Australian Cinema > directors > WA directors. See also WA films.

Western Australian directors

Directors who were born or grew up or now live/work in WA

Julius Avery, Son of a Gun (2014), Overlord (2014), Samaritan (2022), The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

Sam Barrett, Esoterica (2010), No Through Road (2008), Sororal (2013) aka Dark Sister

James Bogle, In the Winter Dark (1998), Mad Bomber in Love (1991)

Tim Burns, Against the Grain: More Meat Than Wheat (1981)

Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen, Little Sparrows (2010)

Mark Defriest, Southern Cross (2001)

Franco di Chiera, Gnow or Never (doco, 2009, with Carmelo Musca), Joys of the Women (1993) doco

Khrob Edmonds, I Am Bish (with Dave Bishop, 2009)

Miranda Edmonds, The Course (2007)

Ron Elliott, Justice (1998)

Ben Elton, Three Summers (2017)

Damian Fasolo, Broken (2017)

Glenda Hambly, Fran (1985), Waiting at the Royal (2000)

Zak Hilditch, The Actress (2005), Plum Role (2007), The Toll (2010), These Final Hours (2013), 1922 (USA, 2017), Rattlesnake (USA, 2019)

Steve Jodrell, Buck's Party (short, 1978), Tudawali (1987), Shame (1988)

Nunzio La Bianca, Aussie Park Boyz (2004), Aussie Park Boyz: The Next Chapter (2011)

Ben C. Lucas, Wasted on the Young (2010), OtherLife (2016)

Roderick Mackay, The Furnace (2020)

Edgar Metcalfe, The Olive Tree (1975)

Carmelo Musca, Zombie Brigade (with Barrie Pattison, 1988), Gnow or Never (doco, 2009, with Franco di Chiera), Foreshadow (2013)

Josko Petkovic was on the teaching staff at Murdoch University. He made: Subjective/Objective, A Letter to Eros, (1995, experimental doco, 56 min.), The Barque Stefano, a triptych, Ascape (dir. Rob Bygott, 1993), Frame on Dreaming (short, 1984, MIFF), A Look at Trails (1980, short, MIFF 1982) - free fall through featherless flight, Journey of Anticipation, Animal Locomotion: Muybridge.

Graeme Rattigan, Under the Lighthouse Dancing (1996)

Melanie Rodriga is from NZ but now lives in Perth. She made her first two features in NZ as Melanie Read and the last two here as Melanie Rodriga: Trial Run (Melanie Read, 1984), Send a Gorilla (Melanie Read, 1988), Teesh and Trude (2002), myPastmyPresent (2011)

Jeremy Sims, Last Train to Freo (2006), Last Cab to Darwin (2015), Rams (Jeremy Sims, 2020)

John V. Soto, Crush (with Jeff Gerritsen, 2009), Prey (2009), Needle (2010), The Reckoning (2014), The Gateway (2018), Avarice (2022)

Debbie Thoy, The Manuscript (2013)

Ben Young, Bush Basher (short, 2011), Hounds of Love (2016), Extinction (USA, 2018)


I'm not sure about the directors in the following list. Still working on finding their origins and locations.

Broken Contract (James Pentecost, 2015) wr. James Pentecost, prod. Hayden Fortescue, Jag Pannu Productions; Christopher Morris, Esther Anderson; action comedy; WA

Decadent and the Depraved, The (Axel August, Jordon Prince-Wright, 2018) wr. Axel August; Michael Muntz, Ben Mortley, Steve Turner; western; WA

Demons (Blake Prosser, 2011) WA; 60 min.

Drift (Ben Nott, Morgan O'Neill, 2013) Sam Worthington, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Myles Pollard, Xavier Samuel; drama, surfing; Australian premiere Caves House Yalingup WA 21 March 2013; shot WA

Exile and the Kingdom (Frank Rijavek, 1994) documentary; Roebourne WA area; best doco AFIs 1994

Let's Get Skase (Matthew George, 2001)* released after the death of Christopher Skase, this film did not appear to do well

Lost Thing, The (Shaun Tan, 2010) Tim Minchin; animated short, 15 min. Academy Award 2011; director from WA

Naked Wanderer, The (Alan Lindsay, 2019) wr. Callan Durlik; Angus McLaren, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, John Cleese; WA; released 5Sept; dumped by his girlfriend and sponsored by media scoundrel Brian King, desolate Jake walks all-but-naked up Western Australia's coast for charity, in the hope his gesture will win back Jasmine, until he meets mesmerizing backpacker Valerie

Natural Justice: Heat (Scott Hartford-Davis, 1996) tele-feature; prod. Paul D. Barron, dp Russell Bacon; Claudia Karvan, Steve Bastoni, Sonia Todd, John Moore, Martin Jacobs, Jeremy Sims, Igor Sas, Maurie Ogden, Lynette Narkle; shot and set in York, WA; pre-sold Channel 7; 93 min.

Not Suitable for Children (Peter Templeman, 2012) romcom; Ryan Kwanten, Bojana Novakovic, Laura Brent, Alice Parkinson; WA

Perished (Aaron McCann, Stefan Androv Radanovich, 2011) short; WA; 15 min.

Plugg (Terry Bourke, 1975)* wr. Terry Bourke, prod. Ninki Maslansky for Romac Productions, dp Brian Probyn; Reg Gorman, Cheryl Rixon, Peter Thompson, Norman Yemm; Perth WA; colour; sex comedy; 88 min.

Prey (Oscar D'Roccster, 2009) wr. John V. Soto, Elizabeth Howatt-Jackman; Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Jesse Johnson, Natalie Walker; horror; 76 min.; exteriors shot in WA, where story is set

Pursuit of Happiness, The (Martha Ansara, 1988) prod. Martha Ansara, wr. Martha Ansara, Laura Black, Alex Gibson; Anna Gare, Laura Black, Peter Hardy, Jack Coleman; set and shot in Fremantle WA; female journo involved in peace movement; low-budget political thriller

Redback (Loren Johnson, 2010) thriller shot in Stoneville WA

Restare Uniti (Julius Telmer, 2011) short; Frank Fazio; shot Harvey, WA; 14 min.

Right Hand Man, The (Di Drew, 1987) UAA presents a Yarraman Film Production, c 1986 UAA (Australasia) Limited; budget $5.5 million; location: Bathurs<"Fuzzy>t, NSW; dist. GUO; opened 21 November 1987. "One of the handful of Australian films made under 10BA for the Perth-based [WA] production company UAA (as distinct from its tax-funded investment in overseas productions) ..." Murray 1995

Roll (Martin Wilson, 2004) telemovie, wr. Dave Warner, prod. Angie Smith, dp Torstein Dyrting, music James Ledger; John Batchelor, Mike Frencham, Marcus Graham, Irene Jarzabeck, Toby Malone, Michael Muntz, Renee Newman-Storen, David Ngoombujarra, Damien Robertson, Simon Scott, George Shevtsov, Tasma Walton; young country footballer comes to the big smoke to stay with his cousin, wanting a quiet night; WA

Running on Empty (John Clark, 1982)* wr. Barry Tomblin; Terry Serio, Richard Moir, Deborah Conway, Max Cullen, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Chris Haywood, Grahame Bond. Fox (Richard Moir) is the king of street drag-racing. Mike (Terry Serio) has to beat him, with the help of blind Rebel (Max Cullen). Shot in Sydney and Cobar, NSW, despite being the first feature wholly backed by the Film Corporation of Western Australia, WA

Satellite Boy (Catriona McKenzie, 2012) David Gulpilil; WA

Sculptor, The (Christopher Kenworthy, 2009) Dungog FF, 30 May 2009; 103 min.

Silent City, The (Matt Soutar, 2014) prod. Nate Striker-Knight, dp Ross Metcalf; Laura Collier, Olivia Charlotte, David Partridge; noir; WA

Turning, The (Robert Connolly and others, 2013) shorts; collection of short films based on stories by Tim Winton, filmed Perth WA; premiere MIFF 3 August 2013

Twisted Minds (James Pentecost, 2014) wr. Teigan Isobel Jag Pannu, James Pentecost; John Howard, Kyle Morrison, Jessica Hegarty, Georgia Geyer, Kaitlin Mary Hall, Rebecca Chalon, Jag Pannu

Windrider (Vincent Monton, 1986)* Barron Films; Bush Christmas Productions; Nicole Kidman, Simon Chilvers, Tom Burlinson, Jill Perryman, Charles Tingwell; budget $2.5mill; dist. Hoyts; 25 December 1986; 35mm.; Perth, WA; 92 min.

Wonderful Unknown (tba, tba) prod. James Hoppe, John Finemore, Mason Novick; to be shot 2017 Broome, Kununurra, El Questro, Emma Gorge, Gibb River Road; US/Aust copro; WA Regional Film Fund; not made?


Garry Gillard | New: 1 July, 2020 | Now: 28 June, 2023