Ray Lawrence

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Ray Lawrence (born 1948) is an Australian film director. He was born in England and moved to Australia at age 11. All his films are made in Australia with predominantly Australian casts. He has made only three films in two decades, yet they have been some of the most critically acclaimed works in Australian cinema during that time. He is famous for his insistence on "complete creative control", one-take shoots and use of natural light. He makes commercials in between films.

Lawrence's unique cinematic style has established him as one of the most respected dramatic directors of contemporary Australian cinema. While only producing three films in his 25 year career as a feature film director, all of his features have meditated around the slippery and often painful nature of 'real' human interaction. It is Lawrence's ability to illustrate intensely personal interactions between characters as they navigate through the less than 'cinematic' terrain of real life situations that has engaged his audience and earned the respect among cinema goers and critics alike.

His second feature, Lantana (2001), is one of the highest grossing Australian films ever made winning critical and popular recognition including Best film, Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards. Examining the notion of trust, the film weaves the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy psychiatrist across the fabric of three Australian families, with each family representative of a different social class existent in contemporary Australian society.

His films are:

Bliss (1985), based on the Peter Carey novel of the same name
Lantana (2001), Andrew Bovell's adaptation of his play, Speaking In Tongues, which won seven AFI Awards
Jindabyne (2006), based on Raymond Carver's short story, So Much Water So Close to Home