Glendyn graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts, School of Film and Television in 1998, where he studied documentary. His graduating film NEVERLAND was a journey into the sub-culture of inner-city bicycle couriers which earned him numerous awards including Best Direction on the festival circuit.
CRACKER BAG, completed in April 2003, is Glendyn’s first short drama. A self-funded production between himself and producer Jane Liscombe, the film is based on one of his own childhood experiences. The film gained momentum after it won the Palme d’Or for short film at the 56th Cannes Film Festival 2003. CRACKER BAG was the only Australian film in competition with just nine other short films from around the world. CRACKER BAG was nominated for four Australian Film Institute Awards, winning two for Best Short Screenplay and Best Short Film. In 2006 Glendyn wrote and directed a short film called THE DESERT, inspired by a film clip he shot with the band Magic Dirt, which stars the lead singer Adalita. THE DESERT was nominated for a 2006 AFI Award for Best Short Film.
Glendyn’s first feature LAST RIDE, was written by Mac Gudgeon and starred Hugo Weaving. The film premiered at the Adelaide International Film Festival in February 2009. Glendyn’s second feature film, the true-life drama PENGUIN BLOOM, produced by Made Up Stories and starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln, had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival and released theatrically in January 2021.
For television, credits include TWO TWISTED series for Channel 9 and producer Bryan Brown; OFFSPRING for producer John Edwards and Channel 10; the television event BEACONSFIELD for Channel 9; the iconic TV series PUBERTY BLUES for producers John Edwards, Imogen Banks and Channel 10 for which Glendyn was set up director and also directed series 2. In 2014 Glendyn directed the landmark TV series GALLIPOLI for producers John Edwards, Imogen Banks, Robert Connolly and Channel 9, and in 2015 he directed THE BEAUTIFUL LIE for John Edwards, Imogen Banks and ABC TV. Recent credits include SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY for Matchbox/ABC TV, for which he won the 2017 AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy, and SAFE HARBOUR for Matchbox/SBS TV, which won the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie/Mini-Series, and also saw him win the 2018 AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy. In 2018 Glendyn directed THE CRY, for Synchronicity Films/BBC UK/ABC Australia, which was nominated for the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries.
Glendyn latest project is THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART, for Made Up Stories and Amazon TV, which will premiere in 2023.
