[citation needed] Duigan studied at the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Ormond College and graduated in 1973 with a master's degree in Philosophy.
While at university, he worked extensively as an actor and director in theatre, and acted in a number of films (including Brake Fluid, Bonjour Balwyn and Dalmas).
[1] He began directing films in 1974, with early successes including Mouth to Mouth, winner of the Jury Prize at the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards and Winter of our Dreams, for which he won an Australian Writers' Guild award for Best Screenplay.
[3] In the United States, he directed Romero, starring Raul Julia, which won the Humanitas Award,[4] and Lawn Dogs, winner of numerous prizes in European festivals.
[7][8] Between 2005 and 2010, he took time off from the film industry to work on a book on secular ethics, returning to Australia to direct Careless Love in 2011/12.