OLIVIA

Tahlia is known for her role in I am Mother (2019) which starred Hilary Swank, Rose Byrne and Clara Rugaard and opened at Sundance in 2019. She has had lead roles in other feature films including Ascendant (2021) and Christmas Ransom (2022) as well as a number of other short films and TVCs. She is so proud of being involved in Under the Water and feels strongly about the message of female empowerment.

Tahlia adores acting and comes from a big family where her brothers and sisters all act and sing.

FATHER
Ben has so far enjoyed an extensive career in TV, film and theatre both in Australia and abroad. After completing an acting diploma at ACTT, he immediately proceeded to tour Shakespeare nationally, and continued to dive into techniques such as Meisner, Lecoq, Psychodrama, the Method, in order to continue his training.

With a degree in Psychology, Ben is always drawn to the beauty found within deepest, often darkest. And this is reflected in his most celebrated roles, whether it be Shakespeare's Macbeth, Caliban, John Procter in The Crucible. Lou Fisher, Mike in House of Games. Lou Fisher.

His recent TV credits include RFDS a d Home and Away for Channel 7, The Commons for Stan, Mr Inbetween for FX, The Invisibles for SBS, Dead Heart for channel 4 in the UK. His short film 'Joy' is currently doing the international rounds (for Flickerfest), as are several others.

KIOSK VENDOR
Brendan Miles is an actor based in Sydney Australia. He has appeared in numerous local TV dramas such as Paper Giants, A Place To Call Home, Not the Boy from Oz - The Peter Allen Story, Les Norton and Doctor Doctor.
He has also performed on stage in critically acclaimed productions such as Shivered, Scenes from an Execution, Stupid Fucking Bird (Best Independent Production; Sydney Theatre Awards 2019) and Table.

BOY
Jack Ruwald is an actor and dancer represented by Sophie Jermyn in Australia and Luber Roklin in USA. He is known for is known for Patricia Moore (2018), Operation Buffalo (2020) and The School (2018).

CO-WRITER / DIRECTOR

Isabella is a writer/director and designer based in Sydney, Australia. She is dedicated to gender equity, diversity and inclusivity in her filmmaking practice. Isabella has a strong interest in subjective realist work, utilising visual storytelling, aural metaphor and an experimental approach to narrative linearity to explore character psychology.

sabella recently completed short film, UNDER THE WATER (2023), which explores the impact of misogyny and gender-based violence on a young girl. Her previous work includes: MONSKA (2020), EVELYN (2020) and ICE AGE (2018). MONSKA was awarded the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Audience Favourite Award (2021), was nominated for Best Concept at the Clipped Music Video Awards (2020) and was a finalist in the Frankie Magazine Good Stuff Awards (2020).

Isabella holds a Master of Arts: Screen in Directing from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (2022), a Bachelor of Dramatic Art from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (2014) and a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hons: Class I) from Sydney College of the Arts (2011). Her background in conceptual art informs her approach to storytelling for the screen.

isabellaandronos.com

CO-WRITER

Raised in the UK and now residing in Australia, Beck is a writer-director who has a passion for Psychological Horror and uses the genre in her work to challenge the audience's perceptions of identity and reality.

During her time completing her MA of Screenwriting at the Australian Film Television & Radio School, Beck dedicated her practice to researching the conventions of Horror, exploring innovative ways to subvert traditional storytelling methods.

Beck has written and directed a series of short films that have had success across festivals both in Australia and the U.S. Most recently, Beck co-wrote the short film, Under The Water, which was selected to screen at this year's FlickerFest Australian Shorts program. Her Folk Horror feature screenplay, False Morel, was selected as a quarterfinalist in the 2023 Screencraft Horror Screenplay Competition.

In 2022, Beck worked with the Asian-Pacific Broadcasting Union as a facilitator on an Advanced Television Production Workshop at Radio Television Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, where she assisted a team of creative executives for Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television, in brainstorming and story lining writer’s rooms.

becklthompson.com

PRODUCER

Katherine is a creative producer with a passion for excellence and equality across mediums and genres. With a background as a performer, Kat is attracted to character-driven stories that are genuine, imaginative and cinematic.

Kat’s first short film, Sweet Tooth, was awarded Best Film at CAPA International Association of Film & Television Schools, the Nicholas Baudin Award for Best Short Film at Festival Des Antipodes Saint-Tropez and was narrated by Cate Blanchett. Kat followed up with This River, winner of Best Direction (Naomi Fryer) in Australian Short Film at Flickerfest, and attracted Rachel Griffiths as the film’s ambassador for Cinequest Festival (USA). Kat followed up with The Home Team starring Paul McDermott and Tara Morice, nominated for an APDG Award, A House which was selected for MIFF 2022 Accelerator Program (Matthew Taylor) and Under The Water soon to be released.

Kat produced Charging, winner of the AACTA/Mini Pitch and was post-producer on Baltasar, Winner of Best Australian Short MIFF and St Kilda Film Festival. Kat has supported many independent production companies as an external producer, with a keen eye for talent, including Liberty Street for The Corinthian Food Store, and Ishmael, winner of Best Editing in an Australian film. Her emerging production company Bull Ant Films, produced the 2022 Great Gatsby Flickerfest Trailer, design documentary The Bakery, and the Screen NSW Screenability funded short All Silent Dogs, which premiered at SFF 2022.

katshearer.com

PRODUCER

Sasha is a Sydney and Brisbane based producer and actor. Since graduating from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, she has worked across film and theatre, and is passionate about working collaboratively to tell women’s stories.
In 2021 she was Associate Producer on short film Bug (Lightbulbhead Films), before going on to produce Under the Water (AFTRS), Pearly Gates (Miss The Mark Productions) and Leaf Litter (Ginger Snap Productions and JackRabbit Productions). Sasha is a proud member of MEAA & Ignite, New Ghosts’ women’s theatre collective.

SCRIPT EDITOR

Sarah comes to the film industry after extensive experience working in theatre and community arts. She was previously the Associate Director of Milk Crate Theatre and the Outreach Director at Shopfront Theatre for Young People. In 2013, she received the Australia Council’s Kirk Robson Award for Artistic Leadership. Sarah’s short film, ‘Sleep Talker’, which she co-wrote and co-produced with Carl Firth, won Best Australian Short at the Sydney Underground Film Festival (2021). It also screened at ScreamFest, Telluride Horror Show, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Lund Fantastic Film Festival and Nightstream. Sarah most recently worked as the Script Coordinator on Netflix’s ‘Heartbreak High’.

sarahemery.com.au

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Meredith is a Cinematographer based in Sydney, Australia. Meredith holds a Diploma of Screen and Media from Sydney Film School (2017) and is currently completing a Master of Arts Screen (Cinematography) at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Meredith enjoys bringing women’s and queer stories to the screen.

PRODUCTION AND COSTUME DESIGN

Roberto is an emerging Production and Costume Designer based in Sydney, Australia, and a graduate of the Masters of Arts from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

He studied design for a number of years at the Design Centre Enmore where he specialised in practical skills for Costume, Set Design, Live Production, Theatre, Graphics, Illustration, and Make-up for screen and stage.

Roberto’s design flair is influenced by bold and colourful, hyper-styled and theatrical story worlds and his love for retro, nostalgia and the fanciful and funny. He has a genuine love for exploring each project’s unique identity and collaborating with other diverse creatives.

Recently, Roberto worked as part of the costume team on the SBS series Four Years Later, the Stan series, Prosper, the dance feature The Red Shoes - The Next Step.

Roberto was the Production and Costume Designer for short films Under the Water (2022), and the live action adaptation of the beloved children's book by Mem Fox Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (2022).

robertomanzini.com.au

EDITOR

Amy is an editor based in Sydney, Australia. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts: Media (2017) and a Master of Arts Screen (Editing) from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Amy is currently working part time as an editor for Sky News. Amy enjoys exploring the human experience through film. Amy’s previous work includes: Wetin Una Go Choose? (2022), Call the Cops Please (2022), Royals in Crisis (2020) and BENT101 (2017).

SOUND SUPERVISOR

Sam is a sound designer based in Sydney, Australia. Having previously completed a Bachelor of Music and Sound Design from the University of Technology, Sydney, he is currently working on his Master of Arts Screen (Sound).

Sam has worked as a hand in the live entertainment industry for 3 years and has gained valuable skills in collaborative and high-intensity workplaces. Having a passion for all things audio, Sam is most interested in the flow of cinematic soundtracks with all of it’s swells and moments of calm.

COMPOSER

Hamish is an award winning musician and composer with a deep passion for musical story telling. After starting his musical career as a percussionist, Hamish was awarded the Faculty of Music Scholarship at Queen’s College to undertake a Bachelors of Music in Interactive Composition at the Victorian College of the Arts. While there, Hamish had the opportunity to write music for many short films, animations, dance performances, and stage productions. Hamishrecently completed a Master of Arts Screen (Music) at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

hamishfrancismusic.com

UNDERWATER ADVISOR

Jemma Craig is an underwater cinematographer, filmmaker, and dive instructor from the Great Barrier Reef, North Queensland. Jemma has a background in video production, editing, digital media, marketing, tourism and environmentalism, and recently completed a Master of Arts Screen (Documentary) at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Jemma is passionate about stories of a person’s place in the world, and believes in creative experimentation within storytelling.

Jemma has worked extensively in the water as a specialty safety officer, dive instructor, marine biologist and underwater cinematographer. She has completed almost 3000 dives, with over 500 successfully certified students and is specialty rated to teach all PADI scuba levels to from Open Water Diver to Divemaster, as well as deep diver, solo diver, enriched air diver and emergency first response. Jemma has an advanced understanding of underwater cinematography and dive production, safety, requirements and equipment.

instagram.com/islandjems