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The tale of a shy superstar: Courtney Barnett announces documentary ‘Anonymous Club’

A documentary on Courtney Barnett has been funded by Screen Australia, offering an insight into the life of the notoriously shy, personal songwriter.

Courtney Barnett has personified the notion of the humble artist throughout her nearly decade-spanning career, and even during her monolithic rise to fame that established her as one of Australia’s premier singer-songwriters. Now, thanks to funding from Screen Australia, we will soon be getting a documentary on the enigmatic star. Anonymous Club will delve into the personal side of Courtney, that – away from her deeply intimate lyricism – is rarely captured on film.

Courtney’s lyrics have always given you a vivid insight into her stream of consciousness; however, the film will venture further into the life beyond her stories.

Courtney Barnett Anonymous Club

The film will be funded as part of Screen Australia’s $2.5 million documentary production grants, which will see funding for projects like Incarceration Nation – a documentary about the injustices and dispossession of First Nations people in Australia.

The title of the documentary comes from Barnett’s 2013 track Anonymous Club, which muses on the idea of a club of friends in the dark, free from worries and judgement – the latter being something that Barnett has experienced consistently from public commentators, people who her music was never made to please.

Anonymous Club is written and directed by Danny Cohen, who has worked with Barnett on music videos for songs like Need A Little Time and Everybody Here Hates You, giving Cohen a unique insight into Barnett that not many would have experienced.

Distributed by Film Art Media, the film will be produced by Philippa Campey who worked on Brazen Hussies (which Barnett wrote the soundtrack for), as well as Samantha Dining (No Time for Quiet).

The announcement has sure got me hanging out to get a deeper dive into the person I will surely anoint as the songwriting queen of Melbourne, and even Australia – despite the fact that she would never let you call her that.

Stay tuned for more news when a trailer arrives.