Directing

Lucy McKendrick

Biography

Lucy McKendrick is an Australian-American actor, writer, director, and producer. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, she graduated from the American Film Institute Directing Conservatory, where she honed her craft in both narrative storytelling and directing. Early in her career, McKendrick founded her own production banner, Loose Tooth Productions. McKendrick's work in short film established her reputation on the international festival circuit. Her documentary Toombaworth (2012) garnered the Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year award at the Byron Bay International Film Festival. It earned multiple honours in the United States. In 2013, her documentary also achieved Best Documentary at the St. Kilda Film Festival. She expanded her narrative work with the short B'Gawk: A Chick Flick (2017), which won Best International Short Film at the Oxford International Film Festival in the United Kingdom.  In 2023, McKendrick wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short film Fuck Me, Richard (2023), playing the lead role of Sally and co-directing with Charlie Polinger. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. It was nominated for the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Short and for the Seattle International Film Festival Short Film Competition Award in the Live Action category. She received the Best Director award for this work at the Australian Women's Film Festival the same year.  McKendrick has also contributed as a producer on larger projects, including the feature The Plague (2025), for which she was nominated in 2026 for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature, shared with collaborators Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, and Lizzie Shapiro. Her films have been screened at festivals worldwide, including Palm Springs, Melbourne, Nashville, and Warsaw, and have been recognised by Vimeo's Short of the Week and Staff Picks.