Barbecue and Chill: Netflix Picks Up Local Documentary

Rose Tucker and Matthew Salleh filmed Barbecue over the course of nine months, visiting 12 countries. Those countries, including the likes of Japan, Sweden, Mexico and Armenia, were vastly different but strikingly similar in their ancient traditions of cooking meat and communal meals.

This news of Netflix syndication is a boon for the small team that worked on the film, including Salleh and Tucker, as well as Projector Films producer Daniel Joyce.

Speaking to The Adelaide Review, Joyce says that the opportunity “arose from us being at SXSW in March. They [Netflix] saw it and liked it.”

“The film is such an international story, with a global message that we think is really important,” says Joyce. “Netflix is just the perfect platform for us. It’s a rare opportunity to reach a global audience.”

Tucker told The Adelaide Review in September last year that at the outset of making Barbecue, she and Salleh set down two important rules: “Rule number one: this is a film about meat. Rule Number two: this is not a film about meat.”

Travelling to each country with the aim of capturing authentic cultural insights, the pair interviewed regular people and avoided any “PhDs in front of bookshelves”.

Read more about Barbecue in our interview with Urtext Films’ Rose Tucker and Matthew Salleh here

BARBECUE launches on Netflix on August 15, and is available for purchase now on iTunes and selected digital platforms via barbecuefilm.com/watch