Thomas Hyland is an Australian-Irish filmmaker based in Melbourne. Thomas brings a distinctive perspective to genre storytelling with a focus on desire and psychological tension, dark comedy, and the absurdity of life.
Thomas’ debut documentary feature THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG, produced by Fremantle Australia and Truce Films, premiered at MIFF 2023, winning both Audience and Jury Awards. The film went on to screen at BFI London, True/False, HotDocs and Tallinn Black Nights, earning two AACTA nominations, winning Best Feature Film at AIDC 2024, before landing on Netflix. Thomas was nominated for Best Direction in a Debut Feature by the Australian Directors Guild.
He is currently in development on the psychological coming-of-age thriller, DEAD QUIET, with Whitefalk Films, supported by VicScreen and Screen Australia. His television series EMPATHY, an elevated sci-fi drama, is in development with Matchbox Pictures and NBCU. Thomas’ original factual series concept ELEPHANTS was a finalist for the AACTA 2026 Reg Grundy Award.
For commercial work, Thomas is represented by Truce Films, where he’s developed a reputation for emotionally compelling scripted and documentary campaigns. He previously worked as Director, Story Developer and Editor for AFL Studios, Vice Australia and Dark Mofo.
