzouris and produced by Rose Tucker. The short film about a teenage girl’s flirtation with adulthood, intimacy, sensuality and lots of sunscreen, had its premiere on 19 March 2010.Aurora
An action/adventure film set in a world full of crafty characters and crazy adventures, Aurora is a mix of CGI and adrenalin. Produced by Matthew Salleh in association with Chris Kellett of Rough Cut Productions, it is currently in post-production and due for release in late 2010.See also
- Cinema of AustraliaCinema of AustraliaCinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
- List of Australian films
- List of films set in Australia
- List of films shot in Adelaide