Holly Bates is a Melbourne-based emerging filmmaker and visual artist.
Bates’s practice aims to dismantle and challenge the toxic film tropes historically used to depict sex workers on screen. Utilising filmic methods that abandon the male gaze, Bates seeks to empower workers; honing in on the complexities and subtleties of interpersonal relationships and the day-to-day of the sex-industry. Artist as well as filmmaker, Bates is driven to create conceptually rich world’s and stories, layered for both sex worker and mainstream audiences. Using humor and intersectional approaches to film-making, the practice explore’s personal narrative’s that are informed by Bates’ position as a queer feminist.
Bates recently completed a Masters of Film and Television at VCA, graduating with first class. Holly had also previously completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) degree at QUT in 2015, graduating with first class and two academic prizes.