MORALLY DISTRESSED - MY WORK

Noel Smyth is an award winning photographer and video artist based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. His work as a visual artist is both intimate and dramatic - exploring complex humanistic themes through character driven documentaries and stills. Favouring a vérité style, he draws out nuanced and moving moments through a disarming and empathetic approach to working with his subjects.

In 2012, he received the Student Portfolio award for his study at Design College Australia. This was followed in 2013 when he was featured in Capture Magazine’s ‘The Annual’ of fine art photographers to watch.

From here, he began focusing more on directing and the moving image. In 2016, he was nominated for ‘Best Concept’ and ‘Best VFX’ awards at the Berlin Fashion Film Festival for his short film ‘POP’.

In 2019, he received the Doc Edge Film Festival Award for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Emerging Filmmaker’ for his debut feature documentary ‘CAMINO SKIES’ as well as receiving four star reviews in NME, Radio Times and Empire magazines.

In 2022, he released his sophomore feature documentary ‘GLORIAVALE’ to critical acclaim and was selected for the Cannes Marché de Film ‘Docs in Progress’. The film received glowing reviews with The Sydney Morning Herald, NewsTalk, Stuff.co and Moviedoc all giving it four stars.

An advocate for working slowly, he believes that stories worth telling are worth taking the time to tell right. This sustainable approach to an industry with high burnout rates results in greater stories, better access, more cinematic moments, and happier collaborators. He’s committed to a creative practice that puts people (both on and behind the camera) before profit.

Although singular in his vision, he’s a staunch advocate for collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Whether it's transparently working with production partners and stakeholders or collaborating with subjects and communities to find respectful and creative ways to share their stories, he’s a joy to work with who delivers projects on time and on budget.

With a focus on authenticity, change-making stories, atmospheric visuals, and a quiet humour that finds humanity in the darkest moments, he is an exciting voice in the Australian arts landscape.

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