Rate My Professor Ashley Burgess

Ashley Burgess is a Lecturer and Head of Special Projects and International Convener at the Griffith Film School, part of the Arts, Education and Law Group at Griffith University. He leads the school's international co-productions and award-winning filmmaking bootcamps conducted in diverse locations including Thailand, India, Vanuatu, Japan, Indonesia, and the Australian Outback. As Kolperi Director, he has organized outback filmmaking initiatives for Griffith students since around 2013, starting with small groups and expanding to larger delegations. Burgess facilitates hands-on experiences such as the Documentary Storytelling Bootcamp in French Polynesia, enabling students to engage in real-world projects and collaborations with international partners. His role emphasizes cross-cultural filmmaking, where he has directed feature films, documentaries, and radio dramas across Asia and the Pacific. Additionally, he has worked as a journalist, cinematographer, editor, and sound designer.

In recognition of his innovative teaching, Ashley Burgess received the 2018 Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning and was named a winner in the Arts, Education and Law category at Griffith University's Awards for Excellence in Teaching. His scholarly contributions include 'Animating Country' (2022, co-authored with Michael Mace and Peter Moyes), which examines animation practices in Indigenous Australian contexts; 'Building capacity to engage in co-produced research: reflections from a digital storytelling project' (2022); and 'Overcoming Future Professionals’ Fear of Digital Storytelling' (2020, co-authored with Naomi Sunderland and others). Burgess has also contributed to film projects like 'Ol Woman Blong Wota (The Women of the Water)' (2019), stemming from field trips to Leweton, Vanuatu, funded by the New Colombo Plan. Through these activities, he enhances practical screen education and fosters global industry connections at Griffith Film School.