Cherie Nowlan (born

Singleton, New South Wales Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 202km (126 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

)THE DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS CHERIE NOWLAN, INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS
, Wednesday, 4 July 2007, Filmmaker Magazine.com is an Australian

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

, best known for the 2007 film '' Clubland'' (a.k.a. ''Introducing the Dwights'')RGM Artists
''Cherie Nowlan''. Retrieved 14 March 2015. and the 1997 film '' Thank God He Met Lizzie'', starring

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

and

Frances O'Connor Frances Ann O'Connor (born 12 June 1967) is a British-Australian actress and director. She appears in roles in the films '' Mansfield Park'', '' Bedazzled'', '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence'', '' The Importance of Being Earnest'', and ''Timelin ...

, her feature film directorial debut.

Career

Nowlan grew up in the country town of Singleton, Australia, and after working briefly as a journalist began a career in film and television. She worked as a production assistant, researcher and writer for various independent production companies, including Kennedy Miller, as well as in commercial television.Cherie Nowlan at FilmBug.com
''Cherie Nowlan''. Retrieved 15 March 2015. Nowlan's first film was a documentary entitled ''God's Girls'' (1991),Artfilms
''God's Girls: Stories from an Australian Convent''. Retrieved 15 March 2015. about the nuns who taught in her former high school. The film won the Best Documentary prize at the

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industr ...

. The

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

co-production was described by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in the UK as 'much more gripping than the fictional ''Brides of Christ'' '. It was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award and was a finalist in the

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. , the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

's Dendy Short Film Competition. Nowlan studied scriptwriting at the

Australian Film Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...

in 1993. '' Clubland'', which starred Oscar nominee

Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn ( Bottle; born 20 February 1946) is an English actress. Known for her character work and versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, as well as n ...

and rising star Emma Booth, sold to

Warner Independent Pictures Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros. Entertainment. Established on August 7, 2003, its first release was 2004's '' Before Sunset,'' the sequel to the 1995 film ''Before Sunrise.' ...

for $4.1 million,Urban Cinephile
"NOWLAN, CHERIE - CLUBLAND". (28 June 2007) Retrieved 14 March 2015. after debuting at

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. The film generated standing ovations at Sundance, and was nominated for eleven AFI awards, including Best Director and Best Actress. In 1995, she wrote and directed the short film ''Lucinda 31'', which was screened in film festivals in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, where it was voted Most Popular Film at the 1995 Brisbane Exposure Festival. The script was an adaptation of a short story by Alexandra Long. She has also had a career in television, directing episodes of ''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by South ...

'', ''

All Saints All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday. All Saints, All Saints Day or Feast of All Saints may also refer to: Art and entertainment * ''All Saints'' (film), a 2017 Christian drama film * ''All Saints'' (TV series), an Australian hospital drama * ...

'', ''

Dance Academy ''Dance Academy'' is an Australian teen drama television series produced by Werner Film Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF. Series one premiered on 31 May 2010, and series two began airing on 12 Ma ...

'', ''

Packed to the Rafters ''Packed to the Rafters'' is an Australian family-oriented comedy drama television program which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The dr ...

'' and the American series ''

Life Unexpected ''Life Unexpected'' is an American teen drama television series that aired for two seasons from January 18, 2010 to January 18, 2011. It was produced by Best Day Ever Productions and Mojo Films in association with CBS Productions and Warner Bro ...

'' and '' 90210''. As well as the television films ''Marking Time'' (2003), ''

Small Claims Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it ma ...

'' (2004), ''The Alice'' (2005), '' Small Claims: White Wedding'' (2007), '' Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away'' (2011) and '' Underbelly: Razor'' (2011).

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Interview with Cherie Nowlan at UrbanCineFile.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nowlan, Cherie Australian film directors Australian television directors Australian women film directors Living people Mass media people from New South Wales Australian women television directors Year of birth missing (living people) People from Singleton, New South Wales