Emma Freeman

Director

Emma Freeman is an internationally acclaimed award-winning director.

She directed seasons 1 and 2 of The Newsreader for Werner Film Productions and the ABC/eOne. Both seasons won the AACTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2021 and 2024, with Emma also winning Best Direction in Drama or Comedy and the ADG Award for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode. In 2021 Emma directed the first season of Love Me for Warner Bros. International Television Australia and Aquarius Films, currently streaming on Binge. For Ep 4, Emma was nominated for the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy.

In 2020, Emma directed 3 episodes of Stateless for Matchbox Pictures, the ABC and Netflix, for which she won Best Director at the 2020 ADG Awards. She also directed 2 episodes of Clickbait, a Netflix / Matchbox Pictures, which premiered on Netflix in 2021.

Emma was the sole director of the third season of Glitch for Matchbox Pictures, the ABC and Netflix. In 2015 she was also the sole director on the first season of Glitch, for which she won an ADG Award in 2016, and was setup director on the second season in 2017, directing the first 3 of 6 episodes. Emma was the sole director on the first season of the political thriller Secret City for Matchbox and Foxtel, winning an ADG Award in 2017.

A graduate of VCA, Emma’s short film Lamb received First Prize, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score at Tropfest in 2002. The film also screened at Locarno, Palm Springs, Cork and New York International Film Festivals, and was invited to screen at the American Cinematheque in Hollywood. In 2003 Emma joined Fox Searchlab, a division of Fox Searchlight Pictures and directed Mittens, which was selected by Fox Searchlab as their contender for the Academy Awards.

In 2010 Emma was nominated for AFI Awards (Best Direction in Television) for Tangle, and the telemovie Hawke, for which she won the award. Hawke was also nominated for a Logie (Most Outstanding Telemovie) and won the ADG award for Best Direction in a Telemovie.

Emma’s other television credits include multiple episodes of Sisters (including the telemovie pilot), Offspring, Puberty Blues, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Rush, Love My Way, The Secret Life of Us, and Party Tricks.

Her first feature film, The Circus, is currently in development with producers Joanna Werner and Leanne Tonkes. In 2023 Emma directed two episodes of Interview with the Vampire for AMC Studios and was the set-up director on the Kindling Pictures production Fake for Paramount+, based on the novel by Stephanie Wood. Emma is currently in post-production on series 3 of The Newsreader. 

For enquiries regarding Emma Freeman please contact us via email or on (02) 9319 7199.