Charlie Hill-Smith & The House of Red Monkey
Dancers in Sangliat Dol village, Tanimbar Islands, Maluku, Indonesia - The Spice Islands Adventure (2003)
Thirty five years of experience as an artist, writer, director, producer and editor has seen Charlie and THORM use broad artistic skills to create films in Indonesia, PNG, China and remote Indigenous Australia. Charlie & THORM won Inside Film’s ‘Best Director’ and nominated for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Film’ by the Australian Academy/AFI Awards.
Charlie and co-producers Jamie Nicolai, John Cherry and Adam Wright have consistently worked in cross-cultural environments. Producing films and tv in remote and complex places, negotiating cross-cultural protocols with communities from the Papuan highlands, to the Sinai Desert, to the Spice Islands, and Papunya NT.
Charlie has written and developed documentary and feature film scripts. His articles and essays have been published in magazines, newspapers, and academic publications on topics as wide ranging as sailing, politics, art and culture, Australian history, comedy, regional geo-politics travel and tourism.
He has a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from the University of South Australia; and has conceived and directed market research and marketing campaigns in for hospitality, film, live theatre and corporate clients.
Charlie, Adam Wright, THORM & PNG based Bolkata Productions are currently in production of Iron Meri – Papua New Guinean Women in Politics, and preproduction for dramatic feature film, Jungle of Ghosts; to be shot in Papua New Guinea in 2026/27.
Ben Folds Five Australian Tour
Sony Music, New York.
Film & TV Production:
2026 Jungle of Ghosts (in preproduction) – feature drama – writer/producer/director – THORM & Bolkata Productions
2025 Iron Meri – Papua New Guinean Women in Politics (in production) – 52mins - writer/director/producer/ editor – RMIT / ANU & THORM
2024 Echoes of Tradition – 30 min doco - writer/director/producer/editor – Segmento & THORM
2023 The Earth Above – 30 min planetarium film – writer/storyboards/animation consultant – Deakin University Motion Laboratory
2018 Airileke and the 1000 Tifa – 11 minute doc. – writer/director/producer/ editor – 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (THORM).
2016 Motorkite Dreaming TV series - 5x26min series – writer/director - RedbullTV International & SBSTV / NITV Intafusion Films
2016 Motorkite Dreaming Feature - 90 min documentary – writer/director – HotDocs, Screen Impact. Intafusion Films
2015 Stolen ANZAC Medals – 7 minute doc – writer/co-producer - The Project - Channel 10 (THORM)
2013 The Unlikely Pilgrims - 90 min documentary – EP – Screen Australia (Intafusion Films/THORM)
2013 Spice Island Adventure - 52min documentary - writer/producer/director// editor (THORM)
2012 Hidden History - 26 min documentary – EP - SBSTV (Intafusion Films/ THORM)
2009-2011 Strange Birds in Paradise - 75min documentary - writer/producer/director SFF2010 & MIFF2010 (THORM/ Intafusion Films).
2009 Boomerang - multimedia theatrical. Adelaide Fringe Festival – producer (Indigenous Performance Corporation/THORM)
2005 The Ballander & The Bark Canoe (Making of Ten Canoes) – 56 min documentary – camera operator (SBS & Vertigo Productions)
2003 Indonesia - Art, Activism and Rock n’ Roll. - 26 min documentary SBSTV - writer/director/producer SBSTV
2002 Red Monkey Comedy – 2 x sketch comedy pilots ABCTV - writer/director/producer/actor (THORM).
2001 Under Ground Art - 8min documentary ABCTV Asia – writer/producer/director/camera (THORM).
2000 Walkabout West Papua - 26min documentary - writer/director/producer (THORM).
1999 The Making of Sample People. Electronic Promotions Kit - writer/producer/director (CHS Films)
1998 Ben Folds Five Australian Tour - 56min doc. Sony New York, USA. - writer/producer/director (CHS Films)
1997 Hong Kong Fooey & the Great Chinese Takeaway - 50min doc. - writer/producer/director (CHS Films)