The Trial

Set in the 1950s, The Trial follows Leigh, a determined young woman haunted by the trauma of her past. Volunteering for a mysterious new drug trial, she hopes to confront buried memories and finally find closure. But as the treatment takes effect, Leigh is forced to face much more than she bargained for - and not all of it may be real.

Actor, writer, and now director, Kirsty McKenzie has never been one to follow a traditional path. Originally on track for a long career in medicine, she earned a PhD in Cardiometabolic Disease and Nutrition before fate stepped in - in the form of a spontaneous featured role on Mad Max: Fury Road. It was her first brush with the magic of a film set, and it changed everything.

Since then, she’s carved out a reputation as a magnetic screen presence.Her acting credits includeThree Women Arrive by Show Studio, Rearview, A Blaster in the Right Hands and Saving Grace, winning multiple Best Actress awards and nominations along the way. She has led three independent feature films - Love and Triangles, Magic and Saving Grace, which secured US distribution and is now streaming on Amazon.

The Trial is McKenzie’s directorial debut - and it’s anything but tentative. She not only directed and wrote the film but also plays its emotionally tormented lead. The Trial brings together a powerhouse team of Australian talent, including Anthony Brandon Wong, Nicholas Hope, Ella Scott Lynch, Andy Rodoreda and Martin Grelis. Behind the camera, the team is equally accomplished: cinematographer Viv Scanu, editor Joe Morris, composer Steve Toulmin, and the award-winning Mighty Sound, who delivered a Dolby sound mix. Even her mum and dad played a part, quite literally, by catering for the production. “It was a family affair, in the best way,” she laughs.)

Inspired by her own background in medical research, Kirsty was fascinated by the question: What if we could chemically relive our past trauma? Would it heal us - or unravel us? Set in a time when medical ethics were murky at best, The Trial became a vehicle for exploring the darker corners of the human psyche - and the quiet, complex power of women pushing back.