OUR HISTORY

Phoenix Eye Films was founded by Maria Tran, a Vietnamese-Australian artist with a background in community arts. She has extensive experience in digital art activation and fostering creative expression among culturally diverse young people in Western Sydney.

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Throughout her artistic journey, Maria has held roles as a youth digital cultures coordinator and an artistic director/facilitator for multi-platform video art and performance projects. She has also worked on notable documentaries and films internationally, both in front of and behind the camera.

Motivated by her experiences and a strong desire to provide a space for diverse artists to have creative autonomy, Maria launched Phoenix Eye in 2017.

 

This film production company, based in Western Sydney, specializes in film, art, and culture. Notably, one of their commissioned projects by Diverse Arts Australia was "The Subtractor," a mockumentary that explores the challenges faced by an Asian actor in the film industry, addressing issues of cultural appropriation and whitewashing.

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"The Subtractor" gained recognition as a finalist pitch video at the 2017 Video Junkee event, highlighting the innovative and thought-provoking work produced by Phoenix Eye Films.

 

Since its establishment in 2017, Phoenix Eye has spearheaded award-winning community and cultural development projects across Western Sydney. In 2018, Maria was honored with the Create NSW Arts Fellowship, which provided an opportunity for her and the collective at Phoenix Eye to travel to South-East Asia and delve into the roles of women in the action film genre.