Tom Zubrycki is an Australian documentary filmmaker, director, and producer. He has directed and produced films for more than 40 years, and is considered one of Australia’s most important documentary makers.
Tom was born in Sydney in 1951 and grew up in the city’s inner-west suburb of Ashfield. He was educated at the University of New South Wales, where he studied engineering, before changing direction and studying film at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Tom started his film-making career in 1976 when he made his first feature doco, “The Great Bustard”, which was shown at the Sydney Film Festival. It was a success, and he went on to make a series of acclaimed documentaries.
His most well-known work is the 1984 film “The Great Bookie Robbery”, which chronicles the true story of a daring robbery in Melbourne. The film won him numerous awards and made him a household name in Australia.
In addition to feature films, Tom has also made numerous television documentaries. His most acclaimed work in this field is the series “The Outlaw Industry”, which he directed for the ABC. It was a groundbreaking series that exposed the hidden world of the Australian illegal gambling industry.
Tom’s work has been praised for its bold and uncompromising approach to documentary-making. He has also directed several feature films, most notably the 2002 drama “The Bet”.
Tom has won numerous awards for his work, including five AFI awards, two Logie awards, and an IF award. He has been recognised for his documentary-making by the Australian Directors Guild, and has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the film industry.
Tom continues to make films, and his most recent work is the 2019 documentary “The Australian Dream”, which tells the story of AFL player Adam Goodes and his stand against racism in Australia. The film was a critical and commercial success, and won him another AFI award.
Tom Zubrycki is one of Australia’s most acclaimed documentary makers, and his work has had a major impact on the Australian film industry. His films have explored a diverse range of topics, from illegal gambling to racism in the AFL, and he is widely recognised for his bold and uncompromising approach to documentary-making.
