Specialist Extension Course Certificate — Producing, 1995
Rachel Perkins’ Arrernte/Kalkadoon heritage has informed her entire filmmaking career. The founder of production company Blackfella Films, which started in 1992, Rachel made her feature directing debut with Radiance in 1998. Subsequent films include One Night the Moon, the musical Bran Nue Dae, which screened at the Sundance, Berlin and Toronto Film Festivals, and Jasper Jones.
Her TV credits include the telemovie Mabo, broadcast to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic High Court decision, and Redfern Now, the first drama series written, directed and produced by Indigenous Australians. Redfern Now was awarded the 2014 AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series.
In 2018, Rachel directed the first season of Mystery Road. The following year she directed Total Control, which premiered at TIFF and won the AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series. Her documentary credits include series such as Blood Brothers, First Australians and First Wars, a three-part historical docudrama about the nation’s frontier conflicts.
AFTRS Highlight
Meeting and becoming friends with Ivan Sen.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
The standing ovation at the premiere of the Mabo telemovie at the Sydney Film Festival.