BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Williams' dramatic entry into the world was captured on film for 'educational purposes.' Though horrified as a sex-ed student at school, Elizabeth now treasures the fact that film was a significant part of her life from day one. Her audacious mother, Evelyn Joy Hogan, was a marriage guidance counsellor and passionate human rights advocate who fought for the rights of refugees, aboriginals and other marginalised groups. When Elizabeth was thirteen, her inspiring mother died after a ten year battle with cancer. The other 23 of Elizabeth's chromosomes were generously donated by Professor John Williams, an eccentric scientist and lay preacher. Joy and John Williams raised Elizabeth, along with her elder brother Lindsay and sister, Rebecca, in a close-knit community by the river in North Queensland, Australia.

Elizabeth's childhood was defined by drama and creativity; she loved to make tree houses, perform to anyone who would watch and make up stories (mainly to get out of doing chores). She wrote her first 'novel' (or 'very long ramble') in her early teens and her first feature screenplay in high school (a brutally transparent autobiography Searching, which will forever remain unfit for public viewing). Her senior year at Hawker College, gave her the opportunity to act in plays, direct a full length play, write a children's book, dance, study media and make her first documentary. It was here that she became addicted to the medium of film.

Selected for a Rotary Exchange Scholarship, Elizabeth set off for a year in Canada before she returned to complete a BA in Communication (Film and TV) from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Diploma of Ministry (Film and TV) from Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney, Australia. It was at her church that she learnt the ropes of multi-camera filmmaking — everything from being a cable-puller to camera operator and eventually director of a TV show aired on Channel Nine, one of three main free-to-air commercial networks in Australia.

Eager to be involved in narrative film, Elizabeth secured a Director-in-Training position with Howard Rubie on the TV series Escape of the Artful Dodger, a sequel to Oliver Twist. Willing to help in any way, she ended up working in every department from making children's fingers look dirty, to holding the boom microphone, script distribution and directing.

Fascinated by the casting process, Elizabeth sought out a job at Australia's leading casting consultancy - Mullinars Casting where she was the Casting Director for a Ford commercial and Casting Assistant for two TV series Snobs and Young Lions. 

Elizabeth's life-long love of learning gave rise to a love of teaching: she went on to lecturer in Screenwriting at Hillsong Leadership College and Acting for the Camera at  Excelsia College and C3 Creative Arts College .  She also worked as an English tutor for KipMcGrath and numerous other coaching colleges. In addition, she wrote educational material for Macmillan Education,  CS Education and her own series 'Essay Writing for Smarties'.

In recognition of her academic bent (and, lets face it - an attempt to get a 'real job' that was more consistent), Elizabeth completed a Masters of Teaching (High School English) at the University of Western Sydney where she was on the Dean's List for outstanding academic achievement. Her first school practicum was at a school where a student threw yogurt across the room and used scissors to threaten to cut herself.  Her second school they all stood in silence when she entered the room. As a fully qualified teacher, they let her loose with a bunch of teenagers for six months; but as much as she loved it, she knew in her heart she needed to be making films.

Elizabeth tracked down one of Australia's best Writer-Directors - Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Chris Noonan. She became his assistant for many years and had the opportunity to work as a reader, script analyst and eventually co-writer. Chris and Elizabeth made a dynamic writing team and spent over a year co-writing a feature film together, which is currently in development in Hollywood.

Elizabeth is in the process of finding a sponsor so she can relocate to Hollywood permanently and continue to pursue her aspirations to make films that change the world for the better.

"...Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." (Rob Siltanen, working for Steve Jobbs, 1997 )