[1] Nowlan grew up in the country town of Singleton, Australia, and after working briefly as a journalist began a career in film and television.
[4] Nowlan's first film was a documentary entitled God's Girls (1991),[5][6][7] about the nuns who taught in her former high school.
[4] Nowlan studied scriptwriting at the Australian Film Television and Radio School in 1993.
[4] Clubland, which starred Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn and rising star Emma Booth, sold to Warner Independent Pictures for $4.1 million,[8] after debuting at Sundance Film Festival.
[3] The film generated standing ovations at Sundance,[8] and was nominated for eleven AFI awards, including Best Director and Best Actress.