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BIOGRAPHY 

Polly is an Australian/Canadian dual citizen, with biracial ethnicity (Chinese and Caucasian) and has worked throughout Australia, Canada, Mexico and Hong Kong.

After receiving her BFA: Film and Television Production (High Distinction) from the Queensland University of Technology, Polly has been the cinematographer on numerous narrative short films, two of which were awarded funding from Screen Australia, Screen Queensland and the Pacific Film and Television Commission. One of these films, the moody, Colonial Australia based drama, Blood Hollow, won the Rising Star Award and screened at the Canada International Film Festival (2011) and won the Silver Lei Award and screened at the Honolulu International Film Festival that same year. And in 2021, Polly received the Best Cinematography Award for her work on the short film Where Everyone Lives at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.

Since pivoting into directing, her true passion after being entranced by the stories told on her favourite television series as a child The X Files, Polly has helmed award winning short films such as the supernatural dark comedy Wytch Craft (which she won two Best Director Awards for and the film itself was screened at over 40 International film festivals including the Wales International Film Festival and received 11 awards in total), the dramedy Slump (winning the Best Director Award at the San Jose Independent Film Festival and a further 5 awards). More recently, Polly directed the award winning television teaser for the  comedy One Baby, Please! and an upcoming drama series from Timeless Pictures. 

In addition to being selected for the respected Women in the Director's Chair Career Advancement Module in Canada, Polly was selected as part of the 2023 cohort of a much respected directing program in the United States (official announcement to come) and has been a Jury Member for the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards John Dunning Best First Feature Film award.

Polly's advocacy for issues important to her such as mental health and LGBTQ+ and BIPOC topics has seen her be a public speaker at the Women in Film and Television Australia: Excellence in Craft series and at the Videatur Collective and New Future's Lab, Toronto based organizations promoting the education of under-represented emerging filmmakers in the GTA. Polly was also selected as the Industry moderator for the Cinematic Visions Cinematography panel at 2024 GEMFest film festival.

In her over a decade long career in film and television, Polly has amassed over 80 professional credits as a Camera Assistant on feature films such as the French/ Australian co-production The Tree (2010) and television series such as Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (2018), the Apple TV+ series Home Before Dark (2018/19) and the Steven Spielberg produced sci-fi, Terra Nova (2011) as well as countless commercials and music videos.

She is professionally affiliated with the Western Canada International Camera Guild – ICG 669.

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Representation

 

The Characters Talent Agency

Carl Liberman /

Cary Liberman

+1 (416) 964 8522

carl@thecharacters.com

cary@thecharacters.com

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