Ben Chessell
Writer/Director
Film, TV & Theatre
Film, TV & Theatre
Ben recently completed shooting The Great (created by Oscar Nominee, Tony McNamara) produced by MRC Studios for Hulu/STAN. Prior to The Great, he also directed the critically acclaimed and BAFTA Nominated, Giri/Haji, produced by Sister Pictures for BBC/Netflix.
After studying Ecology and Medieval History at Melbourne University, Ben graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2001. Palace Films released his acclaimed graduation film, The Only Person In The World theatrically in Australia. Ben was a finalist at the 2002 Dendy Awards, and was nominated for an AFI award, as well as screening at over 20 x festivals (including Telluride and Melbourne International Film Festival, MIFF 2004). Ben went on to make the AFC
funded shorts and wrote and directed a telemovie for SBSi, The Heartbreak Tour. The screenplay was the first to be nominated for the Melbourne Prize for Literature.
A finalist in the Kudos/Red Planet Pictures Screenwriting Prize in 2011 and Ben’s first US credit as a director was the first season of Camp for Matchbox and NBC Universal.
Ben has directed many episodes of Australia television including; Dance Academy (ABC TV/ZDF Germany), RUSH seasons 3 & 4 and the acclaimed Offspring seasons 3 & 4. Ben was also the series director for seasons 2 & 3 of The Family Law for Matchbox / NBC Universal and for Doctor Doctor for Easy Tiger/Nine Network. In addition to directing, Ben has also written many episodes on these shows.
In addition to his television credits, Ben co-wrote and directed his first feature film, Sucker (co-written with Lawrence Leung) which premiered at MIFF 2015. Sucker had its North American premiere at the St Lawrence International Film Festival, winning the Best Narrative Feature Award.
Ben is currently in post production on Surviving Summer for Netflix in Australia, where he was set up director on this new YA series. He will soon commence set up on Deadloch, a new series for Amazon.
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
DIRTY OLD TOWN | Producer: Tait Brady | Writer/Director |
THE CENTURY | Headstrong | Writer |
JERUSALEM | Writer | |
WRITING RAIN | Producer: Louise Smith | Writer/Director |
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
DEADLOCH 2023 | Amazon Studios for Amazon Prime Video / Guesswork Television / OK Great Productions | Lead/Set-up director. |
DOCTOR WHO S14 | Director, block four. | |
SURVIVING SUMMER 2021 | Netflix | Lead director. |
THE GREAT 2020 | MRC Studios | Director. |
GIRI HAJI 2019 | Sister Pictures / BBC One / Netflix | Director. |
THE FAMILY LAW 2017 | Matchbox Pictures / SBS | Director. |
DOCTOR DOCTOR 2017 - 2018 | Easy Tiger Productions | Director. |
OFFSPRING 2017 | Southern Star / Network Ten | Director |
2013 | Matchbox, Berman Braun, NBC Universal | Director (episodes 104 and 105) |
2013 | John Edwards & Imogen Banks. Southern Star / Network Ten | 60min comedy/drama |
OFFSPRING 2012 | Producers: John Edwards & Imogen Banks. Southern Star / Network Ten | 60min comedy/drama |
2011 | Producers: John Edwards & Mimi Butler. Southern Star / Network Ten | 45min police drama |
RESCUE SPECIAL OPS 2010 | Producer: Sarah Smith & Julie McGauran. Southern Star / Channel Nine | Director (episodes 311 and 312) |
RUSH 2010 | Producers: John Edwards & Mimi Butler. Southern Star / Network Ten | Director (episodes 307 and 322) |
DANCE ACADEMY 2009 | Producer: Joanna Werner. ACTF / ABC TV | Director (episodes 121 and 122) |
ELEPHANT PRINCESS (Series) 2007 | Prod: Jonathan M Shiff. ACTF and Network Ten | Director’s Attachment with Roger Hodgman |
MARX AND VENUS - THE COUNCIL 2007 | SBS Television | Writer (episode 110) |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
SUCKER 2015 | Producer: Jason Byrne & Robyn Kershaw | Director and Co-Writer (with Lawrence Leung) |
LITTLE DEATHS 2008 | Director (segment “Good Vibrations”). | |
THE HEARTBREAK TOUR 2005 | SBSi/Australian Film Commission | Short Feature |
Short Films
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
A FAMILIAR LULLABY 2004 | Kulturregion Hannover / Nordmedia | Director |
AFTERTHOUGHT 2002 | Writer/Director | |
HEARTWORM 2003 | Australian Film Commission | Writer/Director. |
IS GOD A DJ? 2001 | Writer/Director | |
LOOKER 2001 | Writer/Director | |
THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD 2001 | Writer/Director |