An initiated Yankunytjatjara man born in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in 1986, Derik is a multi-disciplinary First Nations actor, writer, director, cultural advisor, artist and educator whose practice is deeply grounded in Culture, Country, language and community.
Theatre
2013 Namatjira Big Art/Southbank, London
2013 Hipbone Sticking Out Canberrra
2012 Pinocchio Dunstan Playhouse SA/ Malthouse VIC
2012 Namatjira Australian Tour (including SA, NT, QLD)
2011 Namatjira Malthouse Theatre; Vic/NSW Regional Tour
2010 Namatjira (Dir: Scott Rankin, Wayne Blair) Belvoir Company B and Big Hart, Belvoir St Theatre, NSW
Nominated in 8 categories in the 2010 Sydney Theatre Awards
2010 Nyunta Ngali Windmill Productions & Big Art, Malthouse, VIC
2009 Nyunta Ngali (Dir: Scott Rankin) Windmill Productions & Big Art, Dunstan Playhouse, SA
2009 Minnow and Medica (With Natasha Wanganeen) Collaborative Production, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, SA
2008 Of the Future Kurrurru Indigenous Youth Theatre, SA
2001-03 Drama Performances Yirara Theatre group, Yirara College, NT
Film and Television
2022 Dipped in Black world premiere in 2022 Matthew Thorne Productions and Derik Lynch co-director
2019 Dipped in Black (In Development)
(Dir. M.Thorne) Matthew Thorne Productions
2019 Thalu (Television) Yirramagardu Productions, WA
2019 Black Comedy (Season 4) ABC 1
2018 Black Comedy (Season 3) ABC 1
2018 Pine Gap (Dir M. King) Netflix/ABC
2018 Deep Creek Cove (Dir. D. Muggleton) Spacequake Entertainment
2018 Konya (Dir Isaac Lindsay) Sharptooth Pictures
2017 SA Health Promotion NITV
2015 Black Comedy (Season 2) ABC 1
2014 Deadline Gallipoli (Ep. 1 & 2) (Dir: M. Rymer Matchbox Pictures
Language and Cultural Consultancy/Teaching/Translator
2012-2019 Tjitjiku Tjukurpa Inma Children’s Dreaming Project Carclew, SA
2016-2018 Research Assistant & Translator/Interpreter
South Australian Health and Medical Research SAHMRI, SA
2015-2018 Black Comedy (Translator/Subtitles) ABC 1
2005-current Indigenous Language and Cultural Consultant SA, APY Lands
Cultural
Raised across Central Australian communities including Old Timers Camp, Umoona/Coober Pedy, Aputula/Finke and Ltyentye Apurte/Santa Teresa, Derik carries a profound connection to his Yankunytjatjara heritage. A fluent speaker of nine traditional Central Australian languages, with English as his tenth, he brings an exceptional depth of cultural knowledge and lived experience to his work across screen, theatre, education and community.
Alongside his creative career, Derik has built a significant body of work in Aboriginal community health, education and youth support. He has used the arts as a tool for connection and engagement with young Aboriginal people, including through Carclew Youth Arts’ drug and alcohol assistance program. He subsequently trained as an Aboriginal Health Practitioner through the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia.His commitment to supporting young people continued through the Walk-Along program with the South Australian Department for Education, where he worked with Anangu young people relocating to Adelaide and helped them navigate the challenges of adapting to life in an urban environment. Until the end of 2023, he also served as Director of Iwiri Anangu Corporation, supporting Anangu families and communities across cultural, mental and physical health and wellbeing.Today, Derik continues to build a career at the intersection of First Nations storytelling, performance, filmmaking, cultural leadership and education. His work is driven by a desire to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to tell their own stories, while challenging narrow representations of First Nations people on screen.As an actor, he aspires to work across major Australian and international productions and to take on complex, diverse roles that extend beyond stereotypical representations of Aboriginal characters. As a writer and director, he is committed to creating culturally authentic stories that bring Central Australian voices and experiences to audiences around the world.At the heart of his practice is a commitment to the next generation. Derik hopes to use his experience, knowledge and platform to mentor young Aboriginal people, share Culture and language, and demonstrate what is possible when young people are supported to pursue their ambitions.From growing up across remote Central Australian communities to achieving international recognition on the world stage, Derik’s journey reflects resilience, cultural strength and an unwavering commitment to storytelling. His work continues to bridge Culture, community and contemporary screen and performance, establishing him as a distinctive and powerful voice in Australian First Nations arts.
Directing Accolades:
2024 Best Short Documentary / Reel Good Film Festival / Australia
2024 Best Short Documentary / AIDC / Australia
2024 Best Rainbow Short Film / FlickerFest / Australia
2024 Best Film & Audience Award / QueerScreen / Sydney Mardi Gras / Australia
2023 Silver Bear Jury Prize & Teddy Award, Short Film/ Berlinale / Germany
2023 Documentary Australia Award / Sydney Film Festival / Australia
2023 Best Short Documentary / Melbourne International Film Festival / Australia
2023 Best Documentary / Montenegro Film Festival / Montenegro
2023 Best International Short Documentary / Galway Film Fleadh / Ireland
2023 Best Australian Short / Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival / Australia
2023 Best Director & 2nd Prize International Short Film / International Short Film Festival of Cyprus / Cyprus
2023 Best Short Film / MIX Copenhagen
2023 Jury Special Mention, Short Film / Queer Lisboa / Portugal
Official Selection:
2024 Costa Rica Film Festival / Costa Rica
2024 ReelGood Film Festival / Australia
2024 ZagrebDox / Croatia
2024 Slamdance / USA
2024 Mardi Gras Film Festival / Sydney
2024 38th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival / UK
2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival / USA
2024 Salem Film Festival / USA
2024 Glasgow Short Film Festival / UK
2023 DOC NYC / USA
2023 AFI FEST / USA
2023 IDFA / Netherlands
2023 RIDM / Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal / Canada
2023 Adelaide Film Festival / Australia
2023 Revelations: Perth Film Festival / Australia
2023 Darwin Film Festival / Australia (Opening Night Film)
2023 Guanajuato International Film Festival / Mexico
2023 Sunny Bunny Queer Film Festival / Ukraine
2023 Vienna Shorts / Austria
2023 Pride Amsterdam / Netherlands
2023 International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala / India
2023 MIX COPENHAGEN Film Festival / Denmark
2023 Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival / China
2023 Geneva International Queer Film Festival / Switzerland
2023 Rencontres Cinématographiques d’Aix-en-Provence / France
2023 PERLEN – Queer Film Festival Hannover / Germany
2023 International Forum of the 13th Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival / Germany
2023 Wairoa Māori Film Festival / New Zealand
2023 Down Under Berlin Film Festival / Germany
2023 Aussie and Kiwi Film Festival / Prague
2023 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam / Netherlands
2023 Uppsala Short Film Festival / Finland
2023 Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur / Switzerland
2023 Festival de Cortos de Bogotá / Colombia
2023 Virginia Film Festival / USA
2023 Beijing Queer Film Festival / China
2023 Kyiv International Short Film Festival / Ukraine
2023 KFFK Cologne / Germany
2023 Izmir Short Film Festival / Turkey
2023 SPICY Film Festival / Greece
Gallery Exhibitions:
2024 Midsumma, PHOTO2024 / Melbourne, Australia
2024 Chaillot National Dance Theatre / Paris, France
2023 GAGProjects / Greenaway Art Gallery / Adelaide, Australia
2023 LagosPhoto Festival / African Artists’ Foundation / Lagos, Nigeria
Awards and Accolades
2016 Nominated – Channel 9 Young Achiever’s Award
2013 Nominated – Deadly Awards, Namatjira Play
2012 Awarded – South Australian NAIDOC ‘Artist of the Year Award’
2010 Awarded – Best Newcomer for ‘Namatjira’ – Sydney Theatre Awards
2010 Nominated – Best Supporting Role – Sydney Theatre Awards
2008 Nominated – Young Achievers Award, Channel 9
CRITICAL RECOGNITION
“Making history as the first Aboriginal filmmaker to win the Silver Bear Jury Prize, Derik Lynch’s ‘Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black)’ achieved unprecedented success at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, securing both the prestigious Silver Bear Jury Prize for Short Film and the Teddy Award for Best Short Film”
The Saturday Paper/CAAMA News, 2023
“ In a supporting role, but contributing a great deal to the warmth and wit of the play, Derik Lynch is funny and musical, and he’s a sharp drag artist, too, flouncing on as Namatjira’s wife Rubina, a snooty Melbourne art lover and as the young Queen Elizabeth. “ (Sydney Morning Herald)
“Jamieson’s highly-talented ‘sidekick’ is Derik Lynch, who matches the first in physical performance skills and is a riot in drag, a petal on his mettle, not least as QE2, Namatjira’s sweetheart, Robina and a social butterfly”. (Curtain Call)