film / theatre

director

Liam Wallis is a Sydney-based director and filmmaker

always was, always will be, aboriginal land

Liam Wallis is an Australian director, dramaturg and filmmaker whose practice spans theatre, film, and music video. Known for fast-paced dialogue, surreal image-making and politically aware storytelling, Wallis’ work is defined by magical realism, maximalist aesthetics, and a belief that the best style is the one that best serves the story.

In 2025, Wallis directed No More (JJ4K — Triple J Unearthed x NIDA), a stylised mobster-inspired music video that merged gritty realism with hyper-real fantasy. The project, produced in collaboration with Triple J, showcased their ability to fuse character-driven storytelling with bold visual worlds. Their theatre credits include Nineteen (Shane Pike), 3 Billion Seconds (Maude Dromgoole), and Penumbra (Kezhen Yi), alongside Vegetarian Potato Bake, a short film they wrote and directed.

As an Assistant Director, Wallis has contributed to NIDA’s Winter and Spring seasons, including Photograph 51 (Anna Ziegler, dir. David Berthold) and Peter Pan (adapt. Ben Schostakowski). These productions highlight their strengths in dramaturgy, research-driven rehearsal processes, and collaboration on large-scale staging.

Wallis trained first as an actor at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University before moving into producing, writing and directing. They are currently completing their Master of Fine Arts in Directing at NIDA, where their research interrogates the intersections of contemporary directing methodologies, dramaturgical analysis, and maximalist image-making across stage and screen.

Their goal is simple: to create works that leave audiences changed - whether through laughter, spectacle, or reflection - and to build collaborative rehearsal rooms where bold ideas and shared artistry thrive.

A woman seated in a beige blazer covers her face with a cardboard sign, while a man with blond hair and a black shirt touches her head in a dimly lit setting with people and equipment in the background.
A man with blonde hair smiling while interacting with a woman wearing a paper bag over her head with handwritten words, in a dark room with studio lights.
Two men sitting close together in a dimly lit setting, with one smiling and the other with their eyes closed, illuminated by warm lighting.
A group of diverse people posing on a stage in a dark theater setting, some are standing and others are kneeling or sitting in front, smiling at the camera.
Two men are engaged in a conversation, one is smiling and has blonde hair, wearing a red sweater, and the other has darker hair and glasses, wearing a jacket with red and orange accents, in a dark room with black blinds.
A group of five people in a dimly lit room having a good time. One person is seated in a beige blazer with a red flower in his pocket, smiling. Another person with blond hair is standing beside him, leaning over and smiling. Three others are partiall
Three men sitting on a sofa, all holding game controllers, watching a screen, in a dimly lit room.
People on a film set, gathered around a table with a green banker’s lamp, a glass bottle, and an open book, under dim lighting.
Two men smiling and engaged in a conversation in a dimly lit room.
Filming scene with a woman sitting at a piano, a man standing and pointing, professional camera crew capturing the moment in a dark setting with dramatic lighting.
A behind-the-scenes shot of a film or music video production. A man with glasses, standing, appears to be speaking or explaining something to a woman sitting at a table. A camera operator is filming the scene with professional camera equipment on a t
A woman standing and a man sitting at a piano in a dimly lit room, with a spotlight shining on them. The man is smiling and wearing a Nirvana T-shirt, while the woman is looking at him, with a bottle and some glasses on the piano.
A man stands alone on a dark stage with crossed arms, facing a table with a glass of water and a chair, under a single spotlight.
Group of men in suits and casual clothing standing together in a dark studio, possibly during a photo shoot or filming.
Four individuals lying on the floor of a darkened theater or stage, with one person standing nearby, watching. Camera crew and equipment are visible in the background.