Actor, producer and director Alan Nurthen knows a lot about the television and film industries.
He is not only known for his documentary and short film productions, but he is also one of Sydney’s most experienced screen acting tutors, having taught acting and film/video production at the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art, Bradfield College, and the JMC Academy.
He started his own school, The Film and TV Academy in Dee Why, where he trained numerous actors and students from 1988 up to the year 1996. His students have received notable projects in films, television and commercials. Through his years and years of experience in the business (both on camera and off camera), he is able to impart relevant and credible knowledge and skills in the craft of acting.
Students of his have had exposure with films such as The Matrix, Muriel’s Wedding, The Bangkok Hilton, Muriel’s Wedding and The Phantom, among others.
At New Theatre, he trained and worked as an actor, spending eight years performing in different productions in film and television, before he decided to focus more on behind-the-scenes. He has found great interest in the work that is being done behind the camera and now he is indulging himself in creating documentaries.
He has made noted documentaries about insects such as Funnel Webs which focuses on the deadly spider and their effect on the people of Sydney. The documentary has been sold and shown in more than fifty countries worldwide with the help of Beyond Distribution.
Different film festivals have featured the film. The documentary was shown on Seven Network’s The World Around Us. After screening twice on The World Around Us, it premiered on cable TV on the Odyssey channel in December 2003.
Funnel Webs also retails through The Australian Museum shops nationally and has also been included for study in the curriculum of high schools all over the nation. It is through documentaries such as this (Funnel Webs) that many people, young and old, learn about nature, its inhabitants, and how humans interact or are affected by these animals or insects.
Alan Nurthen’s most recent documentary project is Red Backs. This is a follow-up of to the very successful Funnel Webs.
Alan Nurthen speaks to Lorraine Parsell and Kevin Mason on Radio Northern Beaches to talk about his latest ventures, ideas for documentary subjects and his life as an actor, producer, and director.
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