Julie Kalceff is an Emmy award winning Australian writer and director best known for writing, directing and co-producing the television series First Day. This ground-breaking story of a 12 year-old transgender girl starting middle school was the first Australian series to star a transgender actor in the lead role. It has sold to multiple territories worldwide including the UK (CBBC) and the US (Hulu).

In 2021, First Day won an International Emmy Award in the Kids: Live Action category. In the same year the series won a GLAAD Media Award (Children and Youth) which honour media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2020, First Day was nominated for two AACTA Awards (Australian Academy Awards) for Best Children’s Program and for Best Screenplay in Television. That same year, the series won its category at the prestigious 59th Rose d’Or Awards which are voted on by over 80 international judges.

The second season of First Day was produced in partnership with Hulu in the US and aired in March, 2022. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Teen Series, a GLAAD Award, a Kidscreen Award, an AACTA Award, and the MIPCOM Cannes Diversify TV Award for Representation of Diversity in Kids Programming. Julie was also nominated for an Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Direction in a Children’s TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode.

In 2020, Julie was announced as part of a “powerhouse female directing team” to spearhead the feature film anthology drama Here Out West. The film opened the Sydney Film Festival the following year and was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Feature Film.

Julie first gained international attention when she created, wrote, directed, and produced the global hit digital drama series Starting From Now. Attracting critical and popular acclaim, it is one of the most watched web series in the world – amassing over 170 million views in 230 countries. The series also sold to and played on broadcast television in Australia. Julie was the sole writer and director on all 30 episodes of the series and was a producer on all five seasons.

A graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School with a Masters Degree in Scriptwriting, Julie founded and is director of the Sydney-based production company Common Language Films. Julie specializes in utilizing humour to tell dramatic, character-driven, female-centric stories that appeal to a wide audience. She is passionate about authentic representation and inclusion, both on screen and behind the camera. Julie’s work explores themes such as identity, belonging, community, and resilience in the face of adversity.

FILM

HERE OUT WEST
The Long Shift
Director
Co-curious/ABC, 2022

SERIES

THE PM’S DAUGHTER
Season 2 (Episodes 1-5)
Director
Fremantle Media/ABC, 2023

FIRST DAY
Season 1 (Episodes 1-8)
Producer/Writer/Director
ACTF/Epic Films/Kojo/ABC, 2020

FIRST DAY
Season 2 (Episodes 1-8)
Producer/Writer/Director
ACTF/Epic Films/Kojo/Hulu/ABC, 2022

STARTING FROM…NOW
Seasons 1-5 (Episodes 1-30)
Producer/Writer/Director
Common Language Films/Lesflicks, 2014-2016

THE NEWTOWN GIRLS
Season 1 – Director (Episodes 3, 4, 7, 8)
Season 1 – Writer (Episodes 1-4)
Zenowa Films, 2012

AWARDS

INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD
FIRST DAY (Season 1)
Winner – Best Kids Live Action Series, 2021

GLAAD MEDIA AWARD
FIRST DAY (Season 1)
Winner – Outstanding Kids & Family Programming, 2021

ROSE D’OR
FIRST DAY (Season 1)
Winner, 2020

KIDSCREEN AWARDS
FIRST DAY (Season 1)
Winner – Best Live-Action Series, 2021

INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARD
FIRST DAY (Season 2)
Nominee – Outstanding Young Teen Series, 2022