Emma Freeman


Emma Freeman is an Australian director of television films and series. With her short film Lamb, in 2002 she was the first woman to win Tropfest. She has since directed many TV series, including Glitch, The Newsreader, and The Family Next Door.

Early life and education

Emma Freeman graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts.

Career

Early in her career Freeman worked with producer John Edwards. In 2002 she wrote, produced and directed a seven-minute film, Lamb, starring Robert Menzies and Orpheus Pledger. Lamb won Sydney's Tropfest that year, with Freeman being the first woman director to win.
In 2003 she directed Mittens for Tinderbox Films. Starring Sigrid Thornton, the film was shown at the 2003 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and the 2004 London Australian Film Festival.

Awards

In 2002 Freeman was the first woman to win Tropfest, with her short film Lamb.
In 2010 she won an AACTA Award for Best Direction in Television for Hawke.
Freeman won the AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Drama or Comedy in 2021 for episode 1 of The Newsreader and again in 2024 for episode 4 of The Newsreader.

Selected filmography