Photoplay director, Husein Alicajic (ON 1988)  is one of five TVC directors to be nominated in the Australian Directors Guild 2016 awards for outstanding Australian directors. Nominated in the TVC category for Officeworks: Let Their Amazing Out, he was awarded a Highly Commended.

Born in Sydney to Bosnian and Scottish parents, Husein Alicajic commenced at Newington College in Year 7 and completed Year 12 in 1988. He has attained degrees in Economics, Philosophy and Communications before deciding to follow his undeniable talents as a filmmaker. Winner of the Dendy award for best short film Beginnings at the Sydney Film Festival and the Inside Film award for best unproduced screenplay Divine Shadows, Husein continues to sate his appetite for storytelling by writing and directing across film, television and commercials internationally.

Husein’s work has received Best Director honors from New York Festivals, the Australian Directors Guild, PROMAX BDA and Best Ads as well as recognition at the VIVID Festival with screenings at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Working with Director Alex Proyas Husein created a pre-trailer for the 20th Century Fox film I, Robot, was Second Unit Director and additional Editor on the Fox 2000 film Aquamarine and was selectedto take part in an elite Directing Masterclass with Academy Award winning Director Steven Soderbergh through the Australian Directors Guild. His cross platform series X was selected as one of a handful of projects to take part in the internationally acclaimed Digital Media Think-Tank and Creative Workshop X Media Lab, as well as being selected as one of four finalists at the 2015 Scripted Summit conference in New York. Husein has also collaborated with Arthur C. Clarke award winning writer Jeff Noon on his own IF award winning feature film script Divine Shadows which is currently in development.

Now based in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, Husein was most recently attached as screenwriter to the official biopic of legendary Country & Western singer Waylon Jennings, and as director on the upcoming feature film Snowbound.

Awards

Australian Directors Guild, best director TVC 2016 – Highly Commended

Best Direction, New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards. 

Sydney Film Festival DENDY award for best short film.

Best in Show – Best Television Promo, PROMAX/BDA.

Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam.

IF Award winner – best unproduced screenplay.

SPAA talent assist winner.

IF award nominee – Independent Spirit award.