Ruth Cullen is an Australian based documentary maker who has been making documentaries since 1989 when she directed and produced the acclaimed documentary The Tightrope Dancer about the artist Vali Myers. Tightrope was followed by a sequel in 2002 called Painted Lady which looked at Vali Myers' return to Australia after a 40 year absence. Other films include: Becoming Julia in 2003 (producer & director) which followed an Australian farmer called Paul through his gender transition into Julia, the television series About Men (series director) and Heat In The Kitchen (series director). Her films have screened at festivals around the world including the prestigious International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA), Montreal, Los Angeles, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne film festivals. She is a board member of The Australian Directors Guild and is currently the Head of Documentary at Australia's premier film school AFTRS.