Directory of
Melbourne independent filmmakers

This is by no means an exhaustive or complete list. How could it possibly be, when filmmakers spring up constantly, both new ones and rediscovered ones?

I try to list here those filmmakers (note: directors only) who have shown some commitment to making films with an independent spirit and with some creative flair. The list is clearly biased towards older filmmakers, but there is still some representation of people who have started their careers in the 21st century. The list is also biased towards non-narrative and/or underground filmmakers, rather than directors in the (mainstream) industry.

And so I've left out those directors who are absolutely commercial/mainstream (such as Nadia Tass or John Tatoulis, for example). But I've included those that began in an indie fashion before then going mainstream (such as Antony I. Ginnane and John Ruane).

Also, If I'm unsure whether the director is from Melbourne or some other Australian city, I've left them out (for the moment).

Regarding the text provided with each name, please excuse the shorthand descriptions - "experimental filmmaker", "active in the '80s", etc. These type of designations are general and don't do full justice to the people, but they give some idea of the person and their work. Also, there may be some inaccuracies here, as some of the information is from memory only.

If the person's name appears as a link, that means they have a full profile page on this site - and the link, naturally, goes to their profile. A number of the other people will be profiled in the next instalment of this site, in 2024, or in the future.

If there is a "NEW" designation next to the person's name, this means their name has been added into this list in the year 2024.

If you'd like someone listed here, please email me.

Bill Mousoulis

See also the Sydney page

See also the Adelaide page

See also the Other Australian page

Luigi Acquisto - VCA graduate, acclaimed short Spaventapasseri followed by feature Hungry Heart in late '80s. Active currently with both drama and documentary projects.

Dominic Allen - Artist and filmmaker keen on social issues, has made docos in the '00s on The Cat Empire and Fair Trade coffee.

Karin Altmann - Writer and director since the '80s, has made both dramas and docos, including the feature Raoul Wallenberg: Between the Lines (1986).

Stephen Amis - VCA grad from late '80s who has made several privately-financed features, including The Alive Tribe (1997).

Eleni Arbus - VCA graduate from late '90s, has made several shorts, including Mouth (1998), Nameday (2000) and Wild Thing (2004).

Ray Argall - Noted cinematographer who shifted to directing in late '80s. Features Return Home and Eight Ball in late '80s / early '90s.

Tony Ayres - Started with Super 8 in late '80s, before progressing towards his debut feature Walking on Water in 2002.

Genevieve Bailey - The maker of several docos and doco-flavoured fictions on DV since the late '90s. Features I Am Eleven in 2011 and Happy Sad Man in 2018.

Mischa Baka - Short filmmaker since early 2000s, has also made one feature, You Can Say Vagina (2018).

Mark Bakaitis - Clip and doco maker since '90s, has made the cyberpunk guerilla feature Narcosys in 2000. Active currently.

Steven Ball - English video artist who came to Australia 1988 and made many Super 8s and ran the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group for awhile. Went back to UK in late '90s.

Nathan Barillaro - Working with Sophia Townsend and Tom Swinburn (see entries below), has directed two low-budget features in the 2010s, Metaffliction (2013) and Free of Thought (2016).

David Barison and Daniel Ross - Makers of the acclaimed 3-hour video essay The Ister (2003). Debut work from filmmaker/academic team.

Nic Barker- Young filmmaker setting a cracking pace for productivity in the '10s. Many shorts made, and first feature Short Distance made in 2017.

Nick Barkla - Actor who has turned director, with several documentaries since the 2010s, including The Healing (2022).

Dianna Barrie - Super 8 filmmaker and key member of Artist Film Workshop since 2000s. Partner of Richard Tuohy (see entry below).

Sarah Barton - Documentary filmmaker mainly around disabled issues, has made a number of films in the last 20 years.

Llewellyn Michael Bates - Mainly scriptwriter with some brilliant short credits to his name since the mid-'10s (Fun Times, Nathan Loves Ricky Martin), is one to watch as a budding director.

Merilee Bennett - Made the celebrated short film A Song of Air in 1988. Has worked in other fields, as an artist, since.

Marcus Bergner - Experimental filmmaker, mainly on 16mm, since late '70s. Also member of sound performance group Arf Arf.

Leo Berkeley - Cinephile and truly indie filmmaker who started making narratives in late '70s, culminating in Cannes-selected feature Holidays on the River Yarra in 1991. Several features and shorts since.

Catherine Birmingham - Film editor who became a director in the '90s, with short Drive (1992) and several other projects.

Angie Black - Angie Black has been making films since graduating from the Swinburne Film School in the early 90s. She has made award winning short films including Bowl Me Over (2000), Birthday Girl (2008) and Disnature (2012). She has also made the feature film The FIVE Provocations (2018).

David Black - Has made numerous horror and comedy shorts in the '10s.

Heinz Boeck - Came from Perth in late '80s to be a distinctive modernist experimental figure on the Super 8 scene of '90s..

Iain Bonner  - Filmmaker since mid '00s, has made a number of short films, including on 16mm. VCA graduate in '10s.

Pia Borg - Experimental filmmaker / digital artist since '00s.

Ray Boseley - Swinburne graduate, director of cult film Smoke 'Em If You've Got 'Em (1987). Has directed film and TV shows since then.

Rodney Bourke - Film enthusiast/collector, member of Australian Widescreen Association, and filmmaker mainly on Super 8 since early '90s. Now in Albury.

Ivor Bowen - Actor and artist, has been making experimental films (on digital) for a number of years. Now based in Daylesford.

Mikael Brain - Originally from Melbourne Super 8 scene in mid '90s, has now made several short films in recent times. After being based in Berlin for some years, is now (2021) back in Melbourne.

Gil Brealey - Director and producer from the '60s, directed the feature Annie's Coming Out (1984). Now inactive.

Ivana Brehas - VCA graduate, video-essay maker since mid 2010s, and also film critic.

Jim Bridges - Cinephile and Super 8 enthusiast from early '70s whose film-making was given a lease of life at Melbourne Super 8 Film Group in early '90s.

Douglas Brook - VCA graduate in early '90s, with the award-winning film Seething Night. Has directed several films since.

Sue Brooks - Essay / doco maker from early '80s, and feature filmmaker - Road to Nhill (1997) and Cannes 2003 selection Japanese Story.

Philip Brophy - Multifaceted talent, both intellectual and practical. Part of early Super 8 scene late '70s, before moving to 16mm in '80s. One feature, Body Melt, early '90s.

Amanda Brotchie - VCA graduate from mid-'90s, has made a number of short films, including Break and Enter (1999).

Barry Brown - Part of Melbourne Super 8 Film Group in '90s, making distinctive experimental shorts, sometimes in collaboration with Irene Proebsting.

Ron Brown - Maker (with wife Ruth) of several low-budget features in the '00s, including the drama Let Me Not in 2005.

Anna Brownfield - Interesting filmmaker of docos and dramas exploring sexual themes, including the porn comedy feature The Money Shot (2002). Two features since, The Band (2006) and The Bedroom (2016).

Michael Buckley - Experimental filmmaker from the late '70s who has branched out into docos, animation and multimedia in recent times. Also a member of sound group Arf Arf.

Nigel Buesst - Great advocate of independent film-making through the years, and director of St.Kilda Film Festival for 5 years. Has been active as an indie director for the last 50 years.

Liz Burke - All-round administrator, critic, and producer, she has also directed her own work over the years, eg. The Needy and the Greedy (1995).

Tim Burns - Lived in NY for many years, associated with the underground film scene there. Made feature Against the Grain (1981) in Melbourne and some other films too. Lives mainly in Perth.

Tim Burstall - Made independent 16mm films in the '60s before being at the forefront of the resurgence of the feature industry in the late '60s / early '70s.

Warren Burt  - Known primarily as a music composer, Warren made numerous Super 8 and video works in the late '70s / early '80s. Also co-founder Clifton Hill Community Music Centre in 1976.

Nicolina Caia - VCA graduate who made several memorable dramas in the early '90s, including For a Better Life (1990) and Bread (1991).

Remo Camerota  - Productive filmmaker since early '90s, with broad talents: animation, FX, documentary, music clips, digital art.

Tahir Cambis - Politicised documentary filmmaker, co-director of features Exile in Sarajevo (1997, with Alma Sahbaz) and Anthem (2004, with Helen Newman).

Frank Candiloro - Filmmaker who made some interesting horror and animation short films in the '00s, also studied at VCA.

Arthur and Corinne Cantrill - Prolific experimental filmmakers since the early '60s, and editors of the extraordinary magazine Cantrills Filmnotes, devoted to independent cinema.

Rolando Caputo - One of the early wave of Super 8 filmmakers in the late '70s, is now primarily a La Trobe Uni academic.

Peter Carmody - As seen in Nigel Buesst's Carlton + Godard = Cinema, the director of Nothing Like Experience in the '60s.

Andrew Carter - Young filmmaker of horror genre short films on DV in the '00s, including The Tub and Blackout. Also an actor.

David Chesworth - Noted musician / composer, made numerous experimental Super 8 and video and 16mm shorts from late '70s to late '80s.

Hanna Chetwin  - Experimental filmmaker working on 16mm since early '10s. Member of Artist Film Workshop.

Robert Chuter - Noted theatre director who was a Swinburne film student in '80s. Has made several shorts and has been working on features in the '00s and '10s.

James Clayden - Since early '70s, an eclectic, individualistic filmmaker working in a variety of genres and gauges. Has made features along with shorts.

Matthew Clayfield  - As a young man, in the early '00s, made 10 or so great short films, before abandoning cinema for a journalistic career.

Fiona Cochrane - Active on the indie scene as both producer and director since the mid '80s. Has directed a number of short and feature films and documentaries, and is still active.

Chris Cochrane-Friedrich - Young, up and coming filmmaker in the late '10s, one of the "Dogmilk" crew.

Julian Vincent Costanzo  - Perth filmmaker now based in Melbourne, has made a few things here and there, in the '00s and '10s.

Amiel Courtin-Wilson - Bold experimental/narrative/documentary filmmaker, since mid '90s. Has now made several features.

Tom Cowan - Cinematographer (Pure Shit to IMAX) and '70s renaissance director of several features. Orange Love Story DV feature in 2004.

David Cox - Super 8 filmmaker from the '80s who branched out into 16 and 35mm and multimedia and games in the '90s. Based in San Francisco since 2005.

Paul Cox - Photographer cum experimental narrative filmmaker from late '60s who developed into Australia's one bona-fide arthouse director of the past 40 years. Now deceased.

Marie Craven - Super 8 filmmaker from the '80s into diary/experimental cinema who branched out into narrative and 16 and 35mm in the '90s. Now in Queensland, prolifically making digital shorts.

Emma Crimmings - VCA graduate, IF Magazine associate editor, and director of SBS doco Man Made: The Story of Two Men and a Baby (2003).

Emma-Kate Croghan - Director of commercial breakthrough self-funded comedy feature Love and other Catastrophes in late '90s.

John Cumming - Major figure of Melbourne indie film-making since late '70s. Advocate of no-budget cinema, and maker of essay / narrative films himself.

Perri Cummings NEW - Actor who currently works with Paul Anthony Nelson (see below) to make short and feature length genre works under the name Cinema Viscera.

Julian Dahl - Poet who turned to film-making in early '90s as part of Melbourne Super 8 Film Group. Has lived in the USA and is still active as a film experimentalist.

Brian Davies - Key member of MUFS (Melbourne Uni Film Society) in the '60s, he made Pudding Thieves and Brake Fluid in late '60s before sadly abandoning cinema.

Darron Davies - Made a string of Super 8 films in the late '80s, and the occasional piece since then, on DV.

Sian Davies - Short filmmaker since early '00s, including the experimental narrative The Dance (2006).

Mark Davis - Documentary filmmaker since '80s (Whitlam, 1987), went to Sydney to become SBS-TV Dateline presenter in the '00s.

Dirk de Bruyn - Consistent experimental filmmaker since the early '70s, and has branched out into multimedia recently. Great record as curator and promoter of indie cinema.

Greg Dee  - Maker of the legendary George & Needles in the early '70s, he also made some other films in the years hence.

Bert Deling - Active member of MUFS in '60s, and director of the mid-'70s classic Pure Shit and a couple of other features. Inactive since around the early '80s. Now deceased (2023).

Daryl Dellora - Committed political filmmaker since the early '80s, specialising in docos with dramatic elements incorporated, including the feature Against the Innocent (1988).

Darius Devas  - Filmmaker since mid '00s, specialising in street-level and travel docos, first feature was Further We Search.

Koraly Dimitriadis - Poet and novelist who recently, in the '10s, has created a number of short films from her poems.

Samantha Dinning - Co-director (along with Hylton Shaw) of the feature documentary No Time for Quiet (2019).

Ian Dixon  - VCA graduate 1998, TV director for SBS and Grundys. Shorts made, and first feature Crushed, completed in 2008.

Nick Donkin - Well-known animator who started making Super 8 films in the mid '80s, before moving to Sydney to attend AFTRS. Now back in Melbourne.

Tatiana Doroshenko - Has made a number of short films, across several forms (narrative, doco, interactive), since 2000.

Sotiris Dounoukos - Has made shorts in New York, Paris, and Sydney since mid-'90s, and is now based in Melbourne, a VCA graduate in 2003. Made first feature in 2016.

John Duigan - Striking actor in '60s films before becoming a director in the early '70s feature renaissance. Has also worked in Hollywood.

Andrew Dunstan  - Maker of several eclectic shorts on DV since the mid '00s, including satire Dallas: Urban Poet (2008).

Brett Eagleton - Made the low-budget DV feature Sex and Sensitivity, screened at Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2005.

Spiro Economopoulos - VCA graduate from early '90s, the director of 1001 Suburban Nights (1992) and co-director, with Christos Tsiolkas, of Thug (1998).

Adam Elliot - VCA graduate mid '90s, specialising in claymation, with a series of films, culminating in '04 Oscar-winner Harvie Krumpet.

Peter Elliot - As seen in Nigel Buesst's Carlton + Godard = Cinema, the director of The Girlfriends in the '60s.

Marsha Emerman  - Writer/director whose films include Children of the Crocodile (2001) and the feature documentary On the Banks of the Tigris: the hidden story of Iraqi music. (2015).

Caitlin Farrugia / Michael Jones - Indie filmmakers with 4 features to their name in the '10s.

Giles Fielke - Experimental filmmaker since 2010s, and member of Artist Film Workshop.

Wain Fimeri - Independent filmmaker since about late '80s, has directed productions for TV also.

Victoria Fisher - She made a self-financed feature The Beggars' Opera Cafe (aka Chasing Parked Cars) in late '90s, but is seemingly inactive since.

Paul Fletcher - Major figure of initial Super 8 wave of late '70s / early '80s, specialising in animated doll films. Has continued to work since then.

Daniell and Nickolas Flood - Makers of anarchic Super 8 and video shorts in '80s, with Claire Paradine. Nickolas deceased 1987.

Maggie Fooke  - Animation and doco maker since late '70s, her 1987 animation Pleasure Domes was selected for Cannes.

Anthony Frajman  - Critic and programmer since the late '10s, who has also made some shorts in this time.

Dean Francis - Indie filmmaker who started making films in the late '90s. Interested in vivid narratives and has made several features in the '00s and '10s

Richard Frankland - Multi-talented (musician, playwright) Aboriginal filmmaker who made a number of shorts in the '90s and '00s, including half-hour drama Harry's War (1999).

Richard Franklin - Cinephile who became a director in the '70s feature renaissance. Also worked in America. Now deceased.

Virginia Fraser - Super 8 filmmaker and photographer in Melbourne in the 1980s and '90s, and was active until her death (2021) as an artist, writer, researcher, curator.

Mark Freeman - Active practitioner in the Super 8 scene in the late '80s, he made a number of colourful, inventive shorts. Seemingly inactive in recent years.

Zbigniew (Peter) Friedrich - Experienced editor and cinematographer for film and TV, he directed the low-budget feature Apostasy in 1979.

Winston Furlong - Has made several shorts in mid-'00s, followed by the low-budget feature Taj.

Ivan Gaal  - Independent filmmaker since early '70s, has specialised in thought-provoking docos and educational films. Still active.

Lee Galea - Indie filmmaker now with 4 features to his name, made in the 2010s.

Kieran Galvin  - A latecomer to film, made a number of short dramas on 16mm in the '00s, culminating in his debut feature Puppy in 2005.

Flora Georgiou - Occasional indie filmmaker from '80s and '90s, made several DV shorts in the '00s.

Anthony I. Ginane - Cinephile turned Hollywood producer, who directed the Nouvelle Vague influenced Sympathy in Summer in 1970.

Jordan Giusti  - Young emerging filmmaker, has made a number of shorts in the '10s.

Darcy Gladwin - Eclectic filmmaker interested in different forms and themes, has now made debut feature Godplex (in post-production, 2019).

Stephen Goddard - Swinburne graduate of 1980, a film teacher at Victoria College and Deakin since mid '80s, and creator of his own essay style films and videos.

Christopher Gogos - A newpaper publisher (Neos Kosmos), he has made some short films, and is co-director of Alien Big Cats with Alkinos Tsilimidos.

Adrian Goodman - VCA graduate in 2009, has made a number of short films since then, plus one feature Wakey Wakey (2012).

George Goularas - Experimentalist who began making Super 8 films in late '80s. In the '90s and '00s he branched out into 16mm and video, and narrative and documentary. Seemingly inactive today.

Damien Grant - Active in the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group in the late '80s / early '90s, with a number of lively shorts.

Maj Green / Ewan Cameron - Creators of wild comic narrative romps, mainly on Super 8, mainly in the '80s and '90s.

Jarrah Gurrie - The maker of several docos and doco-flavoured fictions on DV since the late '90s. Now in New York.

Ben Hackworth  - VCA graduate, maker of short films since early '00s, and low-budget feature Corroborre in 2007.

Ian Haig - Super 8 experimentalist from early '80s who quickly developed into a video and multimedia artist, still very much active today.

Jo Hampton - Super 8 filmmaker and performance artist (combining the two) in mid '80s, seemingly inactive since early '90s.

Wayne Hasselman - Film student who made a splash with his short A Girl and a Gun in 2005, seemingly inactive since.

Paddy Hay - Short filmmaker since 2010s, one of the "Dogmilk" crew.

Lucas Haynes - Experimental filmmaker since 2010s, with a growing body of work.

Hector Hazard - Lively English figure on the Super 8 scene in early-to-mid '90s, making inventive docos. Now back in England.

Addison Heath - Indie director who has made several genre features in the '10s.

Jeff Herbert - The maker of several highly imaginative DV shorts in the '00s, including Scene Six (2003) and Mango Juice (2005).

Trudy Hellier - Writer of Amanda Brotchie's Break and Enter, Trudy directed one short film herself - Trapped (2000), screened at St.Kilda Film Festival.

Christina Heristanidis - Has directed a number of shorts and docos, including half-hour Dear Bert (2000) for SBS' "Hybrid Life" series.

David Heslin - Senses of Cinema and Metro editor who has also made a number of shorts in the '10s.

John Hewison - Young, emerging director in the late '10s, one of the "Dogmilk" crew.

Jon Hewitt - Advocate of no-budget cinema, shot the commercially-released feature Redball in the late '90s with a cheap mini-DV camera and has made more features since then.

Brodie Higgs - VCA graduate in 2003, maker of several shorts, and one controversial feature doco High or Dry (MIFF, 2005).

Catherine Hill NEW - Made the independent social-realist feature Some Happy Day in 2022.

Nathan Hill  - Horror-genre filmmaker since the early '90s, numerous films made, including around 10 features.

John Hillcoat - Music clip director, and director of the features Ghosts of the Civil Dead (1988) and To Have and to Hold (1996).

Solrun Hoaas - filmmaker since late '70s, at first of experimental films, and docos, several Japan- or later Korea-related docos, and one feature film Aya (1990). Now deceased.

Colin Hodson - New Zealander who made several features there in 2000s, and is now making films in Melbourne, since mid 2010s.

Warwick Holt - Writer and director of a number of short docos since late '90s, including the hour-long The PhanDom Menace, on Star Wars fans.

Robert Hoskin - Deaf filmmaker who has been making 16mm and 35mm shorts since early '80s. Has lived mainly in Japan since late '80s.

James Howard - Noted thespian, has delved into the world of filmmaking in the '00s and '10s with several whacky and inspired DV shorts.

Zev Howley - Has made several documentaries on DV since early 2000s, and various short dramas.

Frank Howson - Multi-talented figure, director, writer, producer, of features in the '90s. Spent time in the US in recent years, now back in Melbourne.

Marie Hoy - Muso, actor, and experimental film director of a number of works in the '80s. Associated with Marcus Bergner and Michael Buckley.

John Hughes - Maker of politically-aware documentaries such as Traps in the '80s, followed by one narrative feature, What I Have Written (1996). Very much active today.

Nicholas Ingerson - VCA graduate in 2019, is a budding director. One to watch.

Glendyn Ivin - VCA graduate late '90s, has gone towards mainstream filmmaking in the 2010s.

Siobhan Jackson - Short filmmaker since early 2000s, has also made one feature, You Can Say Vagina (2018).

Clayton Jacobson - Maker of lively shorts since late '90s, and then the commercially successful feature mocko Kenny, released in 2006.

Luke Jacobson - Made the indie low-budget feature Sugar Cube in 2018.

Paul Jeffery - Has made only two films, starting this millennium, but they are both features - self-financed DV ones, both playing at MUFF.

Lawrence Johnston - VCA graduate late '80s, with 50-minute short Night Out. Since then, doco Eternity and feature Life.

Brian Jones - Member of Melbourne Film-makers' Co-op in '70s, before producing and directing feature Coming of Age in the '80s.

David Jones - Has to be listed as the director of the classic Godardian Yackety Yak in the early '70s, he was an American who then went back to America.

Moira Joseph - Photographer who discovered Super 8 in the early '90s and made many short films in that medium, favouring experimental forms. Now inactive.

Melissa Juhanson - VCA graduate late '80s, documentary filmmaker in the '90s, now lives in Adelaide.

sue.k.  - Artist and experimental filmmaker, from Perth, who established cogcollective in London with Steven Ball. Now lives in Melbourne.

Phillip Kanlidis - Super 8 filmmaker of the '80s and '90s, including the celebrated Dog Film (1989). Beyond Liptrap (1993) programmed at Melb. Cteq.

Anna Kannava - Highly personal doco and drama director since the '80s. Dreams For Life, an AFC-funded feature, completed in 2004. Deceased in 2011.

Anna Kaplan - VCA graduate (2002) who arrived here from London in 2001. Made four short docos in the '00s. Is also a producer and writer.

Michael Karris - Greek filmmaker who started his career in Melbourne in late '70s, before moving to Sydney in 1980. Crossover narrative / documentary / experimental filmmaker.

Brian Kavanagh  - Noted editor in the Australian renaissance in the '70s, he also directed some films as an indie in the '60s, '70s and '80s.

Tom Kazas - Noted musician (and with the band The Moffs in the '80s), he has now made a number of experimental and essay films since the early '00s.

Amanda Kerley - Filmmaker since mid '90s, has made several shorts, on film and video, including the inventive fiction Pity 24 (2003).

Haydn Keenan - Director of the cult features Going Down and Pandemonium in the '80s. Has projects in development currently.

Michael Kelleher - Narrative Super 8 filmmaker from late '80s / early '90s, he also made a couple of self-funded 16mm shorts in the '90s. Now deceased.

Jo Kennedy - Noted actress from '80s who became a director in late '90s. Made The Forest, a 50-minute AFC drama, in 2003.

Ian Kerr - Noted figure of the Super 8 scene of the '80s, he started making his animations in the mid '70s. Seemingly inactive since around early '90s.

David King - Member of the Melbourne Filmmakers Co-op as a young man, he has made several DV shorts in recent times, and the feature PURGE (2009).

Stella Kinsella - Stand Up / Cabaret performer who has written and produced two short films in '00s, including Corridor (2003), which she also directed.

Chris Knowles - Experimental / collage filmmaker since late '70s, working in a variety of gauges. Also a sound artist.

Ana Kokkinos - VCA graduate from the early '90s. Made 50-minute Only the Brave before her first feature Head On (1998), followed by more features.

Daniel Kotsanis - Latter-day anarcho / expanded cinema maestro, very active in Super 8 scene of '90s. Seemingly now inactive.

Perry Laird - Dabbled a bit in late '70s in Canberra, before kicking in with a heap of wild narratives on Super 8 from the late '80s onwards in Melbourne.

Audrey Lam - From Hong Kong, and then Brisbane, now a Melbourne filmmaker, various shorts since late 2000s, and member of Artist Film Workshop.

Peter Lamb - Has worked mainly as a TV editor/director of commercials, since early 1960s, in Australia and Singapore, he made several indie shorts in the '70s, such as Tullamarine and Fool's Gold.

Peter Lane - Prolific filmmaker in Super 8 scene of '90s. Home movie / impressionist films, with inventive materialist touches (drawing on the film, etc.)

Mark La Rosa - Eclectic filmmaker who began with Super 8 in late '80s, before making several self-funded 16mm narrative shorts in the '90s. Since the 2010s has made two features.

John Laurie - Indie filmmaker starting in the '60s, culminating in the striking low-budget 16mm feature Stroker in the late '80s.

Clara Law - Internationally-recognised art film director from Hong Kong, has been based in Melbourne from around mid '90s.

Anthony Lawrence  - Started with Super 8 in the early '80s, he developed into a committed animator, his "Plasmo" a key creation.

Sonia Leber - New media and sound artist who made several narrative/essay films in the past, including History Takes Place (1987, 16mm).

Michael Lee - From the late '60s, a filmmaker dedicated to 16mm and also his unique spiritual brand of collage cinema. Best known for The Mystical Rose (1976).

Peter Leiss NEW - Mainly documentary filmmaker who has been active since the '70s, in both America and Australia.

Christos Linou - Dancer who from the mid '90s has made numerous Super 8 and digital films, combining performative elements with experimental techniques.

Mark Lipkin - Maker of the Tarkovsky-influenced feature Frozen Butterflies (2008), and a couple more features since.

Alena Lodkina - Russian migrant filmmaker, several shorts in 2010s, and feature Strange Colours in 2018.

Carl Looper - Super 8 filmmaker from Canberra from the 1980s, now filmmaker and technical guru with the Artist Film Workshop in the 2010s.

Frank Lovece - Like Bergner and Buckley, a member of Arf Arf, and a filmmaker in his own right, mainly around '80s / early '90s. Now deceased.

Richard Lowenstein - Admirable figure who refused to be drawn to Hollywood after success of Dogs in Space (mid '80s). Has made more distinctly individual features since then.

Chris Luscri - From Adelaide, lives mainly in Melbourne. Has made some shorts since early 2010s, and is editing a couple of documentary projects currently.

Shane Lyons - Experimental filmmaker who made several materialist/narrative films on Super 8 in the late '90s.

Ivan Malekin - Organiser of short film events in Melbourne in the '00s and '10s, and maker of his own films, including several features. Lives in Malta now.

Giorgio Mangiamele - Unusual case of Italian migrant trying to forge a career for himself in Melbourne in the '50s and '60s. Feature Clay selected for Cannes in 1965. Now deceased.

Ralph Lawrence Marsden  - Obscure figure, made the low-budget The Sabbat of the Black Cat in 1973, and then some other films after that.

Adrian Martin - Noted film critic, was part of the late '70s / early '80s Organ Factory Super 8 scene, making several Super-8 shorts during that time.

Madeleine Martiniello  - Mainly documentary filmmaker since mid '10s, and a founding member of Artist Film Workshop.

Sabina Maselli - Experimental filmmaker / installation artist since '00s.

Katrina Mathers - Multi-skilled filmmaker (actor, writer, director, producer) who has made a number of shorts (and one feature) on film and video since mid '90s.

Gianna Mazzeo - Vibrant young filmmaker, a number of shorts since mid 2000s.

Konrad McCarthy  - Has made several shorts on DV since the mid '00s, including The Morning After (2007).

Stuart McDonald - VCA graduate mid '80s, made a number of shorts, including My Second Car (1997), now working in TV.

Erin McCuskey - Unique filmmaker of short films since late '90s, with a half-doco, half-found-footage style.

Tom McEvoy - In the '00s, he was a young, energetic filmmaker from the suburbs, detailing the lives of teenagers in his ambitious DV features. Now seemingly inactive.

Brian McKenzie - Committed doco maker since the late '70s, with a highly observational and realistic style. Two dramatic features in early '90s also.

Bree McKilligan - Presenter currently of the 3CR film show, she has made a number of short films since the mid '90s.

Janet McLeod - Director of several 1-hour documentaries since late '90s, including The Rough Shed (1997) and The Money Fish (2000).

Donna McRae - Indie director since early '00s, has two low-budget features to her name, Johnny Ghost (2012) and Lost Gully Road (2017).

Grant Meredith - Ballarat-based filmmaker with a repertory company, making fun / schlocky genre exercises on video since late '90s.

Andrew Merlino - Indie filmmaker since late '00s with one narrative feature under his belt, and numerous short films. Now inactive and in New Zealand.

Helen Mihajlovic - Super 8 and video filmmaker since the mid '90s, completed short DV feature Meaning in early '04.

Kim Miles - Actor turned filmmaker, has made a series of experimental, surreal narratives on DV in the '00s and '10s.

David Minter - As seen in Nigel Buesst's Carlton + Godard = Cinema, the director of Hey Al Baby in the '60s.

Matt Mirams - Young filmmaker who has made several short films since 2007.

Paul Moder - Swinburne graduate late '80s, a noted actor, and director of films himself, including feature A Bullet in the Arse (2003).

John Morrison - Started making films only in the mid-'00s, but has already made a number of DV shorts, mainly docos of interesting people.

Bill Mousoulis - Prolific filmmaker who started making Super 8 films in early '80s. Has made a number of low-budget features since mid-'90s.

Vicky Mousoulis - Photographer who has made several experimental films, and two shorts co-directed film with husband Bill Mousoulis.

Colin Mowbray - VCA graduate in mid-'90s with Happy Little Vegemites, has made several more short films since.

Sandra Munro - Major figure of Super 8 scene late '80s, with many personal doco / impressionist films. Inactive in recent times.

Scott Murray - Founder and editor of Cinema Papers, made the feature The Devil in the Flesh in mid '80s. Also a documentary filmmaker.

Virginia Murray - Swinburne graduate mid '80s, made the acclaimed The Lead Dress (1987) and other shorts. Also a film teacher.

Nicholas Nedelkopoulos - Artist who has also turned his hand to films since the early '70s - on Super 8, but more recently on DV. Very prolific, to this day.

Paul Anthony Nelson - Indie short and feature filmmaker in the '10s, two features completed, Trench (2018) and Apparitions (2020). Works with Perri Cummings (see above).

Shaun Newcombe - Filmmaker since early '00s, his debut feature, the low-budget Beautiful, played at MIFF in 2007.

Noora Niasari - Iranian-born VCA post-graduate, making short films since 2010 or so. Debut feature Shayda released in 2023.

Michael Nicholson - Filmmaker from mid '70s, mainly of documentary short films, but also features and TV work. Is active to this day, and has specialised in films on rowing.

Matt Norman - Actor turned writer/director/producer, and outspoken on the Australian film industry, has made several shorts and features in the '00s and '10s.

Bernard O'Connor - Made a couple of short films in the late '90s, including the 16mm The Conversion (1997). Also an actor.

Andrew O'Keefe - VCA graduate 2001, has made several shorts, and co-directed the feature The Independent (2008).

Gary (now Kerry) O'Keefe - Major figure of Super 8 scene of '90s, the maker of many diary / documentary / essay films.

Biddy O'Loughlin - VCA graduate who has made a number of shorts in the '10s.

Greg Olsen - On-off filmmaker since the early '90s, has made Super 8 and 16mm short narrative films.

Bernie O'Regan - London filmmaker in '60s, he came to Melbourne in 1974 and made several shorts here in late '70s.

Adrian Ortega - Footscray City Films graduate 2011, some documentaries made and a recent low-budget feature Cerulean Blue (2019).

Nick Ostrovskis - Prolific experimental / animation filmmaker working on Super 8 and 16mm since the early '80s. Inactive since mid '00s.

Chris Pahlow - Has made shorts since late '00s, and low-budget feature Play it Safe in 2015.

Gregory Pakis - Narrative filmmaker who began in late '80s with Super 8 and video. Debut feature - the self-funded Super 16 / DV award-winning The Garth Method (2004).

Claire Paradine - Teamed with Daniell and Nickolas Flood to make anarchic shorts in '80s, she is also an actress and VCA graduate.

Don Parham - Committed doco filmmaker on social issues and personal issues, since late '80s.

Matthew Victor Pastor - Prolific indie filmmaker, now having made over 10 features since early 2010s.

Garry Patterson - Indie director in the '70s, making shorts and the feature How Willingly You Sing (1975), before abandoning film.

Norma Pearse - Experimental Super 8 filmmaker, with several works in the early '90s. Partner of artist/filmmaker pete spence.

Ooni Peh - Super 8 filmmaker, of several impressionistic works in the early '90s. Partner of filmmaker Steven Ball.

Fraser Pemberton - VCA graduate, short filmmaker since 2010s, one of the "Dogmilk" crew.

Jennifer Pignataro - Member of Super 8 Group in early '90s, making a number of short, colourful Super 8 shorts.

Mark Poole - Doco and drama writer since late '80s, has directed short films Basically Speaking and The Truth Will Out in '90s.

Ian Poppins - Hobbyist filmmaker since the '60s, was a constant member of the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group in the '80s and '90s.

Darcy Prendergast - Animator, maker of several shorts in the '00s, also interested in multimedia.

Ian Pringle - Distinctive art cinema filmmaker, with the features The Plains of Heaven and Wrong World in early-mid '80s, and the international co-production Isabelle Eberhardt in early '90s. Still active today.

Andrew Preston - Part of the early '80s Organ Factory scene, made several colourful Super 8 shorts in the '80s, and some videos later on too.

Irene Proebsting - Part of Melbourne Super 8 Film Group in '90s, making distinctive experimental shorts, sometimes in collaboration with Barry Brown.

Jutta Pryor - Multimedia artist who has specialised in "video poetry" works, since 2010.

Jason Raftopoulos - Indie director in the '10s, debut feature West of Sunshine in 2017.

Rick Randall - Super 8 filmmaker from the '80s still active currently, especially with community video projects.

Jonty Reason - UK actor-turned-director, has made several shorts in Melbourne, and the feature City of the Damned.

Matthew Rees - Creator of the classic Super 8 doll film Gerry Gee Junior in early '80s, has continued making various shorts (on Super 8 and digital) to this day.

Walter Repich - Super 8 filmmaker from the early '80s, active to this day, as both director and director of photography.

Matt Richards - Perth filmmaker who shifted to Melbourne in the '00s, has made a number of short films.

Vikki Riley - Multi-talented person on the Melbourne scene: muso, critic, and maker of a number of Super 8 shorts in the '80s. Now deceased.

Christine Rogers - Studied in New Zealand in late '80s, then settled in Melbourne from early '90s, has made a number of shorts and her first feature.

Matthew Rooke - Made several interesting Super 8 films in the late '80s / early '90s, screened at the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group. Digital filmmaker since then, and active today.

Trevor Rooney - Artist/filmmaker who made his first shorts in the late '90s. Completed Super 8 feature High Noon Tide in 2005.

Gareth Ross - Latter-day Super 8 enthusiast, has made several intriguing films (finished digitally) in the '00s.

John Ruane - Started with the classic realist drama Queensland in the '70s, before kicking in his feature film career in the '90s.

Rad Rudd - Key member of the Moving Image Coalition and maker of several experimental / narrative shorts in the late '90s/early '00s.

Scott Ryan - Unveiled the low-budget DV feature The Magician in 2003, scooping the major awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival.

Angelo Salamanca - VCA graduate from the early '90s who is currently forging a career for himself. First feature Hostage to Fate (2000-3) and a couple more recently.

Mark Savage - Prolific Super 8 filmmaker from the early '80s who has made 16mm and digital features since that time, including Sensitive New Age Killer in 2000. Works mainly in the USA these days.

Saidin Salkic - Bosnian refugee, director of over a dozen medium and feature-length personal/experimental films since the late '00s.

Sabrina Schmid - Maker of a number of idiosyncratic animations since early '80s, she is now based in Europe.

Monique Schwarz - Doco / essay director specialising in Jewish issues since the '80s. Has also made the one narrative feature in Pieta (1988).

Hylton Shaw - Co-director (along with Samantha Dinning) of the feature documentary No Time for Quiet (2019).

Eron Sheean - Animation/narrative filmmaker since early '00s, works between Australia and Germany. One feature Errors of the Human Body in 2012.

Ken Shepherd - Primarily a painter and living in Paris, made a number of experimental 16mm films in the '60s and '70s in Melbourne.

Adrian Sherlock  - Director into sci-fi, filmmaker since early '90s, culminating in TV series Damon Dark.

Laki Sideris - Imaginative director of essay / drama / mocko / experimental films in Super 8 scene of late '80s / early '90s.

Karl Siemon - Cinematographer (for Shannon Young, Matt Norman, etc.) and director of several short films since late '90s.

Stuart Simpson - Horror filmmaker since the '00s, of the Troma/Accent released DemonsIAmongIUs, and other films.

Ettore Siracusa - Italian director who started as an assistant to Mangiamele before making his own (essay-like) films from the late '60s. An infrequent director, but committed and active.

Michael Siu - Super 8 filmmaker from the '80s, graduated from RMIT (formerly PIT) in 1991, and has continued making short films (and corporate videos) up to the present day.

Dennis K. Smith - Swinburne graduate and documentary filmmaker since the '90s, including Rainbow Bird & Monster Man (2001) and Troubled Minds - the Lithium Revolution (2004).

Lee Smith - Experimental filmmaker of Super 8 and 16mm works in '90s. Not to be confused with the film editor (Two Hands, etc.). Now deceased (2008).

Timothy Spanos - Started making stylised / vivid shorts in the mid '90s. Now with several low-buget features made too.

Lucien Spectre - Young filmmaker, from mid '00s, specialising in "transgressive cinema" type work, has made a couple of shorts.

Natalie Spence - Short filmmaker in '10s, with debut low-budget feature Sunray made in 2019.

pete spence - Took the Melbourne Super 8 Group by storm in the early '90s, with his distinctive visual poem films. Also a word poet.

Megan Spencer - Film critic and doco filmmaker since around early '90s. Films include the football spectacular Heathens.

Ben Speth - American director based in Melbourne since 2000. Active and distinctive DV filmmaker, feature Forever (2004) a doco-drama hybrid.

Rohan Spong  - Academic and filmmaker, has made short noir feature When Darkness Falls (2006) and other films.

Jim Stamatakos - Narrrative cum experimental director from the early '90s, working in a variety of gauges. Founder/director of Electric Shorts program, Fringe Festival 2002.

Antoinette Starkiewicz - Made a huge splash in the 1970s with some stunning short animations, and continued doing animation work (including digitally) in the subsequent years. Died in 2023.

Greg Stehle - Maker of a number of shorts, on film and video, since early '90s. Also photographer and new media artist.

Jayne Stevenson - Major figure of initial Super 8 wave of late '70s / early '80s. Tracked to 16mm and other forms since then.

Philip Stromei  - Another member of the Super 8 wave in Melbourne in the late '70s / early '80s, making low-budget murder/suspense films.

Simon Strong NEW - Since the early '00s, has made numerous music clips, experimental films, and documentaries.

Mairéid Sullivan and Ben Kettlewell - Musicians turned filmmakers, makers of the feature-length music-landscape fusion Time After Time (2005).

Tom Swinburn - VCA graduate, cinematographer, also director of his own low-budget films in the 2010s.

Colin Talbot - Mainly a writer, he adapted and directed his novel Sweethearts as a low-budget feature in 1990. Perhaps no other credits. Now deceased.

Peter Tammer - Started early '60s with some 16mm shorts, before making a number of docos and dramas through the '70s and '80s. Keeps his hand in today too.

Heng Tang - Malaysian-born filmmaker of short films in '00s recognised at Venice, Clermond-Ferrand and other festivals.

Dia Taylor - Young filmmaker with numerous shorts in 2010s, and one feature Marital Problems (2017).

Neil Taylor - Animation filmmaker of a number of works in the '80s, and teacher at Rusden College for many years. Also an artist/sculptor.

Steve Thomas - VCA lecturer who has made numerous documentaries since the early '90s, including Hope (MIFF, 2007).

Sophia Townsend - Low-budget filmmaker in the '10s, has made the feature Pretty Good Friends (2015).

Fiona Trigg - Director of the classic and lost Super 8 film Robin's Mouth from late '80s. Has made several 16mm short films since then.

Glenn Triggs - Genre filmmaker who has made many films since the late '90s, including 6 features.

Alkinos Tsilimidos - Director of the self-funded features Everynight ... Everynight (1994) and Silent Partner (2001). Has made several more features in the '00s and '10s.

Christos Tsiolkas - Primarily a writer, but also the co-director (with Spiro Economopoulos) of the essay-like film Thug (1998).

Richard Tuohy - Narrative filmmaker from Super 8 scene of early '90s. Upgraded to 16mm but then left the cinema for philosophy. Now active again as an experimental filmmaker, using film.

Dennis Tupicoff - Came to Melbourne in late '70s for the Swinburne course. Has made a dozen or so mainly animated films since then, on 16 and 35mm.

Jason Turley - Made several distinctive short dramas in the '00s, including the half-hour Dirty Work (2003). Debut feature Welcome Stranger completed in 2006. Now inactive as a filmmaker.

Philip Tyndall - Filmmaker known for documentaries about artists and their work. Noted for his late '80s feature Words And Silk - The Real and Imaginary Worlds of Gerald Murnane.

Guy Tyzack - VCA graduate in late '10s, he has made some interesting shorts so far, in the '10s.

Natalie Vella - Actress turned film director, has made several short films in the '00s. Lived in Paris for a number of years, is now back in Melbourne.

Aleksi Vellis - VCA graduate from early '80s who made the lively feature Nirvana Street Murder in 1990. Has followed up with a couple more features.

Andrew Vial - Mainly documentary filmmaker since late '60s, multi-award-winning director, now based in Sydney.

Tom Vogel - Organiser of short film events in Melbourne in the '00s and '10s, and maker of his own short films. Currently preparing first feature.

Campbell Walker - New Zealander who made several features there in 2000s, and is now making films in Melbourne, since mid 2010s.

Georgia-Wallace Crabbe - Indie producer since the '80s, she has also directed a number of her own films, both drama and documentary.

Andrew Walsh - Young filmmaker from South Australia now based in Melbourne, has made several short films in the '10s.

Chris Warner - Writer, producer and director, from early '80s onwards, of independent films, and TV productions.

Yianni Warnock   - Filmmaker active in the '00s, several shorts made, including the Wes Andersonish Cedric (2008).

Drew Waters - Filmmaker active in the Melbourne Super 8 scene in the '80s, shorts such as Deja Vu and A Relationship Study. Now in America.

Sarah Watts - Noted animator through the years, culminating in the narrative feature (incorporating animation) Look Both Ways (2005). Now deceased.

Jeremy Weinstein - Maker of the cheeky Looking for Harvey short in 2001, he has also completed a first feature, Wil, in 2006.

Chris Windmill - Major figure of the Super 8 movement of the '80s, has been making comic narrative films since the late '70s. Also works with 16mm and digital.

Greg Williams - Maker of crowd-pleasing short comedies in the '90s and '00s, the film The Little Woman screened at '04 St.Kilda Film Festival.

Jamie Wilson  - Actor and filmmaker, with a number of shorts and docos made in the '00s, including mocko Opposites Attract.

Richard Wolstencroft - As director of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, a controversial but productive figure. Has made a number of features with violent, sexual and exploitational themes, since the '80. Still very active.

Nicola Woolmington - Swinburne graduate of late '80s, has carved out a career mainly in socio-political documentaries.

Graeme Wood - DOP on indie productions, has also directed his own short films since the late '80s, notably the eerie mocko Teenage Babylon.

Maeve Woods - Hands-on artist/filmmaker of a number of impressionistic Super 8 works in the late '80s / early '90s, shown at Super 8 Group.

Tony Woods - Key member of the Moving Image Coalition and prolific Super 8 filmmaker, with over 100 films since early '90s. Now deceased (2017).

Mark Worth - Promoter and filmmaker of "Kino" verite docos on Super 8 and video (also for TV) from early '80s. Died young in early 2004.

Geoffrey Wright - VCA graduate mid '80s. Made the controversial feature Romper Stomper early '90s, before another feature Metal Skin. Now in Hollywood.

Shannon Young - Guerilla filmmaker specialising in genre cinema, with two features, Stygian (1999) and Razor Eaters (2003).

Mark Zenner  - All-round artist, maker of several shorts on 16mm and Super 8 in the '70s, to mid '90s. Now deceased (2008).

Janos Zoltan - Hungarian-Australian documentary filmmaker, has made some interesting docos in the 2010s, including one on Gerald Murnane.

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