Emilie Lowe.

In a milestone moment for Western Australian film, 26-year-old Emilie Lowe has become the first cinematographer from WA to win the prestigious John Leake OAM ACS Emerging Cinematographer Award.

The prize was awarded to the young filmmaker this week at the Australian Cinematographers Society’s National Awards in Adelaide, a celebration of the country’s finest visual storytellers.

Named after ACS co-founder John Leake OAM, the award spotlights bold, emerging talent behind the camera.

Despite her young age, Emilie Lowe has already crafted a diverse and ambitious body of work. She co-shot, wrote, directed, edited and starred in her debut feature The Canary, a raw, two-hour independent survival drama set in the 1800s. Emilie also served as director of photography on End of the Line, which recently screened at the WA Made Film Festival.

Emilie took full creative control as both director and sole cinematographer on her internationally award-winning short Where Dead Things Grow, a haunting 35-minute drama exploring grief, loneliness and fragile hope in a ruined world.

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She brought the same fearless dual role to her documentaries: Factor Zero: Defying a Bleeding Disorder, an intimate look at life with the genetic bleeding disorder haemophilia, and Salt in the Veins, a powerful examination of ageism in Western Australia’s surfing community.

And she’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Emilie is currently in pre-production on her next feature, the quasi-Western monster thriller Dead Centre. Once again stepping behind the camera as lead cinematographer and director, she’s set to shoot across the rugged, untamed landscapes of rural WA.

Emilie’s rapid rise is more than just a personal triumph; it’s a great moment for Western Australia’s independent film scene. With visionaries like her pushing boundaries, blending raw emotion, inventive framing and distinctly local stories, the future of WA filmmaking looks bright.

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