Heather Croall AM

Heather Croall still remembers the moment her UniSA lecturer and tutor, Shane McNeil changed her life. It was in his Magill Campus classroom that she discovered a love for documentary, with Shane’s contagious passion for film introducing her to a legion of powerful, thought-provoking stories that would ignite her spark.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Heather went on to carve out a career as a filmmaker, making documentaries of her own. She travelled across Australia and beyond to capture the lives of people whose stories were often overlooked, giving a voice to subcultures and alternative communities. Her work has screened internationally at film festivals across the globe and on SBS, ABC, Channel 4, and the BBC. She has been awarded numerous accolades, most recently winning the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival for her documentary, Yer Old Faither, an intimate portrait of her late father John.

While her filmmaking years shaped her creative voice, they also taught her resilience. Funding was scarce, rejection was common, and the process demanded determination. But she learned to persist, to keep telling the stories that mattered, and to trust in the value of her work even when the odds were stacked against her. Those lessons would prove invaluable when her career shifted toward festival leadership.

After a successful tenure at Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK, Heather returned home to South Australia in 2015 to lead the Adelaide Fringe. Under her stewardship, the Fringe has grown not just in scale but in spirit too. Heather has focused on making the festival a genuine platform for artists, building pathways for performers to reach global audiences and create sustainable careers. Each year, she oversees not only the public facing program but also an industry facing marketplace, where curators and programmers from around the world connect with Fringe artists, leading to touring opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. At every turn, she has sought to make the Fringe more inclusive and accessible, guided by the principle that art is for everyone.

Heather believes wholeheartedly in the positive impact arts and culture can have on us. It can change the way we think, opening our hearts and our minds, and helping us see ourselves, others, and the world around us differently. It is this belief that has guided Heather’s work and commitment and earned her welldeserved recognition as a global leader in the arts.

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