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Sarah Watt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Ann Watt (1958-08-30)30 August 1958 Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 4 November 2011(2011-11-04) (aged 53) West Footscray, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Film director, writer, animator |
| Spouse | William McInnes |
| Children | 2 |
Sarah Ann Watt McInnes (30 August 1958 – 4 November 2011) was an Australian film director, writer, and animator. She is especially known for her 2005 filmLook Both Ways.
Sarah Ann Watt[citation needed] was born inSydney[1] on 30 August 1958.[citation needed]
She completed a Graduate Diploma of Film and Television (Animation) at theSwinburne Film and Television School,Melbourne, in 1990. Her student filmCatch of the Day was to reflect the style of future work.[2]
In 1995, she directed a short film,Small Treasures, which won Best Short Film at theVenice Film Festival. In 2000, she made a program for theSBS seriesSwim Between the Flagscalled "Local Dive". It was made concurrently with another project that she was directing called "The Way of the Birds" based on the 1996 book of the same name by authorMeme McDonald. She received theAustralian Film Institute's award for Best Director for her 2005 filmLook Both Ways.[3]
Watt returned to theVictorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television to teach animation, and assisted in the development of many animators, includingAcademy Award winnerAdam Elliot in 1996. Watt was instrumental in the development of scripts for all of her students, but left the school to further develop her own projects, returning on occasion as a script and final production assessor.[citation needed]
Watt was also a published author. She wrote and illustrated the picture bookClem Always Could and co-authoredWorse Things Happen at Sea withWilliam McInnes.[4][5]
During the post-production ofLook Both Ways, Watt was diagnosed with cancer. Her second filmMy Year Without Sex was released in 2009.[citation needed]
She died on 4 November 2011 after suffering for six years frombreast andbone cancer, aged 53.[3][6]
Sarah Watt was married to actor and writerWilliam McInnes. They have two children, Clem (b. 1993) and Stella (b. 1998).[3][7]
In the years before her death, Watt had begun developing an animated adaptation ofMagic Beach, the beloved picture book by Australian authorAlison Lester. The project was considered a personal passion of Watt’s, blending her talent for evocative, painterly visuals with Lester's whimsical storytelling. Following Watt’s death, the project was revived and brought to life by directorRobert Connolly, who completed the film in her honor.[8] The adaptation ofMagic Beach was released in 2025 as a feature-length animated film, receiving praise for its emotional depth and its tribute to Watt's original vision.[9]
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