Leticia Cáceres is an Argentine-born Australian stage and film director. She is co-founder of RealTV theatre company, based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Cáceres has worked across theatre, television, and film, gaining recognition for her work on productions such as '' The Drover’s Wife'' and ''

Bump Bump or bumps may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Bump (dance), a dance from the 1970s disco era * ''BUMP'' (comics), 2007-08 limited edition comic book series Fictional characters * Bobby Bumps, titular character of a series of American si ...

''. In recent years, she has transitioned into television directing, with credits including ''

Spooky Files ''Spooky Files'' is an Australian comedy television series for children on ABC ME ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a c ...

'', ''

Rock Island Mysteries ''Rock Island Mysteries'' is an Australian comedy television show for children and young teenagers, which premiered on Nickelodeon (then named 10 Shake) on 2 May 2022 and the pay-television Nickelodeon channel on the following day. It follows ...

'', and '' Royal Flying Doctors''. Cáceres has also directed several films, including the short ''Wild'', which won the Gold Lion Award for Best First-Time Director at the London Film Awards.

Early life

Cáceres was born in

Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province an ...

. Her parents, physicist Carlos Cáceres and

computer programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles ''software developer'' and ''software engineer'' are used for jobs that require a progr ...

Maria Cáceres, fled Argentina in 1981 during the

Dirty war The Dirty War () is the name used by the military junta or National Reorganization Process, civic-military dictatorship of Argentina () for its period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983. During this campaign, military and secu ...

, seeking refuge in Canada. The family returned to Argentina in 1983 before leaving again in 1989. They initially moved back to Canada, before finally settling in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, in 1991. Cáceres studied drama at

Indooroopilly Indooroopilly ( , colloquially Indro ) is a riverside suburb south-west of the Brisbane CBD, Queensland, Australia. In the , Indooroopilly had a population of 13,622 people. Geography Indooroopilly is bounded to the south and south-east by ...

state school.

Education

In 2000, she graduated from the

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

with a bachelor's degree in drama. She graduated with a Master's of Dramatic Art (Directing) from the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

, in 2014.

Career

Cáceres was associate director for

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

from 2013 to 2015, and Artistic Director of Tantrum Youth Arts between 2006 and 2007. She was the associate director for

Queensland Theatre Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Brown Theatre and the Queensland Performin ...

between 2003 and 2005. Cáceres's screen credits include ''Wild'', which won Best First Time Director at the 2017 London Film Awards, and ''The True History of Billie The Kid'', which was shown at the

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

in 2018. Cáceres work has since transitioned into television. In 2021 and 2022, She directed several episodes of ''Bump''., and worked as a Director's Attachment on

Fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...

. In 2023, she directed episodes of the anthology series ''

Erotic Stories Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feeli ...

'', episodes of ''

'' . In 2024, she also directed episodes of ''

'', as well as episodes of '' Royal Flying Doctors''. In 2019, Cáceres became an

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

at Start VR.

RealTV

Cáceres is co-founder of an independent theatre company called RealTV (also spelt Real TV) with playwright Angela Betzien. Their work for young audiences include: ''Hoods'', which won the multiple awards; ''War Crimes''; and ''Children of the Black Skirt''.

Awards

In 2024, Cáceres was nominated for two AACTA Awards: Best Drama Series for ''Erotic Stories'' and Best Direction for Episode 1 of ''

''. In 2020, Cáceres won the award for Outstanding Direction in the Professional Theatre category at the Tasmanian Theatre Awards, for ''The Mares''. Cáceres' production of

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to rol ...

's '' The Drover's Wife'' (

Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre comprises two performing spaces: the Upstairs Theatre and the small ...

) won four

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

including Best Direction and Best Production and four Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction and Best Production. In 2017, she won the Gold Lion Award for Best First-Time Director at the London Film Awards, and the Next Gen Student Film Award at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival, for the short film, ''Wild''. She won the 2015 Best Director

Green Room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...

Award for her production of

Simon Stephens Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is a British-Irish playwright, musician and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is ...

' ''Birdland'', presented by Melbourne Theatre Company. In 2008, Cáceres won the award for Best Direction at the Matilda Awards, for ''Hoods''. ''Hoods'' also won a

Matilda Award The Matilda Awards recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre, and performance in southeast Queensland. History Established in 1987 by Alison Cotes and Sue Gough, the awards are an annual event held in February or March. The awards are ...

for Best Independent Production, the 2007

AWGIE Award The AWGIE Awards are annual awards given by the Australian Writers' Guild (AWG), for excellence in screen, television, stage, and radio writing. History The AWGIE awards were conceived in 1967, with the first event being held in 1968. Bettina ...

for Theatre for Young Audiences and received a 2008

Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (né Helpman) (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet (no ...

nomination;

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cáceres, Leticia Australian theatre directors Australian women theatre directors Living people Helpmann Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)