Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

Gillian Armstrong
Gillian Armstrong (b. 1950) studied theatre and film-making at Swinburne Technical College and was a star student at the newly-established Australian Film and Television School in the early 70s. After several shorts and documentaries she released her full-length film, the 16mm The Singer and the Dancer, in 1976. The picture won best narrative film at the 1976 Sydney Film Festival. In 1979 Armstrong directed her first feature, the critically-acclaimed My Brilliant Career – winner of 7 AFI awards, including best picture and best director. Her first American film, Mrs Soffel (1984), featured acclaimed performances by Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton. After making several further films in Australia , including Hightide (1987) and The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), she returned to the U.S. to make the highly popular Little Women (1994). She has since made Oscar and Lucinda (1997) and Charlotte Gray (2001), both featuring Cate Blanchett. Blanchett.

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