Otis Filley is a multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Melbourne, documenting regional Australia through long-form storytelling and visual journalism. His work focuses on environmental crises, Indigenous communities, and the challenges facing inland Australia, stories that require time, relationship-building, and an understanding of place.

Since 2022, Otis has reported for Guardian Australia's Rural Network, covering water politics on the Darling-Baaka River, the decline of regional media, and Indigenous self-determination movements. His journalism spans text, photography, and video—often combining all three to capture the complexity of regional issues that metropolitan media rarely reach with depth or consistency.

Before journalism, Otis trained as an architect, earning a Master of Architecture from RMIT and working in practice for two years. That background informs how he observes built environments, documents infrastructure, and understands how design shapes communities—skills that translate directly to visual storytelling and spatial composition.

Based in Fitzroy, Otis runs a studio practice producing documentary films, commercial content, and multimedia projects for clients across sustainability, health, education, and cultural sectors. Projects have included heritage documentation for NSW National Parks, artist residency films in Broken Hill, and brand storytelling for architecture firms and Indigenous health services.

His documentary work includes More Than a Fish Kill (co-produced with the National Museum of Australia and Cad Factory), which explores how Barkindji communities transformed environmental disaster into cultural healing through art and ceremony. The film has screened internationally, including at the Australian High Commission in London.

Otis has spent years working in Far West NSW communities including Menindee, Wilcannia, and Broken Hill—covering everything from COVID-19 outbreaks and fish kills to cultural festivals and political organizing. This work requires patience, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to returning to places repeatedly rather than parachuting in for quick stories.

His journalism and filmmaking reflect a belief that regional stories deserve the same rigor, time, and craft as metropolitan coverage—and that authentic storytelling comes from relationships built over years, not days.