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Cooked

After finishing their final HSC exam, Ethan and his best mates commemorate their final night out together. Set in their hometown of Newcastle, the group celebrate, immersing themselves in the chaotic traditions of a teenage Aussie 18th. As the night unfolds, the boy's friendship is tested as inevitably, nothing goes to plan.

  • Cameron Utiger
    Director
  • Cameron Utiger
    Writer
  • Cameron Utiger
    Producer
  • Zane Menegazzo
    Key Cast
    "Ethan"
    Fragments
  • Jarrod Gildea
    Key Cast
    "Oli"
    Chasing Lemons, 2020: Now More Than Ever, I'mMature
  • Jake Willis
    Key Cast
    "Huddo"
  • Tobias Atallah
    Key Cast
    "Jake"
  • Baylee Arndt
    Key Cast
    "Eli"
    Single Out, Standing Up For Sunny
  • Jacob O'Neil
    Key Cast
    "Haz"
    The Xrossing
  • Sam Folden
    Key Cast
    "Xav"
  • Jess Franke
    Key Cast
    "Emily"
  • Joel Black
    Director of Photography
    No Witnesses
  • Clint Topic
    Sound Department
    Beat, The Promise
  • Hamish Ragg
    Sound Department
    Beat, The Promise
  • Anthony Marsh
    Sound Department
    Three Chords & The Truth, Beat, The Promise
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Coming of Age, Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 18 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 20, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    80,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic 4.6k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Cameron Utiger

Cameron Utiger, a 25 year old writer and director, has been inspired by the film industry since he was 10 years old.

“Ever since I was about 10 years old I’ve always wanted to make films and videos, any sort of media to do with the moving image, I made a ton of little YouTube videos and things for myself but when I was about 19 I thought it was time to put my creativity into something bigger”.

In 2019 he began developing the screenplay for Cooked whilst studying Law and Communications at the University of Newcastle. Production for Cooked began in 2021, along with this came the inception of his boutique production company YouTiger Productions.

Along with Cooked Cameron has experience in Music Videos, Short Films and Documentaries.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After watching the film Superbad when I was younger I was inspired by writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg who’s personal experiences much of the film was based on.

Inspired, I began to jot down all the funny stories and experiences of my best mates growing up in Newcastle. I began writing the film when I was 19 and finished when I was 20. Pre-Production began when I was 21 and principal photography was finished when I was 22.

I feel like, in an Australian context, there aren’t a lot of coming of age stories set from 2010 onwards. Most, including ‘Puberty Blues’ and ‘Breathe’, are set in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

With that in mind I thought it was time to build on these stories and create a film. With a notebook full of nostalgia, I thought it was time to flesh out my experiences and create a story.

I felt like a high schooler’s perspective in a modern Australian context was needed. The Film Cooked is inspired by the events captured across my adolescence and is a story I believe most young Australians will resonate with.