ABOUT NAYS
Independent Filmmaker
Inspired by 1970s cinema as a youngster, Nays has had a camera in his hands for as long as he can remember. In 2020, Nays’ feature film debut, Descent, won the Best Australian Documentary award at the Oscar-qualifying Sydney Film Festival. The film has also screened at Hot Docs, Raindance and the International Ocean Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon Prime ANZ. In 2021, Descent received development funding from Screen Australia. He is currently entering post production for his next feature film, Jill Heinerth: Room To Breathe.
Prior to Descent, Nays’ student short films won more than 20 awards from various international film festivals, including the Calgary International Film Festival, FlickerFest and the Robin Anderson Film Awards. He also holds experience in corporate videography and has shot and edited content for dozens of businesses and corporations, including Telstra, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, and High Resolves. Nays currently works as the Creative Director of Running Cloud Productions and is represented by the APA Agency in Los Angeles as a director.
Underwater Cameraman
Inspired by The Blue Planet as a child, Nays is a graduate of Australia’s national film school AFTRS and has specialised in both underwater cinematography and photography since he was 18 years old.
His work has been showcased by both premier diving brands (DeeperBlue, Molchanovs, Cressi, TUSA) and high-end companies (Rolex, Sony Alpha ANZ, Tourism Australia, Channel 9 News). In 2021, Nays was amongst the Top 30 finalists of the Australasian Top Emerging Photographer competition in the Portfolio and Animal categories.
He is a PADI-certified Freediving Instructor, Master Scuba Diver and Rescue Diver, and frequently uses Sony Alpha and FX cinema cameras for film and photography projects. Nays can dive to 40m both with and without tanks and specialises in filming divers, big animals, and actors within all genres and locations. He is certified on the JJ-CCR for extended rebreather dives into caves, wrecks and other environments inaccessible to recreational divers.
