Sophie Hawkshaw is a Sydney based actor, writer and director who is interested in telling human stories through new lenses. She studied film production at the University of Technology Sydney and with a background in acting, brings a deep nuance and understanding of actors to her work. She considers herself to be an 'actor's director' and particularly loves working with kids and young people. Her short film ‘Fenced’ won the AACTA Social Shorts Best Drama Film Award in 2017 and screened at festivals across Australia, including St Kilda, Heart of Gold, Freshflix and For Film’s Sake. Her films ‘Monsters’ and ‘Spark’ both premiered at Flickerfest. As an actor, she's had lead roles in feature films like 'Ellie, Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)' (2020) (winner of AACTA Award for Best Indie Film) and 'Riz' (2015) and guest roles in series like 'Love Child' and 'Puberty Blues'. Hawkshaw pays her respects to the Gadigal people as the traditional owners and storytellers of Eora land on which she lives and works.