Encouraged by his father, Noonan made his first short film,
Could It Happen Here?, set at
North Sydney Boys High School when he was sixteen. It won a prize at the
Sydney Film Festival and was later screened on Australian television. In 1976 he directed Film Australia's documentary series, "Our Asian Neighbours: India", including a film about Swami Shyam, a teacher of Vedant and Meditation living in the Indian Himalayas. In 1979 he set up his own production company, and in 1980 documented the lives of a troupe of disabled actors, in the film
Stepping Out, He co-wrote and co-directed the Australian mini-series
The Cowra Breakout, wrote and directed five episodes of the mini-series,
Vietnam, and made his television movie debut with
The Riddle of the Stinson. In 2006 he directed the biographical film,
Miss Potter, based on the life of children's author
Beatrix Potter. As of 2008, Noonan had two further projects in development, but those did not come to fruition. ==Filmography==