Writer-director Max Hemmings cut his teeth editing in London after graduating the Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS) Directing program.
Max’s work is focused on evocative performance, always bringing an arresting humanity to the fore. This sensibility is underpinned by a nuanced appreciation for rhythm and choreography, evident in his fashion work for FILA and Bottega Veneta, and his series of NOWNESS documentaries.
Max’s short film THE KICKED DOG - starring Alan Ford (Snatch, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) and Clive Russell (Game of Thrones, Sherlock Holmes) was selected for multiple for Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals worldwide, as well as a finalist in the 1.4 Awards celebrating the finest in global short form filmmaking.
His AFTRS graduate film WANDERLUST starred Jessica Tovey and Eamon Farren, and won the Delux Cinematography prize.
In 2023, Max was selected for the prestigious PlayLab Films Directors Lab, mentored by Palme D’Or winning filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul in the Yucatán jungle. During the Lab, Max created a short film, MIRAN, which is currently on the festival circuit.
Max’s debut feature project CICADA is currently in development. A supernatural thriller loosely inspired by the Wollongong Council corruption scandal, CICADA explores themes of corruption, misogyny, and generational trauma that lie at the heart of Australian (settler) culture.
A short documentary SHIPBREAKERS, based on his experience working with climate refugee NGOs in Bangladesh and supported by RadicalMedia, is slated for release in 2025.
PRESS:
Little Black Book (LBB)
The Guardian, Interview Magazine, Promo News, Hunger, Monster Children - The Jezebels ‘Pleasure Drive’
WINNER: ‘Ad of the Day’ on BOOOOOOOM.TV - Bottega Veneta X Highsnobiety
NOMINEE: Shiny Awards - FILA ‘Disruptor’
WINNER: ‘Ad of the Day’ on BOOOOOOOM.TV - FILA ‘Disruptor’
WINNER: ‘Video Of The Day’ on VOTD - Nowness ‘Private View: John Simpson’
BOOOOOOOM.TV - Nowness ‘Portrait of a Place: Wimbledon’
Campaign Brief - Sydney Childrens Hospital TVC
Deluxe Cinematography Prize - ‘Wanderlust’ AFTRS graduate film, starring Jessica Tovey and Eamon Farren.
FILM FESTIVALS:
Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (Oscar qualifying)
St Kilda Film Festival (Oscar qualifying)
1.4 Awards 2021 (On The Cusp - Fiction Short)
Bolton International Film Festival (BAFTA & BIFA qualifying)
British Urban Film Festival (BAFTA & BIFA qualifying)
San Diego International Film Festival
Manchester International Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
Byron Bay International Film Festival
Shanghai Short Film Festival
Canberra Short Film Festival (WINNER: Best Screenplay, Best Actor - Clive Russell)
Exit 6 Film Festival
Shockfest Film Festival
SENE Film Festival
Edmonton Short Film Festival
Hamilton Film Festival
Short Encounters International Film Festival (NOMINEE: Best Director, Best Actor - Clive Russell)