Biography

Annabel Maclean is an Australian screenwriter, filmmaker, and actor whose work explores female identity, survival, intergenerational relationships, and ethical boundaries through horror, sci-fi, crime, and comedy.

Annabel grew up in Phalaborwa, a remote mining town in South Africa in the '90s before relocating to Perth, Western Australia, as a teen along with her three younger sisters. She has lived in Geraldton, Sulawesi Indonesia, Melbourne (where she got her B.A in journalism at RMIT), Vancouver Canada, and is currently based in Los Angeles.

As a screenwriter, Annabel's childish-nightmare inspired horror short film MR BIG HANDS is a Top 10 Finalist in Roadmap Writers' Short Film Competition 2024, a Finalist in the MidWest Weird Fest 2024 Short Screenplay Competition, Semi-Finalist in the 2024 ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Competition, a Semi-Finalist in Final Draft's Big Break Competition, amongst other accolades. MR BIG HANDS is on Coverfly's The Red List and sits in the Top 1% of 4,565 Short Horror projects and the Top 1% of 25,442 Short projects on the platform.

Annabel's West Australian set horror feature Tanami was a Second Rounder at Austin Film Festival 2022's annual Screenplay Competition, a Second Rounder in the 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Film Fund Competition, and more. In 2021, Annabel was selected for the WIFT Australia x Cinefest Oz Writers Retreat with her comedy series PAIN IN MY ASS as well as the Australasian Horror Writers' Association mentorship with award-winning screenwriter Shayne Armstrong (Bait, The Darkness) for TANAMI.

As an actor, Annabel trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York, Mcllroy & Associates, and Jeb Beach & Associates in Vancouver, Canada. Annabel can be seen starring as the lead in Bad Vibrations (2023), an eight minute one-shot horror film which had its world premiere at the Academy qualifying and BAFTA recognized short film festival, Flickerfest 2024, and is currently on the international film festival circuit.

In 2020, Annabel sold her award-winning dark comedy short film Death of the Party (2020) to Canadian broadcaster Super Channel. Annabel plays Bobbi, the South African soccer player in EA Games' FIFA 20 (2019) FIFA 20 'Volta Football' and her performances have screened and won awards at film festivals around the globe. Some of her standouts includes 'Bombing' (Winner, Whistler Film Festival 2016), Inconceivable (2016) (Winner, Best Web Series, Leo Awards, 2018), Influenced (2018) (Winner, Best Actress, Best Writing, Best Film, Blood & Guts 48- Hour Film Festival 2018), 'Luchador' (Winner, Best Comedy Pilot, Web Series Festival Utah 2018), and Death of the Party (2020) (Winner, Canada Shorts Film Festival Award of Distinction 2019).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Annabel Maclean