Malla Nunn was born in Swaziland in Southern Africa. She attended Florence Christian Academy, a “mixed race” boarding school. In the 1970s she migrated with her family to Western Australia, where she graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and History. Malla next moved to the US, where she met her future husband before moving back to Australia and wrote and directed short films and corporate videos. Her films have won numerous awards and have been shown at international festivals. She currently lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children.