Alyssa McClelland

Alyssa is an award-winning director/writer. She is a graduate of the prestigious Media Arts and Production course at the University of Technology Sydney, where she majored in Directing, Alyssa has a wonderful, dark comedic sensibility and a unique perspective in telling stories that are fundamentally optimistic through her crafting of performances and distinctive worlds. Her most recent short film Second Best won the Dendy Live Action Short Award at the 2018 Sydney Film Festival, the 2019 ADG Award for Best Direction for a Short Film, Best Short at the Milan Film Festival, the Best Foreign Film Award at the 2018 Lake Shorts Film Festival, the Youth Award at the German 20MinMax Film Festival and the award for Best Direction in an Australian Short Film at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2018. The film was also accepted into Melbourne International Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, Tallahassee, Minneapolis St. Paul International, Encounters, Busan, Nashville and Maryland International Film Festivals. Alyssa's web-series One Step Closer to Home, which she wrote, directed, produced and starred in, has had two successful seasons, both of which screened at the 2012 and 2016 LA WebFest. The series was nominated for a number of awards at the festival including Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Cinematography in a Comedy and Outstanding Lead Actor. The series won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress. In 2009 Alyssa wrote and directed her first short film Emilia Eckle, which enjoyed a successful festival run, winning various awards and playing several opening nights. Her 2010 short Nic and Shauna, which Alyssa directed and produced, was chosen as a Tropfest finalist. Alyssa is a respected commercial director signed with Finch and Anonymous Content. Her campaigns have won many awards, including the coveted Black Pencil at the D&AD Awards and the award for Direction at the London International Awards. Alyssa was also winner of the InStyle Magazine Woman Of Style Award scholarship for her work as a filmmaker.