Cloudy Rhodes is a trans non-binary artist and award-winning filmmaker. Their work explores queerness, ritual and our relationship to the natural world. Their practice spans narrative film, documentary, photography and participatory moving image.
Rhodes’ work has received numerous accolades including an Australian Directors Guild Award, a Queer Screen Best Film Award, the City of Melbourne Award and an AACTA Award nomination. In 2021, their short film Beautiful They - a personal work exploring gender and identity - had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and was later acquired by Netflix.
Their moving-image work has been supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and City of Sydney and been shown at major institutions including the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney and the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.
Alongside their independent practice, Rhodes has directed narrative and documentary shorts, music videos and commissioned films for clients including Calvin Klein, Levi's and Louis Vuitton.
Rhodes recently completed a three-month directors attachment with Justin Kurzel and is currently developing their debut feature film The Colour of Waves, produced by GoodThing Productions, with Kurzel attached as Executive Producer.
Current Works
2027 (Development)
Hymns - Multi-channel moving image installation
2026 (Pre Production)
The Colour of Waves - Feature film
Produced by GoodThing Productions
Executive Producer: Justin Kurzel
Lead actor attached: Kali Reis
Selected Works
2025
Who I Always Was - Short documentary
Pubished with Directors Library
2021-2022
Beautiful They - Short film
World Premiere - Tribeca Festival (2021)
Australian Premiere - Melbourne International Film Festival (2021)
Winner, Australian Directors’ Guild Award - Best Direction in a Short Film (2021)
Winner, Queer Screen - Best Film (2022)
AACTA Award Nominee - Best Short Form Drama (2021)
Winner, City of Melbourne Award - Best Australian Short Film (2022)
2019
New Masc - Participatory moving-image project
Commissioned by Prototype
Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and the City of Sydney
Developed through workshops exploring contemporary masculinity and queer identity
Exhibited at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
2019
Deluge - Short Film
Funded by Create NSW
World Premier Sydney Film Festival 2019
MCA Screenability 2019
Professional Development
2024
Narrow Road - Directors Attachment
Dir Justin Kurzel
2021
MIFF Accelerator Lab
AWARDS
Australian Director’s Guild Winner Best Short Film 2021 (Beautiful They)
Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival Winner Best Film 2022 (Beautiful They)
City Of Melbourne Award: Best Australian Short Film at MQFF 2022 (Beautiful They)
AACTA Awards Nomination for Best Short Film 2021 (Beautiful They)
POCO Film Festival Winner Best Film 2022 (Beautiful They)
Ciclopes Asia 2021 Best Low Budget (Beautiful They)
ASE Awards Nomination Best Editing in Short Drama 2022 (Beautiful They)
Monster Children’s Annual Photo Competition - Finalist (2012)
FILM FESTIVALS
Tribeca International Film Festival 2021 (Beautiful They)
Melbourne International Film Festival 2021 (Beautiful They)
OUTFEST International Film Festival 2022 (Beautiful They)
Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival 2022 (Beautiful They)
Iris Prize 2022 (Beautiful They)
Flickerfest International Film Festival 2021 (Beautiful They)
St Kilda International Film Festival 2021 (Beautiful They)
Atlanta International Film Festival 2022 (Beautiful They)
Nevada City Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Hollyshorts Film Festival (Beautiful They)
New Orleans Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Florida Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Image+Nation Short Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Milwaukee Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Reel 2 Reel International Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Out Film CT (Beautiful They)
Melbourne Queer Film Festival (Beautiful They)
Queer Film Festival Esslingen (Beautiful They)
Queer Film Festival Weiterstadt (Beautiful They)
Sydney Film Festival 2019 (Deluge)
International Shorts 2019 (Deluge)
Monster Fest 2019 (Deluge)
Panoramica Film Festival 2019 (Deluge)
MCA Screenability 2019 (Deluge)
Flickerfest Sydney 2019 (Deluge)
Visioni Notturne festival 2020 (Deluge)
Vox Feminae Festival 2020 (Deluge)
Festival Concours de Courts 2020 (Deluge)
Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival 2020 (Deluge)
Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2020 (Deluge)
Vox Feminae 2020 (Deluge)
Concours de Courts 2020 (Deluge)
Nepal International Film Festival 2020 (Deluge)
AI Film Festival Semi-Finalist 2020 (Deluge)
LIFFT INDIA FILMOTSAV-World Cine Fest 2020 (Deluge)
Short and Sweet Film Festival Sydney 2020 (Deluge)
Cine-Maniacs Filmfest Semi-Finalist 2020 (Deluge)