Larissa Behrendt

Larissa is an award-winning filmmaker and author of fiction and non-fiction with a passion for telling the stories of Indigenous Australia. She won the AACTA for Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television in 2021 for Maralinga Tjarutja and the ADG Award for Best Direction in a Feature Documentary for After the Apology in 2018. She has a legal background, is an experienced researcher and is involved with several arts organisations and educational programs. She is currently Distinguished Professor and Laureate Fellow at the University of Technology, Sydney and the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio. Find out more about Larissa Behrendt’s award winning writing visit www.larissabehrendt.com.au.

Screen Credits

Director / Writer:

• One Mind, One Heart. (82 minutes). Pursekey Productions. Premier Adelaide Film Festival 27 October, 2024. Screening on NITV January 2025.
• The First Inventors. (4 x 60 minutes). NITV, Channel 10, 16 June 2023.
• You Can Go Now. (80 minutes). Goodthing, NITV, Adelaide Film Festival, 2022.
• Warriors on the Field (60 minutes) EQ Media, Amazon, 2021.
• Araatika – Rise Up! (83 minutes). EQ Media. Sydney Film Festival, 2021; NITV, 2022.
• Making an Icon. (23 minutes) EQ Media. AFL, 2021.
• Maralinga (60 minutes). Blackfella Films. ABC. ABC, 2020.
• After the Apology (80 minutes). Purskey Productions, Premier Adelaide Film Festival, 9 October 2017
• Rosemary Valadon – A Sensual World (30 minutes). With Pursekey Productions, ABC, 2017.
• Under Skin, In Blood. (13 minutes). Brown Cabs, Premier Sydney Film Festival, 10 June, 2015.
• Djon Mundine – In the Spirit of Bungaree (13 minutes). Brown Cabs;  NITV. 2015.
• Fred Maynard – Aboriginal Patriot. (30 minutes) Pursekey Productions. NITV. 2015.
• ACCC. TVC (2 x 2 minutes) CAAMA. 11 October 2014. Scams; Direct Debits.
• Innocence Betrayed. (54 minutes) Lavarch Productions, NITV, 6 August 2014.
• Who’s Afraid of Jason Wing? (13 minutes). Brown Cabs;  NITV. 22 December, 2014.
• Recognise. TVC (2 minutes) Lawrence Creative, July 2014. Tony Albert.
• The Syron’s Call. (14 minutes) AFTRS. 2014; NITV, 2015
• The Night Sky. (8 minutes) AFTRS. 2013
• Clan. (7 minutes) AFTRS. 2013

Writer:

• Top End Bub. Season 1. Episode 7. Goalpost Pictures, Amazon, 2024.
• Total Control. Season 2. Episode 3. Blackfella Films; ABC, 2021.
• The Heights. Episode 22 (28 Minutes) ABC; Matchbox. 2019.
• ArtsLaw. TVC. CAAMA., 2018.
• Who We Are 3: Brave New Clan. (54 minutes) CAAMA/Foxtel; directed by Leah Purcell. Biography Channel, 10 July 2014.

Producer:

• In My Blood It Runs. Director: Maya Newell. In production 2018. Nominated for AACTA for Best Documentary 2019.
• Protecting Manuwangku. (26 minutes). Directed by Jason de Santolo. NITV. July 2014.

Indigenous Consultant:

• Come Fly with Me. Wild Bear Entertainment. SBS. In production.
• Who do You Think You Are? Warner Brothers. 2018-2019.
• Changing Lives. ABC, Compass. September 15, 2018
• Unchartered with Sam Neil. Essential Media and Entertainment. Foxtel. August 27, 2018.
• There Goes Our Neighbourhood. Wild Bear Entertainment. ABC, 2017.
• Keeping Australia Safe. ITV. ABC, 2017
• Australia – the Story of Us. Essential Media and Entertainment. Channel 7. 2015.
• Gourmet Farmer Afloat. Season 4. Essential Media and Entertainment. SBS, 2015.

Books

• After Story. UQP: 2021 (fiction)
• Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling. UQP: 2016 (non-fiction)
• Indigenous Australia for Dummies. Wiley: 2012 (non-fiction)
• Australian Screen Classics: Rabbit Proof Fence. Currency Press: 2012 (non-fiction)
• Legacy. St Lucia: UQP. 2008 (fiction)
• Home. St Lucia: UQP. 2004. (fiction)
• Achieving Social Justice. Annandale: Federation Press, 2002. (non-fiction)

Awards

• Australian Human Rights Medal – 2022
• AACTA Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television (for Maralinga Tjarutja) – 2020
• Order of Australia (AO) for Indigenous education, the law, and the arts – 2020
• ADG Best Direction in a Feature Documentary (for After the Apology) – 2018
• AW Myer Indigenous Award – AFTRS – 2012
• NSW Australian of the Year – 2011
• NAIDOC Person of the Year – 2009
• Victorian Literary Award – Indigenous Writing – 2009
• Commonwealth Writers Prize – Best first novel Asia/Pacific – 2005
• Queensland Literary Award – David Uniapon Award – 2002

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Jurisprudence (UNSW) 1992
• Master of Laws (Harvard Law School) 1994
• Doctorate of Laws (Harvard Law School) 1998
• Graduate Diploma in Screenwriting (AFTRS) 2012
• Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors 2013
• Graduate Diploma in Documentary (AFTRS) 2013

Professional Achievements and Associations

• Fellow, Australian Social Sciences Academy
• Fellow, Australian Academy of Humanities
• Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Law
• Member, Australian Writers Guild
• Member, Australian Directors Guild
• Member and Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors