Chris Noonan

Chris Noonan, born 14 November 1952 in Sydney, New South Wales, emerged from a creatively encouraging household; his father’s support sparked an early fascination with moving images. At sixteen he produced his first short, Could It Happen Here?, a semi‑autobiographical piece set at North Sydney Boys High School that earned a prize at the Sydney Film Festival and later aired on Australian television. After completing his secondary education in 1970, Noonan entered the Commonwealth Film Unit (today’s Film Australia), where he apprenticed as a production assistant, assistant editor, production manager and assistant director, cutting his teeth on a variety of short films and documentaries. The pivotal moment arrived in 1973 when he was accepted into the inaugural directors’ course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School alongside future luminaries Gillian Armstrong and Phillip Noyce. Returning to Film Australia in 1974, he contributed as assistant director on the cult classic The Cars That Ate Paris and in 1976 helmed episodes of the documentary series “Our Asian Neighbours: India,” including a profile of Swami Shyam. By 1979 he had founded his own production company, and the following year his documentary Stepping Out—which chronicled a troupe of disabled actors—won the UNESCO prize and an Australian Film Institute award, cementing his reputation as a socially conscious storyteller.\n\nNoonan’s transition to mainstream cinema culminated in the 1995 family blockbuster Babe, which he co‑wrote with George Miller and directed as his first theatrical feature. The film’s heartfelt portrayal of a pig aspiring to be a sheepdog garnered over US$280 million worldwide, earned seven Academy Award nominations—including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Noonan—and secured BAFTA nods for both film and screenplay. Following Babe, he produced the telemovie Feeling Sexy (1999) and directed the lyrical biopic Miss Potter (2006), exploring the life of beloved author Beatrix Potter. Although subsequent projects announced in 2008 never materialised, Noonan’s influence endures through his early documentary work, his leadership roles as President of the Australian Screen Directors’ Association and Chairman of the Australian Film Commission, and his lasting impact on Australian and international cinema.