Biography

Kate Woods is the acclaimed director behind Kangaroo, her next feature film, which premieres in Australian cinemas on Sept. 18, 2025, with a global release to follow via StudioCanal Films. Inspired by the life of Chris "Brolga" Barns, founder of The Kangaroo Sanctuary, the film stars Ryan Corr, Deborah Mailman and Lily Whiteley. Woods is a seasoned director in U.S. and international television. Her recent work includes The Lincoln Lawyer (2023), The Umbrella Academy, Underground, Bosch: Legacy (2022) and The Lost Symbol (2021). In 2020 alone, she directed Showtime's The Good Lord Bird (earning an Australian Directors Guild nomination), the Netflix original Messiah (helming four of 10 episodes) and the Apple TV+ series Home Before Dark. Earlier credits include four of six episodes of Fighting Season (nominated for the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Miniseries), six episodes of the acclaimed Changi, three episodes of the Logie-nominated The Farm, and four episodes of Simone de Beauvoir's Babies, which won Best Mini-Series at the ATOM Awards. Since 2005, Woods worked extensively in the U.S., directing for marquee shows such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NCIS: LA, Law & Order, House MD, Suits, Nashville, Revenge, Bones, Blindspot, Private Practice, Castle, Underground and others. In Australia, Woods has a long-standing association with ABC TV. Her episodes of GP, Phoenix, and Janus earned numerous AFI nominations, including Best Director. Escape from Jupiter, a co-production with NHK, won the ATOM Award for Best Children's Television Drama. Other titles include Police Rescue, Heartland, Mercury, Raw FM, Wildside, Something in the Air, MDA, All Saints, City Homicide, the telemovie Blackjack and the Jim Henson sci-fi series Farscape. Woods received the Australian Directors' Guild Michael Carson Award for Excellence in Television Drama Direction in 2008. Her debut feature film Looking for Alibrandi marks its 25th anniversary in 2025. Now regarded as a contemporary Australian classic, the film won Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Editing at the AFI Awards, as well as Best Film at the IF Awards. It earned several nominations from the Film Critics Circle of Australia, including Best Director, and took home Best Director from the Variety Club of Australia. Woods is represented by CAA in the United States and HLA Management in Australia.
- IMDb mini biography by: Meredith Emmanuel

Gave Cate Blanchett (Police Rescue) and Hugh Jackman (Correlli) their first screen roles.