Top 25 new Australian Directors

Catherine Shortland is an Australian filmmaker from Temora, New South Wales who is known for directing the Marvel film "Black Widow." She also directed the feature-length films "Somersault", "Lore", and "Berlin Syndrome." She directed the short films "Pentuphouse", "Flowergirl", and "Joy." She is married to Tony Krawitz and they have two children.

Andrew Dominik was born on 7 October 1967 in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a director and writer, known for Chopper (2000), Blonde (2022) and Killing Them Softly (2012).

Leigh Whannell grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where, at the age of four, he developed an obsession with telling stories. Whether it be through acting, writing or filmmaking, his primary love was getting a reaction from an audience. In 1995, at the age of 18, he was accepted into the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's prestigious Media Arts course, where he met fellow filmmaker James Wan. In his second year of college, he landed the role of "film guy" on a Saturday morning TV show aimed at teens called Recovery (1996). Filmed totally live in the studio and hosted by actual teenagers, the ground-breaking show was hugely popular down under and was the first to bring "alternative culture" to Australia's TV screens, featuring live performances from bands like Sonic Youth, Weezer, Public Enemy, Ben Harper, Pulp and hundreds more. Hosting the film component of the show, Leigh was lucky enough to interview people like Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, Russell Crowe, George Clooney, and eventually went on the host the show in 1999. After graduating from college, Leigh found himself working more and more as a "host" or "presenter" on Australian TV - all the while hatching a plan with James Wan to finally fulfill his dream of making a film. Small acting roles cropped up from time to time (including one in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), which Leigh has said was "the most fun I've ever had in my life") and, along with those, some frustrating near-misses (and not so near-misses: like his cringe-inducing audition for "Lord Of The Rings", in which he paid $90 to have "hobbit ears" grafted onto his head, turning up at the casting office dressed as a hobbit - needless to say he didn't get the role). However, it was missing out on a role in Alex Proyas Australian film Garage Days (2002) that finally broke the camel's back. He called Wan and told him that if they wanted to get a film made, they would have to pay for it themselves. Saw (2004) was born. After nine months of writing, Leigh had written the screenplay for what he thought would be a self-financed, "Blair Witch"-style feature, with him starring and James directing. The script gained so much attention that soon enough, they were shopping it around Hollywood....and the rest is history.

James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010), The Conjuring (2013) and Furious 7 (2015).

Before his success in the mainstream film industry, he made his first feature-length film, Stygian, with Shannon Young, which won "Best Guerrilla Film" at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) in 2000.

Prior to 2003, Wan and Leigh Whannell had begun writing a script based for a horror film, citing inspiration from their dreams and fears. Upon completing the script, Leigh and James had wanted to select an excerpt from their script, later to be known as Saw (2004), and film it to pitch their film to studios. With the help of Charlie Clouser, who had composed the score for the film, and a few stand-in actors, Leigh and James shot the film with relatively no budget. Leigh had decided to star in the film as well.

After the release of the full-length Saw (2004), the film was met with overwhelming success in the box office both domestically and internationally. The film ended up grossing 55 million dollars in America, and 48 million dollars in other countries, totaling over $103 million worldwide. This was over 100 million dollars profit, over 80 times the production budget. This green-lit the sequel Saw II (2005), and later the rest of the Saw franchise based on the yearly success of the previous installment. Since its inception, Saw (2004) has become the highest grossing horror franchise of all time worldwide in unadjusted dollars. In the United States only, Saw (2004) is the second highest grossing horror franchise, behind only the Friday the 13th (1980) films by a margin of $10 million.

David Michôd is known for The King (2019), Animal Kingdom (2010) and The Rover (2014). He is married to Mirrah Foulkes.

Warwick Thornton was born on 23 July 1970 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Samson & Delilah (2009), The New Boy (2023) and Sweet Country (2017).

Jennifer Kent was born on 5 March 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress and director, known for The Nightingale (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Monster (2005).

Michael Spierig was born in Germany. He is known for Predestination (2014), Daybreakers (2009) and Winchester (2018).

An award winning Australian filmmaker. Serhat is also a trained actor and switches between working behind and in front of the camera regularly. His second feature A Lion Returns (2020) was released to critical acclaim in 2020 and made it onto The Guardian, The Australian, Flicks and Filmink Magazine's Top 10 Australian films of the year lists. It also received an AACTA and ADG nomination. His directorial feature film debut, Cedar Boys (2009) was accepted into 6 international film festivals and won the 'Audience Award' at the Sydney International Film Festival, also adding an Australian Directors Guild (ADG), Australian Writers Guild (AWG), AACTA (AFI) and 'IF Award' (Inside Film Magazine, Australia) Nominations. He graduated with awards from Australia's premiere film school the AFTRS in directing and his previous short films have screened at over 40 film festivals, winning many prizes and awards. Serhat studied acting, performing arts and drama at TAPS in Sydney, UWS Nepean and Actors Centre Australia. He is an established AWG script assessor and has a range of projects in various stages of development through his production company Bonafide Pictures and others.

Known for his bold career growth, Australian director Justin Kurzel, who, after the striking debut feature The Snowtown Murders (2011), which conquered hearts of people on many festivals, has chosen a Shakespearean adaptation (Macbeth (2015)) starring famous international film actors Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the main roles as his second film, then was taking even more bold choice to take on blockbuster project, a screen adaptation of Assassin's Creed (2016) videogame, as only third of his features.

Kurzel was born on August 3, 1974 in the South Australian Gawler. His brother is the musician and composer Jed Kurzel, who is often working with him on various projects. Both grew up in Gawler.

Kurzel began studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney at the early 1990s.

At first he was making a music videos for the rock band The Messhall, founded by his brother. In 2005 future filmmaker made his first short film Blue Tongue (2005). Then, after six years, he released The Snowtown Murders (2011), a film about the mass murderer case starring Daniel Henshall which was praised and acclaimed both by the critics and by the audience for the striking experience of which is a truly cold and terrifying film it gives to the viewer. Kurzel had also written the script for the film, for which he was awarded the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award as Best Director in 2011, Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, won Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Directing and was nominated for Australian Directors Guild Award, British Film Institute Awards,

Then he wrote and direct one segment of The Turning (2013), the Boner McPharlin's Moll, for which, alongside all the other directors attached to the making, he was nominated for Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award for Best Directing.

In 2015, a turning point for Kurzel's career, he directed a successful adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth (2015), in which Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard took the main parts. The film was screened at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2015, when it received a Special Mention in FIPRESCI Prize, Special Mention on Critics Wee, and compete for the Palme d'Or, Golden Camera, Queer Palm and Critics Week Grand Prize. The film was very well received amongst the viewers and critics, was nominated for variety of awards across the globe and was presented with a special premiere showing at Edinburgh, Scotland, where all the main filming took place. For directing this film he was nominated for British Independent Film Awards as the Best Director.

During the shooting, the strong working relationship between Kurzel and actors Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard has been established, which resulted in announcing on December 2016 that he will helm the film adaptation of the popular computer game Assassin's Creed (2016) starring both of the actors alongside Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling and Kurzel's wife Essie Davis. Making of such a high-profile studio picture established Kurzel in the world of high-budget filmmaking, giving him many doors open for his future possible projects.

Kurzel currently resides in London, UK with his wife, actress Essie Davis, and their children.

Shannon Murphy is a theatre and film/TV director, known for Babyteeth (2019), On the Ropes (2018) and Killing Eve (2019). Her episode of Killing Eve Are You From Pinner? was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Director in 2021 for her work on Babyteeth. Murphy went on to win the AACTA Award for Best Director on Babyteeth, with the film taking home a total of 9 AACTA awards, including all the film acting categories, Best Screenplay and Best Film.

A filmmaker with a powerful vision that compliments stories with heart, Shane is relentlessly passionate and immersive when it comes to his craft. In his early days, he spent the better part of a decade making short films, commercials and music videos with a view to understanding every aspect of a production whilst developing a distinct and engaging visual style.

In early 2005 he gathered his forces and put everything on the line to make his feature debut - Gabriel. With an upfront cash budget of 200K and a history-making sale to Sony Pictures, Gabriel released in Australian cinemas in late 2007 before going worldwide the following year. The film went on to become one of the most commercially successful independent Australian films of all time and still holds a current top spot among all Australian international releases.

Following this, Hollywood was quick to snap Shane up, where he spent several years developing high profile studio projects but was often disheartened by the lack of originality or creative risk taking and as such, found himself pushing into more experimental areas of cinema.

As a result, his second feature 'Infini' received international acclaim when it was released in 2015 and has since gone on to become a bonafide cult hit, though is not well know in his homeland of Australia. Shot in the vein of classic late 70s/early 80s sci-fi, the film was designed to be intentionally divisive in it's storytelling techniques as an alternate option to the current crop of science fiction.

Following this was the widely praised and more accessible premiere of Shane's third directorial effort 'The Osiris Child' at Austin's Fantastic Fest in 2016, which he stated was the closing chapter in his 'love letter trilogy' to the type of genre cinema he'd grown up with.

With a host of talent on screen, the film would go on to achieve great success as well as launch newcomer Teagan Croft into the world spotlight where she landed the co-lead on DC'S Teen Titans playing Raven.

Shane continues to focus on unique and immersive ways to bring characters to life, now pushing further into more experimental approaches to drama and performance.

Peter Spierig was born in Germany. He is known for Predestination (2014), Daybreakers (2009) and Undead (2003).

Wayne Blair was born on 28 November 1971 in Taree, New South Wales, Australia. He is an actor and director, known for The Sapphires (2012), Mystery Road (2018) and Redfern Now (2012).

Louise Alston grew up on a farm in rural Australia. Starting out working in local TV news, she went on to study at Australia's national film school, AFTRS. She directed her ultra low budget first feature, All My Friends are Leaving Brisbane for $42,000. It screened around the world and became a cult film. Louise has a doctorate in creative arts from the University of Technology, Sydney. Her work is typically smart, gutsy and heart felt.

Nash Edgerton was born on 19 January 1973 in Australia. He is a director and actor, known for Mr Inbetween (2018), Gringo (2018) and The Square (2008). He has been married to Carla Ruffino since 1 April 2014.

Jeffrey Walker is an Australian born, multi-award winning director, known for The Artful Dodger, The Clearing, Modern Family, Lambs of God, Riot, Dance Academy: The Movie, Jack Irish and Ali's Wedding. Walker started his career as an actor, turning to directing at age twenty. He has worked between the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.K.

Writer, director, producer and visual artist, Claire most recently completed production on THE COLOUR ROOM starring Phoebe Dynevor, Matthew Goode and Kerry Fox, due for theatrical release in October 2021 in Europe and the US. Prior to this she was set-up / lead director and EP for SKY series DOMINA (2020) starring Isabella Rossellini, Kasia Smutniak and Claire Forlani. Prior to this she was sole director and EP on THE LUMINARIES, a screen adaptation of the Man Booker Prize winning novel, starring Eva Green and Eve Hewson, produced by Working Title, Freemantle and BBC1.

Her feature film OPHELIA, starring Naomi Watts, Daisy Ridley, Clive Owen and George MacKay, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2019. Her award-winning feature film, THE WAITING CITY, starring Radha Mitchell and Joel Edgerton, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Claire adapted for the screen and directed the centerpiece segment of Tim Winton's celebrated novel THE TURNING, starring Rose Byrne and Miranda Otto.

Her upcoming feature, THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF RACHEL DUPREE, which Claire wrote and will direct, is with Amazon Studios, and stars Academy Award winning actress Viola Davis.

Claire was featured in Variety in the "10 Directors to Watch" 2018.

After training as a fine artist before working as a director in theatre and opera, Australian writer, director, and producer, Greg McLean's filmmaking career began when he wrote and directed the hit horror film; Wolf Creek. The film played at the Sundance and Cannes Film festivals before going on to worldwide 'cult film' status.

After this success, Greg established Emu Creek Pictures, a production company based in Melbourne. He then wrote, directed, and produced the thrillers Rogue and Wolf Creek 2, before directing, The Darkness for Blumhouse, The Belko Experiment for MGM, and the survival thriller Jungle, based upon the best selling book. Greg then executive produced and directed episodes on two seasons of the Wolf Creek TV series and followed this by directing episodes for TV series including; The Gloaming, Bloom, Jack Irish, La Brea, The Twelve and Scrublands. In 2024 he was series director for the Netflix series; Territory.

Recently, Greg joined fellow director Patrick Hughes, along with screenwriter James Beaufort, in establishing Huge Film, a production company focused on producing thriller, action and horror genre film and television projects locally for the global marketplace.

Kriv Stenders is known for Red Dog (2011), Boxing Day (2007) and Two/Out (1998).

Kieran Darcy-Smith was born on 12 June 1965 in Mona Vale, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is an actor and director, known for Apple Cider Vinegar (2025), How to Make Gravy (2024) and Mr Inbetween (2018). He has been married to Felicity Price since 7 January 2006. They have two children.

Grew up on a shrimp farm in southern Australia together with two brothers, one sister and two parrots. He discerned his artistic abilities at an early age and spent five years studying photography, painting, pottery etc. In 1996 he began his studies at the Victorian College of the Arts where Uncle (1996), the first part of his trilogy, was made. After he graduated in 1997, the trilogy was completed with Cousin (1999) and Brother (2000).

Elissa Down is known for Feel the Beat (2020), The Black Balloon (2008) and The Honor List (2018).

Jeremy Sims is a prolific and popular figure in Australian artistic life. He works as an actor, director and producer across theatre, film and television. He has directed 5 feature films, over 40 hours of Television and won two AACTA/AFI awards.

In 2006, Jeremy produced and directed Last Train to Freo. The film received 3 AFI Award Nominations, including Best Actor.

In 2010 his second feature, the WW1 epic Beneath Hill 60 was nominated for 12 AFI Awards, 5 IF Awards and 8 FCCA Awards, including Best Director and Best Film across all three awards.

Jeremy was awarded the prestigious Alfred P Sloan Feature Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

2014's Last Cab to Darwin, which he co-wrote, was a financial and critical hit. It received 13 AACTA (AFI) award nominations, with four cast members getting best actor nods, and Michael Caton winning for the lead role of Rex.

Jeremy's last film Rams, starring Sam Neill, Michael Caton and Miranda Richardson, was released in 2020 had multiple AACTA award nominations and has become a worldwide hit.

Jeremy has directed multiple seasons of the internationally successful period drama 'A Place to Call Home' as well as the 8 part Medical Rescue series RFDS for Endemol/Shine and the 6 part series Back To The Rafters for Amazon.

Jeremy has four feature films and a two television projects in development, including two features in late stage development with Screen Australia, slated to shoot next year.

Abe Forsythe was born on 26 July 1981 in Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Little Monsters (2019) and Wolf Like Me (2022). He has been married to Helen Dallimore since April 2009.