The art of cinematography is a vital component of filmmaking.
This year, a talented group of young cinematographers has been selected for the prestigious Rising Talent .
They have demonstrated exceptional skill, creativity, and dedication to their craft, and are set to make significant contributions to the film industry in the year’s ahead.
Claire Bishop
Claire Bishop has been shooting, directing, and producing films for more than a decade, shooting second unit and additional camera on features such as The Royal Hotel and The New Boy.
She recently won a Gold Award for the short film Finding Jia at the Australian Cinematographers Society Awards (SA branch) following her NFSA-ACS John Leake OAM ACS Emerging Cinematographer Award in 2019.
While presenting her latest award, filmmaker Warwick Thornton ACS, praised her work across several of his productions. “She is amazing,” he said.
Amy Dellar
Amy Dellar has shot four feature films, 20-plus short films, dozens of music videos, and commercial content for brands such as Panasonic, Vodka Cruiser, Sephora, and Mecca Cosmetics. In 2019 she won the Best Cinematography award at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival for short film Jupiter and a Silver ACS award in 2021 for short film Unsettled.
This year, she shot her fourth feature film – James Robinson’s debut feature First Light – in the Philippines.
Writer-director Domini Marshall said Dellar had shot many of her short films and web series, including 2020 short film Go with Grace, which premiered at MIFF and was nominated by the Australian Directors Guild.
“Not only does she have an incredible eye, but she’s always the most calm, generous and warm presence on set. Her ego never comes into it, and she goes out of her way to make people feel comfortable while also elevating the end result. She deserves every accolade.”
Anna McGirr
Anna McGirr is an emerging cinematographer and artist based in Gadigal, with a dynamic cross-disciplinary practice in narrative film, documentary, art, theatre, and animation.
Her credits include Killjoy, Unbreakable, and A Horse Named Winx, as well as theatre projects with Fruitbox Theatre, MonkeyBaa, and Performance Space. She also assisted Bonnie Elliott on Angelica Mesiti’s The Rites of When.
Anna’s work focuses on projects with female, queer, and non-binary crews and stories, and she has a particular interest in social outreach work supporting marginalized groups in Australia.
Her recent cinematography credits include The Sax (Flickerfest 2025) and Rehabilitating, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and St Kilda Film Festival in 2024. She is also working on a feature documentary and her first animation as DOP, If/When, set to premiere in 2025.
Nyssa Mitchell
Nyssa Mitchell has been an in-demand cinematographer for music videos and short films, particularly for her expertise in shooting on film.
Her exceptional cinematography on The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste was called out by Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) judging panel, who awarded the film this year’s Best Australian Short. It also screened at Sydney Film Festival and Slamdance in February.
Mitchell has now just completed work on her first feature film.
Julian Panetta
Julian Panetta works across drama, commercials, and documentaries.
His career started in the lighting department, learning from some of the country’s best cinematographers and gaffers, while he also built a career in stills photography, shooting for Netflix, NBC, and ABC.
He studied further at AFTRS in Sydney, and in 2020 was awarded a Lord Mayor’s Emerging Artist Fellowship which saw him participate in the ASC Masterclass program and a specialist 35mm Cinematography course in Sicily.
He has received multiple ACS awards for his cinematography and his short films have been selected for festivals such as AACTA, Flickerfest, Aesthetica, Sydney Film Festival, and the St Kilda Film Festival.
Ocean Agreed is his second short to be nominated for Best Short at the AACTAs and he recently completed shooting his second feature, Dead Eyes, which is entirely shot in first person.
