Melody Chen

Melody Chen was selected to take part in First Break NSW and successfully completed the program in June 2022.

Melody is a Chinese-Australian writer based in Sydney. In 2021, her short film, Posthumous Forgiveness, screened at the Short + Sweet Illawarra Film Festival and caught the attention of award-winning filmmakers worldwide. Her work combines offbeat humour with vulnerability to tell stories about queer identity, family, girlhood and the Chinese diaspora.

Melody is currently writing a satirical comedy series about the Asian-Australian teen experience. She is also co-writing and directing Death at White Rocks, a supernatural mystery series, alongside her friend and collaborator Chris Chacos.

Melody is also completing her Honours year in Film Studies at UNSW, supervised by Dr. Roanna Gonsalves. Her thesis explores Donald Glover’s Atlanta and the interplay between estrangement and empathy in POC comedy-dramas.

Since completing First Break NSW, Melody has worked as a notetaker on a diverse slate of projects for Goalpost Pictures, See-Saw Films, Aquarius Films and Screen Australia. She has also cut her teeth on shows in production with SBS, ABC Me and Stan Originals, set for release in late 2023.