Lianne Mackessy is an award-winning Sydney-based writer and director.
Raised in regional New South Wales, she is drawn to emotionally grounded, character-driven stories across drama and comedy, with a particular interest in female-led narratives.
Prior to filmmaking, Lianne worked extensively in youth services and disability support, experiences that continue to inform her interest in human-centred storytelling.
In 2026, her short film Crescendo won Tropfest, and she was selected as an inaugural recipient of the Tropfest Runway x MPA Career Accelerator Program in Los Angeles.
Her short film Tuesday Tuesday received an AWGIE nomination, and she won the Rebel 8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director at Flickerfest. Hopeful Romantic won Best Screenplay at the Australian Women’s Film Festival in 2023.
Lianne holds a Master of Arts in Directing from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), where she previously completed an Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting.
WRITERLianne Mackessy
