KIERAN DARCY-SMITH
WRITER / DIRECTOR / ACTOR
In 1996 Kieran co‐founded the successful Australian Filmmaker Collective Blue-Tongue Films. In 2010 the group was awarded The GQ Award for ‘Creative Force of the Year’, and In 2013, in Los Angeles, they were honoured with the prestigious AIF/Fox Studios, Orry-Kelly International Award’ for services to the Australian film industry.
Kieran’s debut feature film as director and co-writer, Wish You Were Here, starring Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price and Antony Starr was selected as the opening night film for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. The movie subsequently enjoyed a successful three month theatrical release in Australia and was released theatrically in the US the same year by Eone entertainment. Awards and nominations for WYWH include a Best Original Screenplay Award and Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2013 AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY AWARDS (AACTA’s) as well as nominations in all remaining categories, bar one. The film took out Best Film and Best Screenplay at the prestigious AUSTRALIAN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS for 2013.
Kieran’s sophomore feature, By Way of Helena (released in USA as The Duel), starring Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Emory Cohen and Alice Bragga was released theatrically by Lionsgate in June 2016, opening across the United States to positive reviews.
Kieran’s television directing credits include Jack Irish series 1 (as series set-up director; eps 1 & 2) for Easy Tiger Productions & ABC TV, Wolf Creek series 2 (eps 3 & 4) for Stan and Reef Break (eps 3, 9 & 10) for ABC/Disney Studios America.
As an actor Kieran’s feature film roles include - Two Hands (1999), The Cave (2005), September (2007), The Square (2008), Animal Kingdom (2010) and The Reef (2010). He has over 30 acting credits in television and film. Music videos and photography by Kieran Darcy-Smith have led to collaborations with some of Australia’s top mainstream and independent artists, including: Powderfinger, Ben Lee, Alex Lloyd, Kasey Chambers, Paul Kelly, You Am I, Amiel, Shane Nicholson and Troy Cassar-Daley.
In 2008 Kieran was awarded the IF Award for ‘Best Unproduced Screenplay’ for his screen-play Memorial Day. In 1995 he was awarded the inaugural ‘Australian Writers Guild and NSW Film and Television Office Mentorship Scheme Award’ for his first feature film screenplay Little Sky Cambodia.
