SELECT CREDITS
2022
Inside the Mind of a Cat
A feature-length documentary about the unique relationship between people and cats. The follows cat-characters and the people who love them in Tokyo, New York, Edinburgh and Istanbul. I directed the Istanbul segments. Netflix.
Return of the Rhinos
A rare conservation success story: this film follows the work of biologist Sarah Clegg and wildlife Scout Patrick Mangondo who have been instrumental in saving the both the black a white rhino species from extinction in Zimbabwe. ABC Televison
In The Womb: Animal Babies
A feature-length documentary special following four animals (a lion, an elephant, a meercat, and a cattle dog) through their pregnancies. The film combines high-end natural history, cutting edge in-utero footage and CGI. National Geographic Channel / Disney+
2021
Blood Cobalt
An investigative documentary examines the human cost of the cobalt boom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Electric vehicles may be leading the green energy transition but the cobalt in their batteries is exacting an enormous price in human lives. ABC Television
Trafficked: with Mariana Van Zeller – Liberia, Spain
In this episode Mariana investigates illegal and unregulated fishing. The film takes us aboard a Sea Shepherd ship in pursuit of illegal fishing vessels off the coast of West Africa to the ports of Galicia in Spain and onwards into the international marketplace. National Geographic Channel.
2020
Trafficked: with Mariana Van Zeller – Ukraine
This episode of the acclaimed series investigates the trafficking of far right-wing ideology. Based on the premise that ideas can travel transnationally faster than any physical contraband Mariana follows a trail of hate from fascist groups in the United States to the neo-Nazi movement in Ukraine. National Geographic Channel.
Dr Oakley:Yukon Vet
The 1 x 60’ series season finale following Dr Oakley as she rescues animals in the aftermath of the Australian bushfires. National Geographic Wild.
Madeline McCann Special
An in-depth look at the Madeleine McCann case in light of new evidence about her disappearance. 60 Minutes.
2019
Mapping Survival
A 30-minute film examining the extraordinary work of Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a Chadian nomad and environmental activist. The story follows Hindou from the UN General Assembly to her ancestral lands where conflict over dwindling resources threatens the region. Ripple Effect Images.
Light in the Forest
A 1 x 50’ documentary following Salumarada Thimmaka, a 105-year-old woman who ignited a tree-planting movement which has empowered millions of women in India. Ripple Effect Images.
Wild Adventures
A 6 x 30’ series taking young people with tech-heavy lives to some of the remote and most threatened environments on earth. Northern Pictures / Apple+
2018
Deadly Intelligence
This 8 x one-hour series examines the circumstances surrounding the deaths of scientists working on controversial bio-and-nuclear weapons programs. From the streets of Tehran to the halls of the CIA the series take viewers into the diabolical plots to assassinate the men who knew too much. Discovery Channel.
Gut Revolution
This 3 x one-hour series for explores the new science of gut bacteria and their links to our physical health and mental well-being. We follow three Australians as they embark on revolutionary new diets (including fecal transplants) to change their gut biome and their lives. ABC Television.
2017
Chasing Coral
(Sequel to Chasing Ice) Independent / Sundance Grant. Topside cinematographer
This film is the follow-up to director Jeff Orlowski’s Sundance–winning feature documentary Chasing Ice. The team spent three years using underwater time-lapse cameras to documenting coral reef bleaching around the world. I shot topside – above the water – interviews and verite sequences on the Great Barrier Reef. Netflix.
Lawless
This 4 x one-hour series for History Channel combines science, archaeology and history and blends documentary with drama to re-examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four of Australia’s most notorious bushrangers.
Local Justice
A 10 x half-hour fixed-rig series set at the Sydney Magistrate’s Court. With unprecedented access this series documented the lives of everyday Australians and their battles for justice big and small. Foxtel, Australia.
2012-2015
Belief
Co-created and co-series directed “Belief” a seven x one-hour series for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Shot in 28 countries this landmark series follows the stories of faith practitioners around the world. From the world’s largest religious gathering, the Kumbh Mela, to an ancient pilgrimage across Spain to the modern day spirituality of Burning Man, this series is as epic as it is intimate. Airing October 2015.
Acceptance
A 10-min documentary on the power of acceptance. In the West we are taught to overcome every obstacle life throws at us, to succeed at any cost. To let go, to surrender is seen as weakness, as a terrible defeat. But as the real-life stories in this film unfold the true power of going with flow is revealed. Produced for The Harbers Foundation and The Nantucket Project. To be released on Time.com in September 2015.
Ghana
A 10-min documentary following the story of Ma Georgina, a mother of five who was forced to give up her children for adoption. The film exposes the corruption and abuse endemic in Ghanian orphanages, and documents Ma Georgina’s reunification with her children. Produced for OAfrica and The Harbers Foundation.
Ripple Effect Images
5 x short documentaries shot in Rwanda and India examining education, water, health and other development issues with a special focus on women.
The Girls of Gashora
A ten-minute profile of one of the most innovative science and technology schools for women in Africa.
2011
Hard Time: The Ohio Reformatory for Women
A one-hour documentary for Part 2 Pictures and The National Geographic Channel’s Hard Time series. The film examines the challenges involved in running a women’s prison through intimate character portraits of inmates and corrections officers.
CNN Heroes
Profiles on Taryn Davis, a war widow who has formed a support network for the wives and girlfriends of American servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Sal Dimicelli a community worker who helps solve pressing economic problems for everyday people.
Ivory Wars
A one-hour film for National Geographic Television investigating the rise of elephant poaching in Gabon, West Africa. The poaching is in response to rising demand for ivory coming from the increasingly affluent Chinese middle-class.
Crossing the Lion
A one-hour film for Animal Planet following economic refugees as they attempt to cross Kruger National Park on foot in search of a better life in South Africa. In the last ten years it’s estimated over 4000 refugees have been killed by lions during the crossing.
3A.M. Girls: Our America with Lisa Ling
A one-hour film on child sex trafficking in Washington DC. Just half a mile from the White House girls as young as 11-years old are sold on the streets for sex.
Update Hour: Ep 8 of Our America with Lisa Ling
An update on each of the six episodes that comprised the first season of the show. The shoot involved filming with sex offenders in Florida, the anti-gay movement in Minneapolis, transgender people in San Francisco and online brides in Houston.
Movember for HDNet’s “Mavericks”
A half-hour profile of Adam Garone, founder of “Movember” an organization dedicated to changing the face of men’s health through innovative programs like an annual moustache growing competition. Last year the organization raised $71 million for men’s prostate cancer research.
Canada’s Tar Sands
A fifteen-minute film for the Bloomberg Network’s Energy Now show about the oil sand production in Canada. The oil sands are the starting point for the controversial Keystone X-L pipeline.
Louisiana’s Lost Oystermen
A fifteen-minute film for the Bloomberg Network’s Energy Now show on the on-going struggles faced by the oyster fishing communities on Louisiana’s Gulf coast following the BP oil spill.
National Geographic Traveler Magazine
A full-length feature article entitled In Search of the World’s Cleanest Air which chronicles a expedition to Cape Grimm, Tasmania, to measure the what is
otensibly the world’s purest air and to examine the environmental conditions that lead to such purity.
2010
CNN Heroes
A profile of Guadelupe Arizpe de la Vega, a Mexican woman who has built a hospital for the poor in Jaurez, one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Transgenders: Episode 4 of “Inside with Lisa Ling” for the Oprah Winfrey Network
A one-hour film following the lives of five Transgender people in various stages of gender transition – from a six year old to a sixty year old.
Women, War and Peace: Colombia episode, PBS/WNET 13
Washington DC shoot covering the work of a Colombian Human Rights activist and her efforts to raise awareness about the abuse and exploitation of Afro-Colombian gold miners by international corporations.
The Ripple Effect
A series of short documentaries for Ripple Effect Images on how supporting women in the developing world is one of the most effective weapons in the fight against climate change.
Hard Time: The Ohio Reformatory for Women
A one-hour documentary for Part 2 Pictures and The National Geographic Channel’s Hard Time series. The film examines the challenges involved in running a women’s prison through intimate character portraits of inmates and corrections officers.
Mission Possible
A 12-minute story for Australia’s top-rated current affairs program, Sunday Night, on a former CIA disguise specialist who now creates prosthetic facial features for cancer victims.
The Innocence Project
A 12-minute story for Australia’s Sunday Night program following the exoneration of James McBain, an American who spent 35 years in prison for a crime he didn’ commit.
2009
Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos: Pakistan
A 25-minute film on Ed Kashi, a long-time National Geographic photographer, and his coverage of the Punjab region of Pakistan. His quest: What makes the Punjab the Punjab, and how is that threatened?
French Foreign Legion
A 30-minute story on the French Foreign Legion’s preparations for deployment to Afghanistan, for Australia’s Channel Seven Network and HDNet’s World Report.
Cheetah Release
A 12-minute story on Cheetah conservation and the preservation of the Bushman culture in Namibia for the the “Sunday Night” program on Australia’s Channel 7 Network.
Monster On Our Doorstep
A 12-minurte segment on Papua New Guinea’s super-volcano, Tavurvur for the the “Sunday Night” program on Australia’s Channel 7 Network.
The Dying Darling
A 40 minute documentary for HDNet’s World Report about the destruction of Australia’s most important river system, the Murray Darling, and the slow collapse of Australia’s agricultural sector.
2008
Gorilla Murders
A 50 minute documentary about the impact of the Congo’s civil war on the endangered Mountain Gorillas for National Geographic Explorer.
La Oroya: A Billionaire’s Shame
A 50-minute investigative documentary for HDNet’s World Report on American industrialist Ira Rennert’s illegal lead smelting operation in La Oroya, Peru and the resulting devastation to the environment and the health of La Oroya’s residents.
Medicine Hunter
A 30-minute documentary for HDNet’s World Report on American medicine hunter Chris Kilham’s expedition to the highlands of Peru in search of indigenous remedies.
2007
The Choir
A 90-minute feature documentary following the lives of four South African prison-inmates who find pride, redemption and a sense of family in the prison choir. They survive the brutality of incarceration and then face an even harsher world outside when they are released.
Venezuela: Hugo Chavez’s Black Magic
A forty-five minute documentary for HDNet’s World Report taking viewers deep inside Venezuela showing how Hugo Chavez invokes superstition and religion to extend his anti-US influence throughout Latin America.
The Bombers of Tetouan
A half-hour documentary for HDNet’s World Report. The story investigates the rise of terrorism in Morocco, specifically the town of Tetouan, where thirty men were recently recruited and sent to Iraq as suicide bombers.
Iraqi Exiles
A half-hour documentary for HDNet’s World Report investigating the exodus of gay and lesbian Iraqis fleeing persecution in their homeland.
2004
Warship
A 40 minute documentary for National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer about the aircraft carrier, the USS Tarawa and its preparations to deploy for the Persian Gulf.
Avalanche Survivors
A 44 minute documentary for National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer about an avalanche which took the lives of 7 students hiking in the Canadian wilderness.
Extreme Speed
A 44 minute documentary for National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer on the evolutionary and social aspects of speed and its impact on life today.
2003
Liberia: American Dream
An 80 minute documentary for National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer, about the struggles of child soldiers, doctors, rape-counselors and everyday Liberians to survive the country’s 13 year civil war. The film documents the last days of the war, the exile of President Charles Taylor and Liberia’s transition to peace. The film won the Edward R. Murrow Overseas Press Club award, The Colombia University DuPont award, a New York Festivals Gold Medal and was nominated for an Emmy.
NBC Nightly News
Daily news packages and live interviews from the frontlines of Liberia’s civil war.
Death on Denali
An 80-minute documentary for National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer, about the climbing rangers who risk their lives to save injured and lost climbers on North America’s highest, coldest mountain.
2002
World Diaries: Days of Rage
A 90-mionute documentary for the National Geographic Channel (US) exploring the lives of young adults swept up in the violence of the Second Palestinian Intefada, or uprising. Suicide bombers, Israeli soldiers, international peace activists and leaders on both sides including Shimon Peres and the head of Hamas let the camera into their lives during this tumultuous time.
World Diaries: Honor Among Men; The Killing of Women in Pakistan
A 48 minute documentary for the National Geographic Channel (US and International) investigating the pre-Islamic tradition of mutilating and killing women who are deemed to have dishonored their families. The story follows one survivor as she prosecutes the man who violently disfigured her. She then travels to the US for reconstructive facial surgery.
2000
World Diaries: Apartheid’s Children
A 48 minute documentary for the National Geographic Channel (US and International) which follows six young South Africans – a hungry township student, a member of the new black élite, a white policeman, a convicted murderer and a doctor – all battling to overcome apartheid’s legacy of social inequity. Nelson Mandela provides wisdom and perspective to the characters’ stories.
1999
Assignment: Blue Nile
A twenty-five minute documentary for National Geographic Explorer on the first contiguous rafting descent of the Blue Nile, from the headwaters in Ethiopia to the Sudanese border. Encounters with the Gumuz tribe provide a rare insight into a people who have never see Europeans before.
War Child
A twenty-five minute documentary for National Geographic Explorer about the Albanian refugee crisis. The film follows the stories of refugee families searching for their children separated in their exile from Kosovo. War Child won an Emmy for Outstanding Coverage of a Continuing News Story.
War Diary
A seventeen-minute documentary for National Geographic Explorer about the return of refugees from Albania and Macedonia to Kosovo. The story then crosses the Serbian border to look at the “enemy” – Serb civilians putting their lives back together after the Nato bombing campaign.
1997/1998
Afrika! Cape Town to Cairo
A four x half hour series for ABC Australia. The films documented a personal eight-month hitchhiking journey from one end of Africa to the other. The episodes include stories on police brutality in South Africa, street kids in Zimbabwe, landmine victims in Mozambique and government complicity on the Tanzanian heroin trade. The series won the Sydney Morning Herald’s “Best Australian documentary series” award, The Canberra Times, “Best Documentary of 1998” award and was nominated for a Logie award. The series was sold to Channel Four in the UK, and to National Geographic Television.
Nominations and Awards
- 2010 Best People and Wildlife Film, Wildscreen, Bristol, UK, for “Gorilla Murders”
- 2009 Amazonas Film Festival, “Best Wildlife Documentary” for “Gorilla Murders”
- 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, “Outstanding Achievement” Award for “Gorilla Murders”
- 2009 Emmy Award “Best Investigative Documentary” for “Gorilla Murders”
- 2009 AFI Award, “Best Director” for “The Choir”.
- 2009 La Festival du Film et Forum de le Driots de l”Homme, Grand prize, “The Choir”
- 2008 Audience Award, Tri-Continental Film Festival, “The Choir”
- 2004 Emmy Nomination, “Liberia: American Dream?”
- 2004 New York Film Festival Gold Medal “Liberia: American Dream?”
- 2004 Alfred I.duPont Colombia University Award, “Liberia: American Dream?”
- 2003 Edward R. Murrow award, “Liberia: American Dream?”
- 2000 Emmy Award, “Outstanding Coverage of an Ongoing News Event” for “War Child”
- 1997 Logie Nomination, Australia, “Afrika, Cape Town to Cairo”
- 1997 Best Australian Documentary of the Year, “Afrika, Cape Town to Cairo”