Behind the lens

Acclaimed filmmaker Wayne Blair's latest role sees him mentoring the next generation of creatives at Bond

1 April, 2026
6 minute read

Behind
the lens

Acclaimed filmmaker Wayne Blair's latest role sees him mentoring the next generation of creatives at Bond

1 April, 2026
6 minute read

He may be considered one of our country’s leading actors, writers and directors, having received what’s widely referred to as an ‘Australian Oscar’ for hit film The Sapphires, but Wayne Blair has none of the tropes associated with Hollywood.

In fact, he humbly describes his latest role as Bond’s first film, screen and creative media Artist-in-Residence as a two-way street.

"It's like when you watch a good film, because it can surprise you and it makes you want to be part of it. That's what the students are providing for me. It works both ways. I can give them as much support as they can give me."
Wayne Blair

From video store to the AACTA stage

Growing up in Rockhampton, Queensland, Wayne discovered filmmaking while working the night shift at video stores, Video Ezy and Plains Video, in the late 1990s.

“I would take a film out every night and watch it. It wasn't just the European films, it was the Hollywood blockbusters, the Steven Spielberg or the Robert Zemeckis. I think the most artistic was Stanley Kubrick,” he says.

“That was my touchstone into the world, and acting and directing went hand-in-hand for me because that was my journey. Even today, they're trying to dance with each other.”

After graduating from Queensland University of Technology, he began his acting career in Sydney. It led to a mentorship that he says helped hone his craft.

It was the early 2000s, and he was chosen by Metro Screen, a community-based organisation run by Screen New South Wales, to produce a short film. The group had been looking for emerging Indigenous artists wanting to break into the industry.

“I was selected out of five filmmakers, all new filmmakers who had never made a short film, and it was fantastic. Metro Screen was the catalyst for me to make film, and I made two more films with that team,” he says.

“It was great. I learnt how to tell a story; I made many mistakes along the way but was so inspired.”

It was the beginning of an illustrious career on both sides of the camera, as an actor, writer and director. He both acted and directed in groundbreaking series Redfern Now, exploring the lives of Indigenous families living in inner-Sydney, and played a prominent role in drama series Total Control.

His direction of feel-good comedy-drama The Sapphires, based on the true story of four Indigenous women who entertain troops in war-torn Vietnam, earned him an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) award for Best Direction in 2012.

His latest projects — which he completed while Artist-in-Residence at Bond — include directing Australian crime series, Mystery Road: Origin and mini-series Goolagong, a biographical drama following the remarkable life of Indigenous tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

The Artist-in-Residence

As Bond’s first Artist-in-Residence, Wayne has been guiding students as they develop and film their productions. With an office on campus, he’s also working on his own projects and was able to show early screenings of both Mystery Road: Origin and Goolagong to the students.

“It’s been quite practical, and I've had moments where I've been able to share projects I've been working on in completed stages… and talk about the finer details of making a project and story, so it's been a sharing process,” he says.

“Hopefully it has inspired them, as I've been inspired by their stories.

“For Goolagong, I could do the work here. It was great because I could work, then go down the hallway and sit in a room with the students and talk about their projects.

“Having a quiet space, means I can do Zoom sessions, editing sessions with the editor or mixing sessions with the sound mixer, from Bond University and not be in Melbourne.”

In a seven-degrees of separation moment, Wayne also came across a star of Goolagong — Bond alumna, filmmaker and actor Elizabeth Cullen. Elizabeth was visiting Bond as host of its annual high school filmmaking competition, the Bond University Film and Television Academy (BUFTA) Awards, a decade after she herself won its Best Overall Filmmaker and Best Director.

Guiding six Bond filmmakers

Wayne is also working practically with six students on their short films, as they move into production and shooting their work.

“I'm working with the individual filmmakers at the inception stage of writing, which I find exciting,” he says.

“I'm an outside source but can come in and have my two cents worth. I talk to the filmmakers about their journey and about what they desire their intended finished film to be.

“It's great, and to do six films is fantastic because I get to be a part of that and see how another filmmaker works, and to be excited by another filmmaker.

“They might have a little less experience than I do, but I tell you what, their enthusiasm, skill and craft is up there with the really good people.”

Industry meets the classroom

Bond University Head of Film, Screen and Creative Media, Dr Darren Paul Fisher, says having Wayne on campus has been invaluable, noting he generously invites students into his experience and gives them first-hand insight into working in the fast-paced film industry.

The partnership grew from an initial conversation at an AACTA event, where Darren invited Wayne for a one-off talk with the students, expanding significantly beyond the original vision.

“For somebody with that level of experience to be so generous with their time, mentoring students through their most significant production at Bond, is absolutely amazing,” says Darren.

“It’s rare to have someone of Wayne’s stature be able to do it and is truly blurring the boundaries between industry and the classroom in a way that’s so meaningful.

“He couldn’t be more supportive of the students.”

Darren points to the nomination of student film, Enmeshed, as one of only nine finalists in the AACTA Awards inaugural ‘Best Student Film’ category, as a beneficiary of the program.

The film, which follows a teen navigating the moral and psychological dilemma of being kidnapped by his schizophrenic mother, was directed by Corban Bruce, and produced by Tyler Maple and Aleia Johnston — among those mentored during Wayne’s residency.

Darren says the University has always offered work-integrated learning, with guest lecturers or producers helping assess student pitches, but the Artist-in-Residence elevated the experience and industry exposure.

“We want students to feel like they’re already part of the industry while they’re studying here, and this program has certainly furthered that,” he says.

“The access to Wayne, and his knowledge, is next level.”

The director's cut

To aspiring filmmakers, Wayne suggests seeking practical feedback from as many voices as possible and staying true to their story.

“I don't know everything. I can be another filmmaker within the student’s nucleus of filmmakers to break bread and talk about their project in a way that will make them better practitioners,” he says.

“My advice is to be themselves. That unique story that's inside of them, that's what the world wants to see. So be true to that, be true to that as much as you can.”

The director's cut

To aspiring filmmakers, Wayne suggests seeking practical feedback from as many voices as possible and staying true to their story.

“I don't know everything. I can be another filmmaker within the student’s nucleus of filmmakers to break bread and talk about their project in a way that will make them better practitioners,” he says.

“My advice is to be themselves. That unique story that's inside of them, that's what the world wants to see. So be true to that, be true to that as much as you can.”