Hartley spent several years writing a detailed research document, which served to some degree as a script for the film, about the New Wave era of Australian cinema. It focused on the commonly overlooked “Ozploitation” films—mainly filled with sex, horror and violence—which critics and film historians considered vulgar and offensive, often excluded from Australia’s “official film history”. Hartley approached Quentin Tarantino, a longtime “Ozploitation” fan who had dedicated his 2003 film Kill Bill to the exploitation genre, and Tarantino agreed to help get the project off the ground. Hartley then spent an additional five years interviewing subjects and editing the combined 250 hours of interviews and original stock footage into a 100-minute film.
Not Quite Hollywood, which premiered at the 2008 Melbourne International Film Festival, did not perform well at the box office upon its Australia-wide release, but garnered universally positive reviews from critics and a nomination for “Best Documentary” at the 50th Australian Film Institute Awards.
