Genevieve Clay-Smith

Birthplace

Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Genevieve Clay-Smith stands as a trailblazing filmmaker, renowned for her visionary directorial work that champions inclusivity and diversity within the film industry. With a career marked by innovation and advocacy, Genevieve has solidified her position as one of Australia’s foremost directors, shaping narratives that resonate deeply with audiences worldwide. Her inclusively made debut feature film, Boss Cat, premieres at the Sydney Film Festival in 2026. Genevieve’s films have been showcased at over 200 film festivals world-wide, including Toronto International Film Festival Kids and the United Nations. She has claimed awards at Oscar qualifying festivals, Rhode Island International, Cleveland International, Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia and Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Genevieve has won over seventy awards for her films, her film The Interviewer has a current audience viewership of 45 million. She is the Series Director of SBS documentary series, Perspective Shift for which she was nominated for a 2020 ADG award and AWGIE award. Her 2020 short film, Groundhog Night premiered at Sydney Film Festival and she is the creator and series director of ABC Kids interstitial series Tell Me a Tale. She is also receives regular commissions as a director of segments for Sesame Street and recently directed the short form series Bluey Cookalongs and Bluey Fancy Restaurant for the BBC and Bluey’s team. Her directorial work in advertising has been recognized by the B&T Women In Media Awards where she won top gong for Creative in 2016. She’s made branded content for Google, Uber, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, mockumentaries for NAB, a comedy web series for Australia Post which was acquired by ABC iView and Qantas inflight and a family film for Uniting which premiered at TIFF kids and played in front of all theatrical releases at Event cinemas on International Day of People with disability in 2016. She has given keynote speeches on inclusive filmmaking at the BBC UK, TIFF, Disney HQ and the Glasgow Mental Health Festival. Genevieve was the 2015 NSW Young Australian of the year and has been named in the 2014 and 2019 100 Women of Influence. One of Genevieve’s many passions is Bus Stop Films, which she co-founded in 2009. The social enterprise which continues to provide education, filmmaking and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disability in the screen-industry. Genevieve’s work as pioneered change in the film industry when it comes to authentic casting and inclusion in the filmmaking practice. Genevieve’s work as the Series Writer and Director season 1 of the 26 x 11-episode ABC television show, Fizzy and Suds, garnered global attention with two nominations at Prix Jeunesse one of those being the UNESCO Prize, intended to honour a children’s or youth programme that convincingly promotes a better under­standing of people, of different cultures and experiences.