Backbone Productions are filmmakers Craig Bender and Vera Hong based in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, west of Sydney, Australia on Gundungurra and Dharug lands. They create insightful, compelling storytelling for Australian short and long-form films, documentaries, museum and gallery installations, oral history, education, community engagement and not-for-profit. They specialise in filming intrepid, remote locations on projects that require cultural fluency and creative sensitivity. Their work has been screened on Australian television, major video streaming sites and in many of Australia’s most prominent museums and galleries.

Film still, Let Me Pass Onto You (2021), Backbone Productions

Vera Hong [she/her]
Vera Hong is an Australian filmmaker of Chinese-Malaysian heritage, known for her distinctive creative vision, intercultural approach, and commitment to authentic, place-based storytelling across screen and installation media. Her practice is artist-driven and shaped through meaningful collaboration with communities, cultural custodians, and fellow artists, grounded in care, respect, and creative integrity. Working across production, direction, cinematography, drone operation, and editing, Vera brings a unique voice and depth of storytelling to projects spanning culture, environment, identity, and place-based histories. Her films are visually compelling and emotionally resonant, often exploring the layered connections between people, land, and the narratives that emerge from lived experience.

Vera is a member of the Australian Cinematographers Society and an associate member of the Australian Directors Guild and Screen Producers Australia.

Craig Bender [he/him]
Craig is a cinematographer, CASA certified commercial drone operator and ReOC holder, photographer, lighting and rigging technician, and assistant editor. Craig brings an artistic eye and technical adeptness to productions. His extensive experience as a photographic technical assistant at the University of NSW College of Fine Arts and his practical expertise in remote situations are specialist crafts.

Often working as co-cinematographers on projects, their camera work has been featured by BBC Natural History Unit, UK; PBS News Hour, USA; Swiss National TV; ABC Arts, Australia and Hunting Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

Film still,  Ngaran Ngaran (2019), Backbone Productions

Expertise

Founded as Vera Hong Productions in 2008 and now working as Backbone Productions, in collaboration with fellow cinematographer Craig Bender, the studio specialises in screen projects that engage deeply with culture, environment, and the arts. Backbone creates visually compelling, emotionally resonant films that tell human stories, celebrate diverse perspectives, and invite reflection and connection.

Working across all stages of production - from concept development to post-production - Backbone offers a flexible, collaborative approach tailored to each project’s intent and scale. Whether developing self-initiated works or collaborating with artists, communities, or institutions, the practice is grounded in authenticity, creative integrity, and deep attention to story.

Backbone thrives in remote and intrepid locations, creating visually striking work that draws out the layered stories, histories, and relationships tied to place - with an artistic sensibility that resonates internationally.

Film still, Alpine River Adventures (2019), Backbone Productions

Documentary Storytelling

Vera Hong has created a diverse slate of short and long-form documentaries focused on culture, nature, and conservation, with many broadcast on Australian television. Together with Craig Bender, their work has been recognised by the National Trust Heritage Awards and ATOM Awards, featured on Australian Geographic, and screened at Academy Award-qualifying festivals. Their films have also been commissioned and curated by leading museums and cultural institutions, and presented in exhibitions, public programs, educational settings, and projects that support cultural interpretation and place-based storytelling.

Installation view No Distance Between Us  (2017) , Backbone Productions, Bayala Nura (Yarning Country) First Australians Gallery, Australian Museum

Artists’ Moving Image

With over a decade of experience working with artists on moving image commissions for museums and galleries, Bender and Hong have practical knowledge in working with a myriad of creative talent in different contexts and formats to produce large-scale multi-channel installations. Their own moving image works, as well as their cinematography and editing for other artists, have been exhibited at leading Australian institutions including Powerhouse Museum, Museum of Old and New Art; Artspace, Australian Centre for Photography, Carriageworks, Murray Art Museum Albury, Museum of Contemporary Art; and online for Fondation Cartier, Paris.

Installation Images left to right
1. Liam Benson, hello, good to meet you (2019), Bella Room Commission, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney
2. Nat Thomas, Postcards from the Edge (2019), The National 2019, New Australian Art at Carriageworks