Hall, Ken (1901–1994)

Australian film and TV director and producer. He was a pioneer of feature film production in Australia, with 19 credits to his name between 1932 and 1946. Although the films he made for Cinesound were often artless, they represented Australia's chief indigenous production base until the ‘new wave’ of the 1970s.

Under Hall's leadership Cinesound became a considerable production power. From 1932 he directed a succession of films for the company – homespun comedies such as Dad and Dave Come to Town (1936), which introduced Peter Finch to the screen, and rural dramas like Orphan of the Wilderness (1936). His last feature was Smithy (1946). Hall was also the moving spirit behind the Cinesound newsreel. In 1956, he took on the running of Australia's first television station, Channel Nine.