We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Talisha Elger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Talisha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I want to leave behind a body of work that is bold, unsettling, and deeply human—stories that challenge, and resonate long after the credits roll. I hope people will say I was fearless in my storytelling, that I wasn’t afraid to dive into the dark and the strange, to push boundaries, and to make people feel something real.

More than anything, I want to be remembered as someone who never gave up, who poured everything into the pursuit of art, and who helped others find their own voice along the way. Whether it’s through my films, my writing, or the actors and artists I’ve supported, I hope my impact lingers in the way people think, create, and see the world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Talisha Elger, a filmmaker, screenwriter, and photographer originally from Ipswich, Australia. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling—first through dance, then photography, and eventually through film and screenwriting, where I truly found my voice. My work is dark, bold, and unsettling, often with a subtle comedic undertone, and I gravitate toward stories that challenge perceptions and linger in the mind long after they’re told.

I studied screenwriting at the AFI Conservatory, one of the world’s top film schools, after earning a degree in Writing and Film & Television from the University of Queensland. Over the years, my work has been recognized internationally—my short film The Fears of Young Caroline was a Coup de Coeur at Cannes and won multiple awards worldwide. My AFI thesis film I co-wrote, Some Kind of Paradise, was an Official Selection at Tribeca. My pilot screenplay, The Principal, and my feature screenplay Utopia Dystopia, have both received accolades at major screenwriting competitions.

Beyond my own creative projects, I also work as a casting director and a stills photographer. As a casting director, I have a deep understanding of performance and what makes an actor stand out, which informs my approach to storytelling and directing. I’ve worked on projects where finding the right actor was crucial to bringing the story to life, and I thrive in that space—identifying talent and ensuring that every role is filled with authenticity and depth.

As a stills photographer, I capture compelling on-set imagery and I know how to find the moments that encapsulate a film’s essence, creating images that feel cinematic and emotionally rich. My background in directing and screenwriting allows me to approach photography with a storyteller’s eye, ensuring every frame has meaning and impact.

What sets me apart is my ability to see both the big picture and the fine details. Whether it’s directing a film, crafting a script, or capturing the perfect shot, I’m always striving to create something tonally unique—something that moves people in unexpected ways. My work is for those who crave stories that are visceral, thought-provoking, and emotionally raw.

I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve never given up. I’ve sacrificed a lot to pursue my passion, and despite the setbacks, I keep pushing forward. That’s the spirit I bring to everything I do—relentless dedication to craft and an unwavering belief in the power of storytelling. For anyone who connects with my work, I hope they see someone who creates fearlessly, who isn’t afraid to explore the uncomfortable, and who, through it all, remains deeply human.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One of the biggest things non-creatives might struggle to understand is just how long everything takes. In this industry, success isn’t instant—it’s not even quick. It can take years, even decades, for a project to fully come to life. A script might take months or years to refine, then even longer to find the right producer, funding, and team to make it happen. Films don’t just get made overnight, and even after they do, the festival circuit, distribution, and getting it in front of the right audience is a whole other process.

For someone outside the industry, it might seem like creatives just wake up one day with a film in a festival or a script in production, but what they don’t see is the years of rejection, rewriting, networking, and sheer persistence that go into every step. They don’t see the countless hours spent refining a project with no guarantee it will ever see the light of day. They don’t see the sacrifices—financially, emotionally, and personally—that are required to keep going.

It’s a test of endurance more than anything else. You have to be okay with uncertainty, with waiting, with pushing forward even when it feels like nothing is happening. And when something finally does happen, when you finally see your work on a screen, in front of an audience, it might look like an overnight success—but in reality, it’s been years in the making.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to make people feel something—to unsettle them, move them, challenge them, or stay with them long after they’ve experienced my work. I love crafting stories that linger, that get under the skin, that make people see the world a little differently. Whether it’s through film, writing, or photography, I’m always chasing that moment when something I’ve created resonates with someone on a deep, almost unexplainable level.

It’s also about the journey—about discovering the story as I write, about seeing a vision come to life on set, about capturing a single frame that tells an entire story. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about the process itself, even when it’s difficult, even when it takes years. It’s knowing that I’m constantly pushing myself, constantly growing, and creating something that didn’t exist before.

And beyond that, I find so much reward in collaboration. The best moments come from working with other passionate, talented people who bring their own perspectives and artistry to a project. Seeing actors bring a character to life in ways I never expected, watching a cinematographer translate a feeling into an image, or even finding the perfect person for a role as a casting director—those moments remind me why I do this.

At the end of the day, I create because I have to. It’s not just what I do; it’s who I am. And the most rewarding part of that is knowing that, in some way, my work will outlast me—that these stories will continue to exist and impact people long after I’m gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.talishaelger.com
• Instagram: talishaelger
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talishaelger

Image Credits

All BTS photos taken by me.