The Team

Sally Fryer

Senior Editor Shark Island Institute

Sally Fryer

Sally Fryer (ASE) is Senior Editor at Shark Island Institute. She was a founding Director of the Documentary Australia Foundation, and a Co-Producer of three Good Pitch Australia events.

She has 35 years experience as a film editor both in London and Sydney. She has edited well over 100 documentaries during her career and is still as passionate as ever about her craft.

She has been editing films for Shark Island Productions for over 20 years. In 2021 she edited THE DEPARTMENT which played at the (Covid delayed) Sydney Film Festival in November 2021 and was also part of the Australia Uncovered series on SBS. In 2021 she also cut THE TWINS. In 2019 she finished editing THE FINAL QUARTER, directed by Ian Darling, for which she won ‘Best Editing in a Documentary’ at the 2019 AACTA’s as well as an ‘ELLIE’ from the ASE for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary Feature’. This film and its reception and impact has been her career highlight to date. More >

In 2011 she gained accreditation from the Australian Screen Editor’s Guild, and in 2012 was awarded an ‘ELLIE’ by the Guild for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary Feature’ for the film PAUL KELLY — STORIES OF ME.

In 2008 Sally won the AFI Award for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary’ for THE OASIS.

Sally and Ian Darling have been making films together since 2000 and plan to continue doing so for the next 20 years or so at least.

Their first film was WOODSTOCK FOR CAPITALISTS that won several awards including a Cine Golden Eagle Award. Their second film was ALONE ACROSS AUSTRALIA — winner of 32 international film festival awards, and voted ‘one of the top 20 adventure films of all time’ by Men’s Journal Magazine, USA.

Since then she has also cut IN THE COMPANY OF ACTORS, POLLY AND ME, WALL BOY, and SUZY & THE SIMPLE MAN.

Her work has twice been nominated for an Emmy award and many years ago towards the start of her career, WATERGATE, made for the BBC, won the International Emmy for ‘Best Documentary Series’.

From 2014 to 2016 she enjoyed being a little more out of the cutting room than in, as she co-produced Good Pitch Australia, and loved working with the 19 teams of filmmakers whose powerful documentaries were chosen and guided through the Good Pitch process. Sally is very happy to have found herself solidly in the realm of social impact documentary filmmaking.

Sally treasures time spent with her family, Matthew, Louie and Thommo, and her two staffies, Hiccup and Smudge. Swimming and long walks help to keep her sane.

Sally Fryer

Sally Fryer (ASE) is Senior Editor at Shark Island Institute. She was a founding Director of the Documentary Australia Foundation, and a Co-Producer of three Good Pitch Australia events.

She has 35 years experience as a film editor both in London and Sydney. She has edited well over 100 documentaries during her career and is still as passionate as ever about her craft.

She has been editing films for Shark Island Productions for over 20 years. In 2021 she edited THE DEPARTMENT which played at the (Covid delayed) Sydney Film Festival in November 2021 and was also part of the Australia Uncovered series on SBS. In 2021 she also cut THE TWINS. In 2019 she finished editing THE FINAL QUARTER, directed by Ian Darling, for which she won ‘Best Editing in a Documentary’ at the 2019 AACTA’s as well as an ‘ELLIE’ from the ASE for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary Feature’. This film and its reception and impact has been her career highlight to date. More >

In 2011 she gained accreditation from the Australian Screen Editor’s Guild, and in 2012 was awarded an ‘ELLIE’ by the Guild for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary Feature’ for the film PAUL KELLY – STORIES OF ME.

In 2008 Sally won the AFI Award for ‘Best Editing in a Documentary’ for THE OASIS.

Sally and Ian Darling have been making films together since 2000 and plan to continue doing so for the next 20 years or so at least.

Their first film was WOODSTOCK FOR CAPITALISTS that won several awards including a Cine Golden Eagle Award. Their second film was ALONE ACROSS AUSTRALIA – winner of 32 international film festival awards, and voted ‘one of the top 20 adventure films of all time’ by Men’s Journal Magazine, USA.

Since then she has also cut IN THE COMPANY OF ACTORS, POLLY AND ME, WALL BOY, and SUZY & THE SIMPLE MAN.

Her work has twice been nominated for an Emmy award and many years ago towards the start of her career, WATERGATE, made for the BBC, won the International Emmy for ‘Best Documentary Series’.

From 2014 to 2016 she enjoyed being a little more out of the cutting room than in, as she co-produced Good Pitch Australia, and loved working with the 19 teams of filmmakers whose powerful documentaries were chosen and guided through the Good Pitch process. Sally is very happy to have found herself solidly in the realm of social impact documentary filmmaking.

Sally treasures time spent with her family, Matthew, Louie and Thommo, and her two staffies, Hiccup and Smudge. Swimming and long walks help to keep her sane.