Top 100 Australian & New Zealand Directors

1. Charles Tait

Charles Tait was born on November 15, 1868 in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. He was a director and writer, known for The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906). He died on June 27, 1933 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

2. Charles Bennett

Actor | Treasure Island

Charles Bennett was born on April 13, 1893 in Dunedin, New Zealand. He was an actor and director, known for Treasure Island (1934), America (1924) and The Little Slavey (1915). He was married to Dorothy Eileen Brown. He died on February 15, 1943 in Hollywood, California, USA.

3. Raymond Longford

Director | The Mutiny of the Bounty

Raymond Longford was born on September 23, 1878 in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. He was a director and writer, known for The Mutiny of the Bounty (1916), The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and The Dinkum Bloke (1923). He was married to Emilie Elizabeth Anschutz and Melena Louisa Keen. He died on April 2...

4. Rupert Julian

Actor | The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin

Coming to the US at the age of 34, New Zealand-born Rupert Julian started his career as a stage and screen actor touring Australia and New Zealand. Having made his name (and a cool million for Universal) as a dead ringer for Kaiser Wilhelm II in the 1918 film The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin (1918), ...

5. Ken G. Hall

Director | The Exploits of the Emden

Ken G. Hall was born on February 22, 1901 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was a director and producer, known for The Exploits of the Emden (1928), The Farmer Goes to Town (1938) and Vengeance of the Deep (1938). He was married to Irene Addison. He died on February 8, 1994 in Sydney, New ...

6. Charles Chauvel

Director | Jedda

Charles Chauvel was born in Queensland, Australia in 1897 to land owners in the south. After minding his family's farm while his father was at war with the Australian Light Horse in Sinai, he went to Sydney against his father's wishes to study drama. After some work in the movies looking after ...

7. Alfred J. Goulding

Director | Dick Barton: Special Agent

Australian-born Alf Goulding was a former vaudevillian who became a director specializing in comedy shorts. He directed Harold Lloyd comedies for Hal Roach, and in the early 1920s joined Mack Sennett, then turned out two-reelers at RKO and Columbia, sometimes featuring Edgar Kennedy. In England ...

8. Ralph Smart

Producer | Danger Man

Ralph Smart was born to Australian parents in the London suburb of Chingford, some ten miles northeast of Charing Cross. He began his professional career in films as an editor, writer and director of documentary shorts in 1927. Smart collaborated on the screenplays of some of Michael Balcon's early...

9. John Farrow

Writer | Around the World in Eighty Days

John Farrow wrote short stories and plays during his four-year career in the navy. In the late 1920s he came to Hollywood as a technical advisor for a film about Marines and stayed as a screenwriter, from A Sailor's Sweetheart (1927) through Tarzan Escapes (1936). He married Tarzan's Jane, Maureen ...

10. Len Lye

Director | Crusade in Europe

Len Lye was born on July 5, 1901 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was a director and writer, known for Crusade in Europe (1949), N or NW (1938) and He Loved an Actress (1938). He was married to Annette Zeiss and Jane Florence Winifred Thompson. He died on May 15, 1980 in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA.

11. Tim Burstall

Director | Stork

Tim Burstall was born on April 20, 1927 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Stork (1971), End Play (1976) and Libido (1973). He was married to Neela Dey and Betty Rogers. He died on April 19, 2004 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

12. Ron Way

Director | Frenchman's Farm

Ron Way was born in 1933 in Hong Kong. He is a director and producer, known for Frenchman's Farm (1987), My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? (1966) and Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday (1969).

13. Jim Sharman

Director | The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Jim Sharman spent much of his young life at the circus, where his father and grandfather ran a travelling boxing sideshow. Taking an interest in theatre, he attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, graduating in 1966. Sharman became interested in directing experimental theatre. ...

14. Ken Hannam

Director | Sunday Too Far Away

Ken Hannam was born on July 12, 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a director and producer, known for Sunday Too Far Away (1975), Dawn! (1979) and Wandjina! (1966). He was married to Madlena Nedeva, Wendy Dickson and Lena Melocco. He died on November 16, 2004 in London, England, UK.

15. Henri Safran

Director | The Wild Duck

Henri Safran was born on October 7, 1932 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for The Wild Duck (1983), Norman Loves Rose (1982) and Storm Boy (1976).

French-Australian director

16. Yoram Gross

Producer | Dot and the Bunny

Yoram Gross is Australia's leading animation Producer and Director. Internationally acclaimed for his films and television series, Yoram has established a world-wide reputation for the adaptation of children's characters from books and films to animation that win the hearts of children worldwide. ...

17. Colin Eggleston

Director | Long Weekend

Colin Eggleston was born on September 23, 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a writer and director, known for Long Weekend (1978), Cassandra (1987) and Division 4 (1969). He was married to Dimity Reed and Briony Behets. He died on August 10, 2002 in Geneva, Canton Geneva, Switzerland.

18. Gillian Armstrong

Director | My Brilliant Career

Gillian Armstrong was born on December 18, 1950 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a director and producer, known for My Brilliant Career (1979), Not Fourteen Again (1996) and Little Women (1994). She is married to John Pleffer. They have two children.

19. Essie Coffey

Director | My Survival as an Aboriginal

Essie Coffey was born near Goodooga in Northern NSW. She was a Muruwari woman and the co-founder of the Western Aboriginal Legal Service and served on a number of government bodies and Aboriginal community organisations.

Her family avoided forced relocation to a reserve by following seasonal rural ...

20. Graeme Clifford

Editor | Don't Look Now

Graeme Clifford was born on September 27, 1942 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and editor, known for Don't Look Now (1973), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).

21. Richard Franklin

Director | Hotel Sorrento

Writer, director and producer Richard Franklin was born on July 15, 1948 in Melbourne, Australia. Infatuated with cinema at an early age, Franklin first began making 8mm films at age 10. Franklin saw Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" two years later and was hooked on movies for life. Richard enrolled at ...

22. George Miller

Director | The Man from Snowy River

George Miller was born on November 28, 1943 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He was a director and producer, known for The Man from Snowy River (1982), Matlock Police (1971) and The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990). He died on February 17, 2023 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

British-Australian director, not to be confused with George Miller

23. Geoff Murphy

Director | The Quiet Earth

Geoff Murphy was born on October 12, 1938 in Wellington, New Zealand. He was a director and actor, known for The Quiet Earth (1985), Dante's Peak (1997) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). He was married to Merata Mita, Pat Robins and Diane Kearns. He died on December 3, 2018 in Wellington, ...

24. Merata Mita

Producer | Boy

Merata Mita was born on June 19, 1942 in Maketu, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. She was a producer and director, known for Boy (2010), Patu! (1983) and Mauri (1988). She was married to Geoff Murphy. She died on May 31, 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand.

25. Carl Schultz

Director | Careful, He Might Hear You

Carl Schultz was born on September 19, 1939 in Budapest, Hungary. He is a director and writer, known for Careful, He Might Hear You (1983), The Seventh Sign (1988) and Goodbye Paradise (1982).

26. Fred Schepisi

Director | Empire Falls

Fred began in advertising in Melbourne, Australia, working in an ad agency before joining the film production house, Cinesound. Two years later he founded the Film House directing both TV commercials and PR documentaries. His first foray into feature film making was The Priest, one chapter of the ...

27. George Ogilvie

Director | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

George Ogilvie was born on March 5, 1931 in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. He was a director and actor, known for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Short Changed (1986) and Blue Heelers (1994). He died on April 5, 2020 in New South Wales, Australia.

28. Russell Mulcahy

Director | Highlander

Dynamic film/video director Russell Mulcahy was born June 23, 1953, in Melbourne, Australia. He first gained fame directing visually striking music video clips for such artists as Elton John, Duran Duran, The Buggles and Bonnie Tyler. He is also well known for feature films, starting off with the ...

29. Peter Faiman

Director | Crocodile Dundee

Peter Faiman was born in 1944 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is a producer and director, known for Crocodile Dundee (1986), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and The Don Lane Show (1975).

30. Nadia Tass

Director | Amy

Awarded the Screen Leader Award for Outstanding Leadership to the Screen Industry, Nadia is one of Australia's most respected and unique filmmakers.

Known for directing Australian classic films "Malcolm" and "The Big Steal", Tass's other feature works include "Rikky and Pete", "Mr Reliable", "Amy", ...

31. Richard Lowenstein

Director | He Died with a Felafel in His Hand

Richard Lowenstein was born on March 1, 1959 in Melbourne, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001), Strikebound (1984) and Mystify: Michael Hutchence (2019).

32. Bill Bennett

Director | Kiss or Kill

Bill Bennett's career in film spans four decades. As a producer, director and writer he's made sixteen feature films and several documentaries. His work as a feature producer and director has been recognized with two Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Film and Best Director. Bill has been ...

33. Paul Cox

Director | Innocence

Paul Cox was born on April 16, 1940 in Venlo, Limburg, Netherlands. He was a director and writer, known for Innocence (2000), My First Wife (1984) and Man of Flowers (1983). He was married to Juliet Bacskai. He died on June 18, 2016 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

34. Barry Barclay

Director | Ngati

Barry Barclay was born on May 12, 1944 in Masterton, New Zealand. He was a director and writer, known for Ngati (1987), The Feathers of Peace (2000) and Autumn Fires (1977). He died on February 17, 2008 in Omapere, New Zealand.

35. Bruce Beresford

Director | Driving Miss Daisy

Bruce Beresford was born in Australia and graduated from Sydney University in 1962. He served as Film Officer for the British Film Institute Production Board from 1966-1971 and as a Film Advisor to the Arts Council of Great Britain. Beresford has also directed several operas including Girl Of The ...

36. Ann Turner

Writer | Celia

Ann Turner was born in 1960 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. She is a writer and producer, known for Celia (1989), Irresistible (2006) and Dallas Doll (1994).

37. Philippe Mora

Director | Mad Dog Morgan

Philippe Mora is a highly talented artist and film-maker with an impressive resume to boast of. He was born in Paris in 1949 to Georges and Mirka Mora, who moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1951. There the elder Moras became very important local artistic and cultural figures. Georges was an art ...

38. Jocelyn Moorhouse

Director | The Dressmaker

Jocelyn Moorhouse was born on September 4, 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a director and writer, known for The Dressmaker (2015), Proof (1991) and Muriel's Wedding (1994). She is married to P.J. Hogan.

39. George Miller

Producer | Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and former medical doctor. He is best known for his Mad Max franchise, with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) being hailed as amongst the greatest action films of all time. Aside from the Mad Max ...

40. Vincent Ward

Director | The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey

Vincent Ward has produced, executive produced and/or written and directed feature films including What Dreams May Come (Which won an Oscar and was nominated for 2 Academy Awards), The River Queen (Won best film in Shanghai) and The Last Samurai (4 Academy Award nominations and winner of Best ...

41. Mark Joffe

Director | The Great Bookie Robbery

Mark Joffe was born in 1956 in Polotsk, Byelorussian SSR, USSR [now Belarus]. He is a director and assistant director, known for The Great Bookie Robbery (1986), Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story (2020) and Working Class Boy (2018).

42. Geoffrey Wright

Writer | Romper Stomper

Writer/director Geoffrey Wright specializes in making tough, gritty features with a hard and unflinching edge to them. He was born in 1959 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Geoffrey graduated from the Swinburne Film and Television School with a Diploma of Arts in Film and Television. Wright worked...

43. Peter Wells

Director | Desperate Remedies

Peter Wells was born in 1950 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was a director and writer, known for Desperate Remedies (1992), Georgie Girl (2001) and A Death in the Family (1987). He was married to Douglas Lloyd-Jenkins. He died on February 18, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand.

44. Jane Campion

Writer | Bright Star

Jane Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and now lives in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Having graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, and a BA, with a painting major, at Sydney College of the Arts in 1979, she began filmmaking in the early...

45. Tracey Moffatt

Director | Bedevil

Tracey Moffatt was born on November 12, 1960 in Brisbane, Australia. She is a director and writer, known for Bedevil (1993), Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (1990) and Nice Coloured Girls (1987).

46. Lee Tamahori

Director | Once Were Warriors

Beginning as a commercial artist and photographer, he joined the New Zealand film industry in the late 1970s as a boom operator. He became an assistant director a decade later. Making international award-winning commercials for 10 years, he has also directed several TV series. His first feature ...

47. Chris Noonan

Writer | Babe

Chris Noonan was born on November 14, 1952 in Sydney, Australia. He is a writer and director, known for Babe (1995), Stepping Out (1980) and Miss Potter (2006).

48. Stephan Elliott

Director | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Stephan Elliott was born on August 27, 1964 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Easy Virtue (2008) and Eye of the Beholder (1999).

49. Costa Botes

Camera_department | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Costa Botes is known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Stalin's Sickle (1987) and Saving Grace (1998).

50. Scott Hicks

Director | Shine

Hicks was born in Uganda and lived in Kenya, just outside Nairobi, until the age of ten. His family then moved, first to England and, when he was 14, on to Adelaide, Australia. Hicks graduated from Flinders University of South Australia (BA Honors) in 1975 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in ...

51. Clara Law

Director | Fu sheng

Clara Law was born on May 29, 1957 in Macao, China. She is a director and writer, known for Fu sheng (1996), The Goddess of 1967 (2000) and Drifting Petals (2021). She is married to Eddie Ling-Ching Fong.

A Chinese immigrant

52. Andrew Niccol

Writer | GATTACA

New Zealand-born screenwriter-director Andrew Niccol began his career in London, successfully directing TV commercials before moving to Los Angeles in order to make films "longer than 60 seconds." He interested high-powered producer Scott Rudin in his The Truman Show (1998) script, but Rudin was not...

53. John Duigan

Writer | The Year My Voice Broke

Duigan emigrated to Australia in 1961, having been born to an Australian father. He is related to many Australian performers, being the husband of Nammi Le, brother of novelist Virginia Duigan (wife of director Bruce Beresford) and uncle of Trilby Beresford.

Duigan studied at Melbourne University, ...

54. Peter Weir

Director | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Peter Weir was born on August 21, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Way Back (2010) and Witness (1985). He has been married to Wendy Stites since 1966. They have two children.

55. Alex Proyas

Director | Dark City

Alex Proyas has moved effortlessly between helming TV commercials and music videos to feature films. Born to Greek parents in Egypt, Proyas relocated to Australia with his family when he was three years old. He began making films at age ten and went on to attend the Australian Film Television and ...

56. Peter Jackson

Producer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Sir Peter Jackson made history with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, becoming the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were nominated for and collected a slew of awards from around the globe, with The ...

57. Baz Luhrmann

Writer | Moulin Rouge!

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian writer, director and producer with projects spanning film, television, opera, theater, music and recording industries. He is regarded by many as a contemporary example of an auteur for his distinctly recognizable style and deep involvement in the writing, directing, ...

58. Andrew Adamson

Director | Shrek 2

Andrew Adamson was born on December 1, 1966 in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a producer and director, known for Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek (2001) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). He has been married to Michelle Jonas since 2018. He was previously married to ...

59. Niki Caro

Director | Whale Rider

Niki Caro is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter, born in 1967. Caro was born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She was educated first at the Kadimah College in Auckland, and then the Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. The School is a private girls' school, and ranks ...

60. Phillip Noyce

Producer | Rabbit-Proof Fence

Born in the Australian rural town of Griffith, New South Wales, Phillip Noyce moved to Sydney with his family at the age of 12. As a teenager, he was introduced to underground films produced on shoestring budgets as well as mainstream American movies. He was 18 when he made his first film, the 15-...

61. P.J. Hogan

Writer | Muriel's Wedding

Hogan was born in Brisbane, Queensland. As a teenager, he lived on the North Coast of New South Wales and attended Mt St Patrick's College. He was said to have had a difficult time in high school as he was a victim of bullying. His film Mental is based upon his difficult adolescent years.

62. James Wan

Writer | Saw

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)...

63. James McTeigue

Director | V for Vendetta

James McTeigue is known for V for Vendetta (2005), The Raven (2012) and Survivor (2015).

64. Lian Lunson

Producer | Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

Lian Lunson is known for Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2005), Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle (2012) and Waiting for the Miracle to Come (2018).

65. Mel Gibson

Actor | Braveheart

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York, USA, as the sixth of eleven children of Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Anne Patricia (Reilly) Gibson (who died in December of 1990). His mother was Irish, from County Longford, while his American-born father is ...

66. Martin Campbell

Director | Casino Royale

Martin Campbell knows how to entertain an audience when he steps behind the camera. When he directed The Mask of Zorro (1998), the movie earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and launched the international careers of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Next, when he helmed ...

67. Neil Armfield

Director | Candy

Neil Armfield was born on April 22, 1955 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Candy (2006), Holding the Man (2015) and Edens Lost (1988).

68. Rolf de Heer

Producer | Bad Boy Bubby

Rolf de Heer was born on May 4, 1951 in Heemskerk, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is a producer and director, known for Bad Boy Bubby (1993), Ten Canoes (2006) and Charlie's Country (2013).

69. Peter Djigirr

Actor | Ten Canoes

Peter Djigirr is known for Ten Canoes (2006), Charlie's Country (2013) and Another Country (2015).

70. Andrew Dominik

Director | Chopper

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

71. Roger Donaldson

Director | The World's Fastest Indian

Roger Donaldson was born on November 15, 1945 in Ballarat, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for The World's Fastest Indian (2005), No Way Out (1987) and Species (1995). He is married to Marliese Schneider. He was previously married to Susan Hockley.

72. John Hillcoat

Director | The Proposition

John Hillcoat was born on August 14, 1961 in Queensland, Australia. He is a director and producer, known for The Proposition (2005), The Road (2009) and Lawless (2012).

73. Adam Elliot

Director | Mary and Max.

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 ...

74. David Michôd

Writer | The King

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

75. Alister Grierson

Director | Bloody Hell

Grierson graduated from the Australian National University in Economics (BEc) and Arts (BA) in 1995, then continued his Japanese language study in Tokyo but his real passion was film-making.

After making a variety of self-funded shorts, he was accepted into the Masters course of the directing stream...

76. Tom Hooper

Director | Cats

Tom Hooper was educated at one of England's most prestigious schools, Westminster. His first film, Runaway Dog, was made when he was 13 years old and shot on a Clockwork 16mm Bolex camera, using 100 feet of film. At age 18, he wrote, directed and produced the short film Painted Faces (1992), which ...

A British-Australian director

77. Cate Shortland

Director | Lore

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 ...

78. Ben Lewin

Writer | The Sessions

Ben Lewin's career as a writer and director is spread across three continents and includes award-winning documentaries, feature films, TV movies, mini-series and episodic programs. Born in Poland in 1946, he migrated to Australia with his family in 1949. As a young man, Lewin showed great passion ...

79. Wayne Blair

Director | The Sapphires

Wayne Blair was born on November 28, 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).

80. Trent O'Donnell

Director | Review with Myles Barlow

Trent O'Donnell is known for Review with Myles Barlow (2008), The Moodys (2012) and No Activity (2015).

81. Garth Davis

Director | Lion

Garth Davis's work has been recognized in every major award show around the world. His rigorous commitment to detail, cinematic sensibilities and deep appreciation of the actor-director relationship are his trademark. Garth most recently directed Foe for Amazon, based on the novel of the same name ...

82. Ariel Kleiman

Director | Deeper Than Yesterday

Ariel Kleiman was born on April 22, 1985 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is a director and writer, known for Deeper Than Yesterday (2010), Partisan (2015) and Young Love (2009).

83. Jennifer Kent

Director | The Nightingale

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

84. Jemaine Clement

Actor | Flight of the Conchords

Jemaine Clement was born and raised in Masterton, New Zealand, the oldest of three brothers. His mother is Maori. Clement was educated at Makoura College in Masterton, NZ. He went on to study drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington. Whilst there he met Taika Waititi, and they formed ...

85. Jessica Hobbs

Director | The Crown

Jessica Hobbs has been working as a drama director for 30 years. Her work has taken her from New Zealand, where she grew up, to Australia, the US and now Europe. She moved with her family to London in 2014 and she has loved getting to know the vast talent that exists in the UK film and TV community.

...

86. Warwick Thornton

Cinematographer | Samson & Delilah

Warwick Thornton was born on July 23, 1970 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Samson & Delilah (2009), Sweet Country (2017) and Green Bush (2005).

87. Michael Gracey

Director | The Greatest Showman

With an exceptional background in VFX and a fluency in music production, Gracey has consistently brought a fresh - often viral - approach to his projects that seizes the audience's imagination. He credits this specific combination to an early exposure to musical theatre at home and a gap year spent...

88. Katie Wolfe

Director | Waru

Katie Wolfe is an award winning Director and Actor from New Zealand. Best known for her films Waru, This Is Her and Redemption. Katie directs across film and television in both drama and documentary. Recent television work includes Artefact and The Brokenwood Mysteries. Recent acting work includes ...

89. Awanui Simich-Pene

Script_department | Evil Dead Rise

Awanui Simich-Pene is a New Zealand-based Writer, Director and Script Supervisor of Maori and Croatian Descent. A working Director since 2006, Awanui has directed scripted drama and factual content for broadcasters in New Zealand and Australia, while her films have traveled internationally. She is ...

90. Justin Kurzel

Producer | Nitram

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 ...

91. Shannon Murphy

Director | Babyteeth

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. ...

92. Leigh Whannell

Actor | Saw

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 ...

93. Robert Connolly

Director | Balibo

Robert is one of Australia's most acclaimed and best-known filmmakers with an international career spanning 30 years. His films include the box office hit Paper Planes with Sam Worthington, Balibo starring Oscar Isaac and Anthony Lapaglia and the compendium feature film The Turning with Cate ...

94. Craig Gillespie

Producer | I, Tonya

Craig Gillespie is an Australian film director, best known for his films Lars and the Real Girl (2007), I, Tonya (2017) and Cruella (2021). Born and raised in Sydney, Gillespie moved to New York City at the age of nineteen to study illustration, graphic design and advertising at Manhattan's School ...

95. Ainsley Gardiner

Producer | Boy

Ainsley Gardiner is known for Boy (2010), Waru (2017) and Eagle vs Shark (2007).

96. Briar Grace Smith

Writer | The Strength of Water

Briar Grace Smith is known for The Strength of Water (2009), Waru (2017) and Cousins (2021).

97. Taika Waititi

Producer | What We Do in the Shadows

Taika Waititi, also known as Taika Cohen, hails from the Raukokore region of the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and is the son of Robin (Cohen), a teacher, and Taika Waititi, an artist and farmer. His father is Maori (Te-Whanau-a-Apanui), and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish...

98. Thomas M. Wright

Director | The Stranger

Thomas M. Wright was born on June 22, 1983 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor and director, known for The Stranger (2022), Acute Misfortune (2018) and Everest (2015).

99. Danny Philippou

Director | Talk to Me

Danny Philippou was born on November 13, 1992 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He is a director and actor, known for Talk to Me (2022), RackaRacka (2013) and The Babadook (2014).

100. Michael Philippou

Director | Talk to Me

Michael Philippou was born on November 13, 1992 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He is an actor and director, known for Talk to Me (2022), RackaRacka (2013) and The Babadook (2014).