Story comes first.
Image follows feeling.
Katy-May Hudson is an Australian film director whose work explores power, identity and womanhood through psychologically rich and visually distinctive worlds.
She is the Founder and Festival Director of the Brooklyn Women’s Film Festival, Founder of Fourth St. Productions, and a former Co-Artistic Director of the New York Neo-Futurists. Her work and leadership span film, theatre, and curatorial practice across Australia and the United States.
Katy-May studied screenwriting at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, where she was mentored by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Alex Dinelaris (Birdman). His mentorship informed her approach to character, dialogue, and story structure. During her time at SVA she was mentored by and worked with Bob Giraldi (Beat It- Michael Jackson, Say Say Say, Love is a Battlefield). With Bob she learnt a wonderfully straight forward approach to the technical and personal aspects of directing.
She trained at the Atlantic Acting School's Conservatory Program in New York, founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy, where she developed a deep appreciation for truthful performance, ensemble collaboration, and script forward storytelling practices.
Following a series of auditions, Katy-May was invited by renowned mentor Wynn Handman to join his New York studio. Handman- whose alumni include Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Allison Janney, and many others- further shaped her understanding of character, authenticity, the craft of organic acting and gentle directing.
She later became a company member of the New York Neo-Futurists, performing twice weekly in the acclaimed long-running production The Infinite Wrench (formerly Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind). The company's unique approach to devised performance, live creation, and radical honesty continues to influence her work as a writer and director.
Today, Katy-May draws on this foundation to create an actor-focused, script forward, directing process that prioritises trust, emotional truth, and collaborative exploration.
Katy-May is a recipient of the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Program and the SVA Alumni Scholarship Award, a semi-finalist for The Future of Film Is Female Fund, an AACTA Reg Grundy Award finalist, and a Best of Fest winner at SVA Theatre, New York. Her films have been screened at dozens of film festivals in Australia and beyond.
She has collaborated with organisations including Sydney Opera House, YouTube TV, Coca-Cola, Flickerfest, The School of Visual Arts, among others.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Southern Cross University (Australia), a Master’s in Directing from the School of Visual Arts (New York) and is an AFTRS Master of Screen Arts: Directing candidate.
COLLABORATIONS & AWARDS
