Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, Alison Maclean came to international attention when her short film KITCHEN SINK (1989) was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and won eight awards at festivals worldwide. Starring a young Theresa Healey, it is arguably the most successful short film to come from New Zealand. Her debut NZ feature film CRUSH (1992), produced by Bridget Ikin, also played in competition at Cannes, and was the only debut feature in competition.
Alison then moved to the US and directed her second feature, JESUS’ SON (1999), which won the Little Gold Lion at the Venice Film Festival and earned Alison a Best Director nomination.
Alison has since made her home in New York, working professionally as a director for the last two decades in commercials and television drama. She has directed episodes of the critically acclaimed series SEX IN THE CITY, CARNIVALE, THE TUDORS, THE L-WORD, and GOSSIP GIRL.
In addition to drama, Alison co-directed the documentary PERSON OF INTEREST, which screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and the comedic documentary/narrative hybrid Intolerable, which screened at the Edinburg, Toronto, L.A., and Hamptons International Film festivals.
Alison has continued make short films, and is developing a number of feature projects. She directed the NZ feature film THE REHEARSAL, for which Maclean co-wrote an adapted screenplay with novelist Emily Perkins, from Eleanor Catton’s first novel of the same name.
In Conversation with Alison Maclean, Sat 10th October, 2.45pm
