Where did your journey in filmmaking begin?

I initially started out shooting EPKs and 'behind the scenes’. I worked as a director/producer's assistant and kind of stumbled into camera department. Early in my career, I was lucky enough to shoot the behind-the-scenes featurette for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, which served as a springboard for future work.

Did you face any roadblocks in the beginning?
I think the industry pigeonholes women cinematographers, which can be frustrating. A lot of our funding opportunities in this country don’t support emerging talent, which makes it harder to break through and expand.

Why are you drawn to hybrid filmmaking? What’s it like working in the space between narrative and documentary?
I enjoy working in the hybrid space because you get the best of both worlds – there is a ‘realness’ about the subjects or the story, but also the opportunity to construct the visual language more deeply on these projects. There is an element of the unknown when you’re working with real people or setting a scene in a real space, which encourages playfulness and spontaneity – you have licence to be quite creative and respond in the moment.

How did you come up with the concept for your film Bender?
Bender was a melting pot of visual references and locations I had collected over the years. It was initially conceived as a fashion film, but after casting it and working with Co-Director Bonnie Moir, we realised the potential in the narrative.

Was there much difference between the original envisioned film to the final cut?
We worked off a loose visual treatment rather than a script and shot the film over two blocks a few weeks apart. The story developed and changed between these two shoots, but it was fairly clear to me on wrap what the edit would look like.

Do you prefer to shoot or direct your films?
I prefer to shoot – I don’t think I’ll race back to directing anytime soon. My passion is cinematography work, and [Bender] has been a great experience and tool to express my visual instincts.

Making a point to celebrate and support queer and female identifying crew, Alex uses her platform to ensure authentic representation behind the camera. As one of the Co-Founders of Sissy Screens – a digital magazine dedicated to queer screen culture – Alex passionately champions queer cinema.

Can you tell me more about why you hire queer and female identifying crew on your projects?
It’s an effortless decision. Firstly, all my main collaborators are queer and/or female-identifying and honestly: they’re the best people to work with. As a head of department I get to choose my crew and diversifying our department is important to skill up the next generation of camera crew and potential storytellers. Cultural production is key in queer stories and it’s crucial to have authentic representation behind the camera too.

Tell us more about your involvement in Sissy Screens.

Sissy Screens was founded by myself & my partner Tali Polichtuk (talipolichtuk.com) and we run the organisation together. It’s a queer screen culture magazine and not-for-profit organisation. Tali is a writer & programer, we make a good team as we're are both passionate about queer cinema & representation. It was a passion project turned ‘actual thing’ and is growing more and more all the time. It’s a nice opportunity for me to put my skills & experience towards a cause I believe in.

Can you tell us about your most memorable assignment?
Zef & We Travel Together are my two favourite experiences on set. Zef is a short documentary Jessica Barclay Lawton & I shot in Far North Queensland about a queer, topless meat raffle worker and it was amazing to shoot underwater in Mossman Gorge, one of my favourite places on earth. We Travel Together is a gallery installation for acclaimed artist Patricia Piccinini directed by Rhys Graham. On this shoot, we travelled all over Victoria to the most beautiful natural locations including the salt lakes in the North. Patricia's sculptures are incredible and it was so much fun bringing them to life on screen.

What projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently across a few feature film projects which is exciting. They include: Devil Inside directed by Jonathan auf der Heide (Van Diemen's Land), Lover directed by Rhys Graham (Galore, The Turning) and Paradise Youth directed by Jessica Barclay Lawton. Covid keeps messing with our plans but they're now slated to shoot next year.

Where can we view your work?
Currently you can see We Travel Together as part of Patricia Piccinini's 'A Miracle Constantly Repeating' in Flinder St Ballroom as part of RISING. I have a short film called You and Me Before and After directed by Madeleine Gottlieb, starring Yael Stone & Emily Barclay currently screening at TIFF. Other than that all my work is available to view online at alexcardy.com