Matthew Bate

Matthew Bate is a co-director of Closer Productions. He creates documentaries dealing with obsessive people, pop-culture and outsider artists. Matt's films are marked by unique storytelling devices and an experimental visual style. His 2006 film What The Future Sounded Like, is a visually and sonically collaged exploration into the genesis of electronic music. In 2007 Matt directed the first documentary co-production between SBS Australia and Al Jazeera and in 2008 completed Connected By Light, a film about world-renowned new media artist Lynette Wallworth. Matt also directed The Mystery of Flying Kicks, a film exploring what relationship sneakers on telephone wires have with murder, drugs, sex and politics. The film was made entirely from contributions of imagery and phone message bank stories from the global online public. It was accepted into official selection at the 2010 SXSW Festival. Matt is currently developing a film about legendary New York photographer Martha Cooper whose images helped launch graffiti and hip-hop culture to the world. Shut Up Little Man! was Matt's first feature-length documentary.