Ruth Hessey
Ruth is currently working on two screen projects set in different periods of Australian history. Over the last fifteen years Ruth has juggled commitments as a performer, fiction writer, and journalist working in film, television, radio and print journalism.
Most recently the editor of Australia’s leading arts journal, Australian Art Review (2003-2005), Ruth was film editor/feature writer for the Sydney Morning Herald from 1995 – 2000, and a regular film reviewer for Richard Glover on ABC radio 702, and James Valentine on 702 Afternoons. Ruth’s byline has appeared everywhere – from The Age, to Vogue, Marie Claire , the Sydney Morning Herald and IF magazine.
In 1998 Ruth co-edited the short fiction collection Screwed: Stories of Love and Sex (Allen & Unwin) with contributors such as Bob Ellis, Luke Davies, Jill Dupleix, Terry Durack and William Yang. Ruth has also held the positions of Contributing Editor (New Woman), Senior Editor (Juice), and Arts Editor (The Eastern Herald).
From 2000 – 2002, Ruth appeared as the channel host/presenter of the World Movies pay TV channel. Previous television credits include film reviewer for ABC TV Arts Review. She also created a film course and directed a short documentary film made with indigenous students at Rooty Hill High School in 2004 and 2005 (DVD copies available). The project was so successful, Ruth was commissioned to create another film course at Rooty Hill High School in 2006.
In 2002, Ruth produced, directed and conducted a series of television interviews with guest filmmakers for the Adelaide International Film Festival Archives Project (Rolf de Heer, David Gulpilil, etc). The previous year she created a similar series of interviews at the Sydney International Film Festival. Copies available.
Over the years Ruth has written about food (a column in the Sun-Herald, feature writer Vogue Entertaining); design and architecture (Object, Interior Architecture, Marie Claire Lifestyle, Inside Out); and pop culture (Juice, Rolling Stone, Elle, New Woman, SMH). Ruth has also worked extensively as a travel writer covering stories in New York, LA, London, Dublin, South of France, Nepal, Vietnam, Kakadu, The Kimberlies, Tasmania, Zanzibar, and Thailand for Elle, Rolling Stone, Australian Style, Marie-Claire Lifestyle, and The Age.
As a film critic she has interviewed everyone from Ang Lee to Gerard Depardieu, Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett, Peter Weir, Ridley Scott, Toni Collette, Jack Nicholson, Geoffrey Rush, Phil Noyce, Spike Lee etc. Flickers is a collection of her film interviews and essays.
Ruth is also a seasoned public speaker, and has presided as a jury member on many film festivals throughout Australia, including the FIPRESCI International Jury at the Brisbane International Film festival.