BIO

Tom Bannigan ACS  is an award-winning cinematographer who has worked in documentary for theatrical and broadcast as well as art installations. He has won a number of cinematography accolades including most recently the Golden Tripod for his  documentary work from the Australian Cinematography Society.

Tom specialises in filming in extreme environments and having trained as a geologist, brings a distinctive aesthetic to his work. He has filmed a wide range of content from Australian Museum expedition trips to the ultimate rock-climbing zone of Balls Pyramid, the creation of a secular democracy in former ISIS strongholds of Northern Syria, character driven films in remote Indigenous Australia, the criminal underworld of Peru, Afghan women worried about a resurgent Taliban, and treks with scientific expeditions in the Solomon Island highlands.

A natural collaborator, he works closely with a director to help realise their cinematic vision and often begins dialogue with co-creatives in development or pre-production. His feature documentary work include collaborations with Australian director Yaara Bou Melhem for ‘Unseen Skies’ which follows contemporary artist Trevor Paglen whose work examines machine vision, surveillance and the politics of space. The cinematography was described as ‘visually stunning and immersive’ at premiere by the San Francisco International Film Festival. His collaboration with Australian director Karl Malakunas for ‘Delikado’, about environmental defenders of one of the world’s last great forests was released in 2022 and has won numerous awards.