Skip to content

Choose Victoria

Talent

Victoria is home to internationally recognised key creatives and talent, whose skills both behind and in front of the camera bring incredible stories to life.

Here are just some of Victoria's award-winning producers, directors and creative talent.

TONY AYRES — Director, Producer, Showrunner, Writer

Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian showrunner, writer, and director. He was a founding member of internationally renowned production company Matchbox Pictures, but now runs his own production company Tony Ayres Productions.

Tony was the showrunner on International Emmy and BAFTA nominated series, The Slap and an EP on its US remake. He co-created multi-award-winning series Glitch; has worked as an EP on International Emmy nominated Wanted, The Devil’s Playground, Old School, and The Straits to name a few; and has produced miniseries Barracuda and multi-award-winning Seven Types of Ambiguity. He also created and executive produced the International Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Nowhere Boys, and directed the multi-award-winning TV movie, Saved.

In feature films, Tony directed Cut Snake (2015), award-winning The Home Song Stories (2007) and Walking on Water (2002), which premiered at the Berlinale. He was the EP on Ali’s Wedding and Lou. Most recently, Tony was the showrunner on US Netflix series Clickbait and co-created and EP’d refugee detention centre drama, Stateless.

NATALIE BAILEY — Director, Producer

Natalie Bailey is a director and producer who began her career as an actress, editor, and short filmmaker in Australia before emigrating to the UK.

In the UK, she worked with talent such as French and Saunders, Jo Brand and Armando Iannucci, for whom she also directed on The Thick of It (BBC) and Avenue 5 (HBO).

Natalie has been set-up, lead, and series director—and sometimes part of the script development process—for a number of shows.

Her work includes the Emmy Award-winning Hoff The Record; the critically-acclaimed Damned; comedy How To Stay Married; ABC’s Retrograde, and most recently, The Unusual Suspects (SBS).

In recent years she has also directed on Loaded for C4/AMC and C4/HULU’s Gap Year, and HBO’s Run.

Natalie is currently getting ready to direct her first film in Australia, Audrey, written by Lou Sanz and developing a slate of television projects.

ERIC BANA — Actor, Producer

Eric Bana is an accomplished Australian actor and producer. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biographical crime film Chopper.

After a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Bana gained Hollywood's attention for his performance in the war film Black Hawk Down and lead role in the Ang Lee-directed Marvel Comics film, Hulk.

He has since played Hector in the movie Troy, the lead in Steven Spielberg's historical drama and political thriller Munich, and the villain Nero in the science-fiction film Star Trek.

In 2013, he appeared in the war film Lone Survivor, followed by a role in the horror film Deliver Us from Evil. Eric received AFI Awards for his performances in Chopper and Romulus, My Father.

In 2020, he starred as the lead in crime/thriller film and Australian box office smash-hit, The Dry, directed by Robert Connolly. 

IMOGEN BANKS — Producer, Writer

Imogen Banks is an award-winning producer, writer, and creator.

She is known best for co-creaing and producing the critically-acclaimed series Tangle and Sisters, alongside award-winning series Offspring.

In 2012, she produced the AACTA and Logie Award-winning Puberty Blues for Network Ten and Southern Star John Edwards, with a second series produced the following year. 

Imogen and John Edwards together developed the mini-series Paper Giants and recently produced Party Tricks, as well as the eight-hour mini-series Gallipoli with Robert Connolly and the six-part mini-series, The Beautiful Lie. In 2019, she executive produced television drama series, Almost Family

JILL BILCOCK — Editor

Jill Bilcock is one of the world's leading editors, working with directing heavyweights such as Sam Mendes, Baz Luhrmann and Fred Schepisi.

Jill honed her skills in Australia before breaking through to the lucrative American market in the mid-'90s. She is now one of the most sought-after editors in the world.

Credits include The Dressmaker, Red Dog, Japanese Story, Road to Perdition, Moulin Rouge!, Elizabeth, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom, and How To Make An American Quilt among many others.

Jill has been nominated for multiple BAFTA Awards and is a four-time AACTA winner for Best Editing.

TONY BRIGGS — Actor, Director, Producer, Writer

Tony Briggs is an Australian stage and screen creative—actor, writer, director, and producer—based in Melbourne. He is the creator and writer of the hit feature film The Sapphires, adapted from the stage play The Sapphires, which he also wrote.

Briggs is co-originator, executive producer, and writer of the eight-part TV series The Warriors. As an actor of over 20 years, he holds many credits to his name including roles in Cleverman, The Slap, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Wentworth, The Broken Shore, and Nowhere Boys. He will also appear in the forthcoming drama series Fires by Tony Ayres Productions.

Briggs is the Artistic Director of the Birrarangga Film Festival, a celebration of Indigenous films from around the globe. His latest short film, Elders, premiered at Berlinale.

CORRIE CHEN — Director, Producer

Corrie Chen is an award-winning filmmaker and one of the most sought-after television directors in Australia. An alumni of Berlinale Talents, her diverse body of work has screened extensively at academy-accredited film festivals around the world. She is currently in post-production as the sole director on New Gold Mountain.

She directed and executive produced the SBS series Homecoming Queens, which has been nominated for multiple awards including the AACTAs and the Australian Director’s Guild. Corrie previously directed the Emmy nominated Mustangs FC–for which she received an ADG Award nomination for Best Direction in a Children’s TV Drama–as well as Five Bedrooms and Sisters. She recently directed episodes of the ratings-hit remake of beloved Australian drama SeaChange and the final season of the popular prison drama Wentworth.

She is currently in active development on several feature and TV projects. She has previously shadowed directors on Emmy-award winning Nowhere Boys, AACTA award-winning Peter Allen, and on the groundbreaking final season of HBO’s The Leftovers

ROBERT CONNOLLY — Director, Producer, Writer

Robert Connolly is an award-winning Australian film director, producer and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Victoria.

He is the writer and director of the feature films The Bank, Three Dollars, and Balibo. He produced award-winning films, The Boys and Romulus, My Father

For over the last fifteen years, Robert has headed up the production company Arenafilm. Since then, Robert has garnered many awards for his work as a writer, producer, and director. As a director, he has screened his films in over thirty major international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival.

Robert received a Centenary Medal for services to the Australian Film Industry in 2001 and was part of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s 2020 ideas summit. He has also been appointed to the new board of Screen Australia and now resides in Melbourne.

His latest film, The Dry, was a critical and box office smash-hit.

KATE DENNIS — Director, Producer

Kate Dennis is an award-winning Australian director and producer.

She has set-up seven television dramas in the US, UK and Australia including HBO’s Run; CBS’s Tommy; NBC’s New Amsterdam; Network Ten’s Secrets & Lies; alongside Offspring, Party Tricks, and BBC1’s Rescue Me. Offspring ran for seven seasons, garnering over 40 awards and nominations.

Her episodic work in the US traverses comedy and drama and includes The Handmaid’s TaleGLOWThe TickHeathers, Strange Angel, KryptonDamnation, I’m Dying Up Here, The Mindy Project; Preacher, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Fear The Walking Dead, Sleepy Hollow and Suits.

Kate began her career as a camera assistant and later script supervisor on Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Babe, At Play in the Fields of the Lord and Cliffhanger. Her Australian directing work includes RakeMiss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Time of Our LivesRush, The Secret Life of Us, and Love My Way.

ADAM ELLIOT — Director, Producer, Writer

Adam Elliot is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed Australian stop-motion animation writer, director, and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. 

His animated films are what he calls "Clayographies": clay animated biographies based on the bittersweet lives of his family and friends. He has created six animated films including Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet, Ernie BiscuitBrother, Cousin and Uncle.

They have been voiced by some of the world’s leading actors, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Geoffrey Rush, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana and Toni Collette. Viewed by millions of people around the world his works have participated in over nine hundred film festivals and won over 100 awards, including the 2004 Academy award for Harvie Krumpet. He is the Official Patron for The Film Critics Circle of Australia and is a voting member for the Annual Academy Awards.

In 2009, Adam's full-length film Mary and Max was invited to open the Sundance Film Festival—the first Australian and first animated film to ever do so.

SHAUN GRANT — Screenwriter

Shaun Grant is an award-winning Australian screenwriter, known for his work on Snowtown, Penguin Bloom, Mindhunter and Berlin Syndrome.

His chilling debut feature film, Snowtown was released in 2011 and saw him win the AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2012, Audience Award at BigPond Adelaide Film Festival, and went on to Critics Week at Cannes in 2011 as well as the Toronto Film Festival, London Film Festival, San Sebastien and Marrakesh Film Festivals. The film won numerous awards, including the Australian Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Greg Teppar Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Victorian Screen Industry.

Shaun went on to write on several other Australian drama series, securing another AWGIE (collegiate) for his work on the critically acclaimed mini-series, Deadline Gallipoli. Shaun received multiple award nominations for his adaptions of the bestselling novels, Jasper Jones and Berlin Syndrome

He has also written the screenplay for the True History of the Kelly Gang, alongside writing for Penguin Bloom, a Mindhunter teleplay, and Nitram

RACHEL GRIFFITHS — Director, Producer, Actor

Rachel Griffiths is a director, producer, and one of Australia’s most prolific actors, winning multiple awards for her acting.

In her diverse career, Rachel has appeared in over twenty-six films, including Muriel’s Wedding, Hilary and Jackie, My Best Friends Wedding, Blow, Ned Kelly and Saving Mr. Banks. Rachel's performance in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding won her both the Australian Film Critics Award and the AFI Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

In the acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under she played Brenda Chenowith, receiving Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy nominations. From 2006, Rachel played Sarah Walker in the series Brothers & Sisters, a role which earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Her television career has also seen Rachel take on prominent roles in Australian shows such as Rake, Paper Giants, Kath and Kim, House Husbands and Barracuda.

Rachel made her debut as a television director in 2015, when she directed three episodes of the drama series Nowhere Boys. In 2021, she presented the critically-acclaimed ABCTV series, Finding The Archibald

AMANDA HIGGS — Producer, Writer

Amanda Higgs is an Australian producer, writer, and executive best known for her work in television. Since joining Matchbox Pictures in 2015 as a creative producer, Amanda has produced the mini-series adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ novel Barracuda and Seven Types of Ambiguity.

Amanda co-created and produced the first three series of The Secret Life of Us. It was the most-watched Australian series in its target demographic of 16 to 39-year-olds and in 2004, it won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series for the third year running.

She has also script edited The Slap and Executive Produced SLiDE for Fox8, alongside co-creating and produced two seasons of The Time of Our Lives for ABC. Amanda has worked at ABC TV Drama as an executive producer and was acting head of drama in late 2009. 

DAVID HIRSCHFELDER — Composer

David Hirschfelder is recognised globally as one of Australia’s most distinguished screen composers. His credits include Strictly Ballroom, Shine, The Truman Show, Sliding Doors, Australia, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, and many more. 

David's work has been recognised with Oscar nominations for Shine and Elizabeth, and BAFTA awards for Strictly Ballroom and Elizabeth. Recent film scores include the award-winning The Railway Man, Healing, The Water Diviner, and The Dressmaker.

In 2020 David's score for political thriller Escape from Pretoria, starring Daniel Radcliffe, received an APRA Nomination for Feature Film Score of the Year. 2021 will see the release of David's score for the supernatural thriller Ascendant, the feature film debut from writer/director Antaine Furlong.

PATRICK HUGHES — Director, Producer, Writer

Australian-born writer, producer, and director Patrick Hughes continues to establish himself as one of Hollywood's most in-demand filmmakers.

Previously, Patrick served as the director of the most recent installment of The Expendables franchise, The Expendables 3 for which he was handpicked by Sylvester Stalloneand featured Stallone, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2010, he directed, wrote, and produced the modern-western thriller, Red Hill. Patrick is known worldwide as a venerated commercial film director with notable spots for brands such as Xbox, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Vodafone, and Toyota.

Patrick will debut The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, which he directed for Lionsgate, starring Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek, and Samuel L. Jackson in 2021. 

NATALIE ERIKA JAMES — Director, Producer, Writer

Natalie Erika James is a Japanese-Australian writer, director, and producer based in Melbourne, Australia.

Natalie is best known for her debut feature, Relic, a psychological horror that premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was produced by Carver Films, AGBO Films and Nine Stories. It was nominated for an AWGIE award for Best Feature Film at the 2019 Australian Writer’s Guild Awards.

She is currently in development on feature projects DRUM WAVE with Carver Films, and APARTMENT 7A with Paramount Players, Sunday Night and Platinum Dunes. 

Her 2016 short, Creswick, premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and won the 2017 AWGIE Award for Best Short Form screenplay by the Australian Writer’s Guild.
 

ANDREW KNIGHT — Producer, Writer

Andrew Knight is a widely admired and respected TV writer and producer.

Winner of over forty industry awards for his work, his credits include: Fast Forward, Full Frontal, The D-Generation, SeaChange, After The Deluge, Tripping Over, Kangaroo Palace, My Brother Jack and Crash Burn.

Writer on the award-winning series Rake, Andrew has also adapted Peter Temple novels Jack Irish: Bad Debts and The Broken Shore. 

His feature film credits include Siam Sunset, Spotswood, The Water Diviner, King of Thieves and Ali's Wedding.

In 2015 Andrew received the AACTA Longford Lyell Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement.

ANA KOKKINOS — Director, Writer

Ana Kokkinos is an acclaimed writer and director whose career spans film and TV. Her films, which include Blessed, The Book of Revelation and Head On, have won over 30 international and national awards and premiered at numerous festivals including Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Venice, and San Sebastian.

In 2010, Ana was honoured at the Seattle International Film Festival as an Emerging Master filmmaker and with a retrospective of her work. She has directed numerous episodes of TV including The Secret Life of Us, Massacre at Myall Creek and Seven Types of Ambiguity for Matchbox Pictures.

Ana served on the Board of Film Victoria for nine years. She has also taught extensively at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, RMIT, and Melbourne University.

ANTHONY LUCAS — Director, Producer

Anthony Lucas is a director and writer, best known for the Oscar nominated animated short film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello.

His films have received multiple award nominations and festival screenings, with animated short Holding Your Breath and live action short My Rabit Hoppy both selected for competition at Cannes. 

Anthony has worked as a sequence director on the features Queen of the Damned and Where The Wild Things Are and directed a live action episode of the 'compendium' feature film The Turning.  

SUE MASLIN — Producer

Sue Maslin is one of Australia’s most successful film, television, and digital content producers with a track record of creating award-winning feature and documentary films. 

She produced iconic Australian features including The Dressmaker, Japanese Story, Road to Nhill, and documentaries Michael Kirby - Don't Forget The Justice Bit, The Edge of The Possible and Mr. Neal Is Entitled To Be An Agitator.

The Dressmaker grossed more than $20 million at the box office and garnered the highest number of nominations at the 2015 Australian Academy Awards, winning five including the coveted People's Choice Award for Favorite Australian Film. It proved that there was a commercial audience for films made by and about women in Australia.

GREG MCLEAN— Director, Producer, Writer

Greg McLean's filmmaking career began when he wrote, directed and produced the horror smash hit Wolf Creek, which premiered at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals before going onto worldwide box office success.

This was followed by the creature/feature Rogue and Wolf Creek 2, the sequel to his breakout film. In 2014 McLean directed the supernatural thriller The Darkness for Blumhouse Productions. In 2015 he directed The Belko Experiment, a horror movie for MGM Studios before directing Jungle.

He then moved into television, show-running and directing two seasons of a Wolf Creek spin-off series. Most recently he directed four episodes of the ABC International supernatural drama, The Gloaming.

ANNA MCLEISH — Producer

Anna McLeish is a producer, known for The Snowtown MurdersRelic, and Sunshine. Her first job was assisting casting directors at Mullinars Casting, where she went from there to being mentored by Sandra Sdraulig at the Melbourne International Film Festival and later working for Disney.

After a stint living in New York and Montreal, Anna returned to Melbourne to start up the theatrical division of Madman Entertainment and attend international film festivals doing acquisitions. Following managing the Australian release of Warp Films’ This is England, Anna joined forces with UK Warp Films’ Mark Herbert and Robin Gutch to launch and run production company Warp Films Australia (WFA). Sarah Shaw joined Anna at WFA and a producing partnership began that continues today. Together they produced Justin Kurzel’s Cannes award-winning Snowtown, Kiwi duo Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland’s Berlinale award-winning Shopping, and Ariel Kleiman’s Sundance award-winning Partisan

In 2015 Anna launched Carver Films with Sarah Shaw, expanding her producing experience with Carver’s first television production, Sunshine.

DAINA REID — Director

One of the country's most sought-after award-winning directors, Daina Reidhas worked on many award-winning Australian productions including Romper Stomper, The Secret RiverMiss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and Sunshine.

She also directed Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo; Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War; Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS; all of which earned her AACTA and ADG nominations for best direction in a miniseries.

Daina’s international work includes The Handmaid’s Tale – her episode ‘Holly’ earned her a Director’s Guild of America Award nomination and an Emmy nomination for Directing in Drama – The OutsiderUploadDavid Makes Man; Space Force and The Spanish Princess

In 2017, Daina received the Michael Carson Award at the ADGs, in recognition of her excellent contribution to Television Drama Directing and in 2019, she received the Film Victoria Fred Schepisi Award recognising her outstanding body of directing work.

JAN SARDI — Screenwriter

Jan Sardi is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and former Australian Writers’ Guild President.

One of Australia’s most distinguished and highly regarded writers, Sardi’s work has entertained, moved, and inspired audiences worldwide, with credits including The Notebook, Mao’s Last Dancer and Love’s Brother

In 1997, his feature screenplay Shine earned him an Academy Award nomination alongside BAFTA, Writers’ Guild of America and Golden Globe nominations. 

He has frequently worked alongside friend and fellow screenwriter Mac Gudgeon, collaborating on Ground Zero in 1987 and the award-winning adaptation of The Secret River in 2015, and advocating on behalf of writers while serving together on the National Executive Council of the Australian Writers’ Guild over many years.     

In 2020, he was recognised for his distinguished service to the film and television industries, and awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours. 

ROGER SAVAGE — Post-Production Sound

One of Australia's most respected and distinguished producers and recording engineers, Roger Savage is universally regarded by his peers as one of the very best in the business.

Roger Savage's career spans more than 45 years, during which has engineered some of the most important Australian popular music recordings and some of the country’s most celebrated films including Mouilin Rouge, Mao's Last DancerShine, Babe, Lantana, Romeo + Juliet, Muriel's Wedding, and Mad Max to name a few.

Roger has always been on the cutting edge of technology and has consistently driven innovation in the way film soundtracks have been created and delivered.

With over 90 credits and multiple awards to his name, in 2013 Roger was recognised with the John Howie Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Victorian Screen Industry. 

SARAH SHAW — Producer, Writer

Sarah Shaw is an Australian Producer known for films such as Snowtown, Sunshine, and Relic. She has a diverse background in production; from production-managing Surfing the Menu to line-producing political thriller, Balibo.

In 2009, she joined forces with Anna McLeish to form an independent, Melbourne-based development and production company Carver Films. Together they produced Justin Kurzel’s 2011 Cannes award-winning Snowtown, New Zealand-set Shopping, and Partisan.

She executive produced Boner McPharlin’s Moll and Defender, both part of The Turning omnibus. Sarah's also the recipient of an AWGIE award for co-writing A Parachute Falling in Siberia.

Sarah has produced the SBS TV drama series Sunshine, Eddie Martin’s feature documentary Have You Seen the Listers? and the feature film, Relic. She is currently in pre-production for the upcoming thriller film, Run Rabbit Run.

FRED SCHEPISI — Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Frederic Alan Schepisi is an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. 

He directed his first feature-length film, The Devil's Playground, in 1976, winning 6 AFI awards including Best Film.  Following the success of The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Fred directed Barbarosa, Iceman, Plenty and Roxanne in the US before returning to Australia to co-write and direct Evil Angels.

Fred's other film credits include: Six Degrees of SeparationThe Russia House, Mr. Baseball, IQ, Fierce Creatures, Last Orders, It Runs in the Family, The Eye of the Storm and Words & Pictures. Fred gained an Emmy nomination for best director and won a Golden Globe for the mini-series Empire Falls.

SHAUN TAN — Artist, Director, Writer

Shaun Tan is an Australian artist, writer and filmmaker.

He has worked as a theatre designer, a concept artist for animated films including Pixar's WALL-E, and directed the Academy Award-winning short film The Lost Thing with Passion Pictures Australia.

Shaun is perhaps best known for illustrated books, which have been widely translated and critically acclaimed. His books deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery, widely translated throughout the world and enjoyed by readers of all ages. 

In 2011 he received the presitgious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, honouring his contribution to international children's literature.