Agnes Peel-McGregor
WRITER |DIRECTOR
Agnes is an award-winning writer and director with a background in theatre and poetic performance art. Her short films have been described by critics as: ‘immersive and full of visual spectacle’; ‘stylish and imaginative’ and Agnes as a filmmaker, who is 'capable of grappling with genre mutations and high standard storytelling'. Agnes's films have screened at some of the top film festivals around the world, garnering multiple awards and nominations and she has been awarded as a screenwriter, director, producer and editor.
In 2014, Agnes directed a revenge thriller - a short play titled WALKING SHADOW, which won 1st place (the Judge's Choice Award) in the Wildcards Section of Short and Sweet Theatre Sydney - the biggest little play festival in the world.
The same year, her short film MILKMAID - a psychological thriller, was awarded by the Honorary OSCAR® recipient DAVID LYNCH (Twin Peaks; Mulholland Drive; Wild at Heart; Blue Velvet; Elephant Man) garnering her a full scholarship to attend his Master of Fine Arts in Film in the USA, where she was mentored by the world renowned film director. MILKMAID went on to win multiple awards and nominations at film festivals around the world.
Agnes's latest film LAST TREE STANDING - a 30 min. dystopian fantasy premiered at SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival - being only one of five shorts directed by a woman in Official Competition. To date, the film has won thirty awards on the festival circuit worldwide and from professional Guilds and Associations, including multiple wins for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film was in consideration for the 2020 OSCARS® Short Film Awards.
Agnes is also a graduate of Sydney Film School (SFS) in Australia, NIDA’s (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) Screen Directors Studio in Australia and UCLA’s (University of California School of Theatre, Film and Television) Professional Programs in Screenwriting in the USA. While undertaking her screenwriting studies at UCLA - considered to be one of the most prestigious academic programs for screenwriters - Agnes’s first feature length screenplay ELLIOT, was nominated for the Nate Wilson Joie de Vivre Award (an award presented to the screenwriting student whose screenplay is selected as best of the year).
In 2018, Agnes was selected by the Directors and Editors Guild of New Zealand (DEGNZ) to participate in their Women Filmmakers Incubator - a one year program honouring female directors, who 'show real promise in moving rapidly towards their first major projects'.
Later that year, she received a Talent Development Grant from the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) towards writing her feature length screenplay PLATO'S CAVE - an absurdist dystopian satire.
In 2021, Agnes completed a TV Pilot titled SHADOWODD - a supernatural dystopian thriller based on two of her award winning shorts. Most recently, the screenplay was selected as a Catalyst Story Institute finalist from hundreds of show concepts from around the world, garnering Agnes a 1-year Scholarship to the Institute for career advancement and project development. Sponsored by HBO and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the program is focused on discovering outstanding independent content creators within the global episodic marketplace.
Agnes is currently writing a feature length psychological horror and works as a freelance directress.
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
2021 CATALYST STORY INSTITUTE
International
Finalist
TV Pilot SHADOWODD
2019 SAINT-PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Grand Prix - Audience Choice Award
Best Art Direction
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL GENRE FILM FESTIVAL
Chicago, United States
Best Fantasy Short
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 SIOUX CITY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sioux City, United States
Best Film in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Category
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL (Academy Awards® qualifying)
Melbourne, Australia
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Best Animation (Nomination)
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 ANNUAL IOWA MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION AWARDS (IMPA), Iowa, United States
Best Direction
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Original Music Score
Best Soundtrack Audio Mix
Best Visual Effects
Award of Achievement - Director of Photography
Award of Achievement - Actress
Award of Achievement - Actor
Award of Achievement - Voice Over Narration
Award of Achievement - Live Action Entertainment
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
MAY 2017 EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS (ECA)
Warsaw, Poland
Best Cinematography
Short Film MILKMAID
2015 ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL (Academy Awards® qualifying)
Melbourne, Australia
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Sound (Nomination)
Short Film MILKMAID
2015 BRAZIL CINEFEST
Brazil, South America
Special Mention
Short Film MILKMAID
2015 ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN SCREEN EDITORS ELLIE AWARDS (ASE), Sydney, Australia
Best Editing in a Short Film Category (Nominee)
Short Film MILKMAID
2014 DAVID LYNCH MASTER OF FINE ARTS SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION, Fairfield, United States
1st Place Winner
Short Film MILKMAID
2014 UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATRE, FILM AND TELEVISION
Los Angeles, United States
Nate Wilson Joie de Vivre Award (Nomination)
Feature Length Screenplay ELLIOT
2015 ACCOLADE GLOBAL FILM COMPETITION
United States
Award of Excellence
Short Film MILKMAID
2010 11th SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL FESTIVAL
Sydney, Australia
Best Production Design
Highly Commended for Direction, Cinematography and Editing
Short Film SUPPRESSION
2011 SHOWREEL INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
United Kingdom
Editor's Choice for October
Short Film SUPPRESSION
2020 OSCARS® SHORT FILM AWARDS
International
In Consideration
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2019 NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION (NZFC)
New Zealand
Talent Development Grant Recipient
Feature Length Screenplay PLATO'S CAVE
2019 FARGO FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL
Fargo, United States
Honorable Mention Best Film
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2019 OLYMPUS FILM FESTIVAL
Los Angeles, United States
Best Screenplay
Best Sci-Fi Short Film
Best Actress under 18
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 DIRECTORS AND EDITORS GUILD OF NEW ZEALAND (DEGNZ)
New Zealand
Women Filmmakers Incubator
Official Selection - Participant
OCTOBER 2018 EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS (ECA), Netherlands
Best Short Film
Best Director
Best Short Screenplay
Best Young Actress
Best Cinematography
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2018 IOWA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Iowa, United States
Best Short Film
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2017 ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHERS SOCIETY STATE AWARDS FOR CINEMATOGRAPHY (ACS), Sydney, Australia
Silver Award Winner
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2017 ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS
(AMOCOS APRA & AGSC) Melbourne, Australia
Best Music Score in a Short Film Category
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2017 SITGES INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL
(Academy Awards® qualifying, Melies Awards qualifying), Sitges, Spain
Best Short Film (Nomination)
Short Film LAST TREE STANDING
2016 SYDNEY WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
Sydney, Australia
Best Australian Film
Short Film MILKMAID
2015 MACAE CINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
South America
Special Mention
Short Film MILKMAID
2015 FESTICINI INTERNATIONAL INEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL, South America
Best Cinematography
Best Film (Nomination)
Best Sound (Nomination)
Short Film MILKMAID
2014 SHORT AND SWEET SYDNEY
Sydney, Australia
1st place in the Judge's Choice - Wildcard's 6
Short Play WALKING SHADOW