We were lucky to catch up with Isabel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Isabel, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path when I was in primary school. I grew up a voracious reader, and would write my own novels in notebooks strewn around the house. My first novel, Befallen (written in notebooks over 2 years in a grey-lead pencil), followed the story of a girl who fell through the sand at the beach into the Underworld, and discovered she was an Elf. So as you can tell, I had some work to do in creating realistic stories.

In my younger years, I always anticipated that I would be an author, due to my love (borderline obsession) with reading and writing. It wasn’t until high school, when I had a role as a ‘Momager’ in a Year 7 performance, that I discovered my love for acting and performing.

After this first role, I dived into acting classes on the weekends at St Martins Youth Arts Centre. I truly found my people and my place during my years there.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Melbourne-based Producer, Writer, and Actor. Recently, I co-produced and co-directed Bush Boots with Kynan Clarke, premiering at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival as part of the MIFF Footy Shorts initiative, a collaboration between VicScreen, the AFL, and MIFF.

I got my start in the industry as an Actor. My first leading role was on an Amazon Prime/Channel 9 series from 2016-2017, and since then I’ve performed guest roles on My Life is Murder, Neighbours, Hungry Ghosts, and Flunk. One of my most recent roles was as Mikaela Skye, a mom-fluencer, in ‘The Final Boarding Call’.

As a freelancer, I’ve produced short films, fashion films, commercials, and just wrapped shooting the incredible feature film ‘Thunder’.

I’m extremely passionate about social justice in storytelling. At the present moment, I’m developing a project surrounding animal justice, and a short comedy film.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

What I wish I knew earlier is how important collaboration is! Growing up writing, I was always very introverted and didn’t really share my work with anyone. Now as an adult, I realise the greatest gift in the creative world is collaboration, and sharing your work with others. It is the only true way to both grow as an artist, and learn more about yourself.

This year, I was blessed to work with some incredible collaborators. These include Kynan Clarke, who was my producing/directing/writing partner on Bush Boots. He is an absolute dream to work with, and a creative powerhouse.

We also recently wrapped filming on the feature film ‘Thunder’, where I got to work with longtime friends Luke Styles, Ashley Sawko and Tom Conyers to bring an incredible film to life. After years of hard work, it has been so rewarding to see Luke’s vision come together in a seriously impressive piece of cinema. Watch this space!

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is definitely the journey. I always thought that a finished product would be the most exciting part of the process, but it truly is every step leading up to it that is the most exciting, as cliche as that sounds. A huge part of producing is problem-solving, and it’s extremely satisfying each time a new puzzle piece falls into place.

Another rewarding aspect is seeing people engage and connect with your work, especially at in-person screenings. I absolutely love the conversations that take place after a film is presented, and hearing people’s own stories and how they connected to the project. A big part of my ethos as a filmmaker is to create films where people feel seen and understood, so getting to interact with audiences in person is always inspiring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isabeldilena.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabeldilena/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-dilena-58675a1b2/