Brendon McDonall is a filmmaker based in Sydney. His short films have won over 25 international film prizes, including The Law, The Dam, Kansas, Midnight Blue, Chicom, and All God’s Creatures, which won the prestigious international Iris Prize. His UK-shot film Spoilers premiered at Frameline and Outfest, winning both the Best Film and Audience Award at the Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival, as well as the Emerging Filmmaker Award at MQFF. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award and premiered on BBC Two. Brendon has won Australia’s premier queer film award, ‘My Queer Career’, twice (2013 and 2017). An AFTRS Master’s (Directing) and double Grad Dip (Directing & Screenwriting) graduate, he won the AFTRS/Foxtel Award for Exceptional Talent. He was the Associate Director of Janet King Series 2, Block 3 (ABC/Screentime), under the mentorship of Ian Watson. Brendon is writing and will direct a chapter of Tony Ayres Productions’ anthology feature film Ten Moments. He is attached to direct Unbending by Allen Palmer and Mat Govoni, produced by Future Pictures (Late Night with the Devil). Upcoming film projects include Kinderspiel, This Side of Somewhere & Baby Tales & Lizard Scales.
Brendon started his career as an actor and theatre director. He appeared in over 30 productions for Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir B Sharp, Monkey Baa, Q Theatre, Theatre South and Darlinghurst Theatre. His stage directing credits include Love’s Triumph, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Falling Petals, Falsettos, Search & Destroy, Henry V, Red Noses, The Visit, Boy’s Life, The Lights and A Vampire Story. He directed the world premiere of the musical Somewhere… (Q Theatre), which he created with Kate Mulvany and Tim Minchin. He recently returned to the stage to direct the sell-out premiere of Sarah Walker’s Who’s Afraid? for Belvoir 24a – a queer reimagining of Virginia Woolf. He will shortly step back onto stage in Kate Gaul’s upcoming production of Cowbois.
