The Directors’ Festival The UK’s biggest celebration of screen directing talent The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Saturday 1st July 2017 #DUKFest17 @Directors_UK Welcome to The Directors’ Festival 2017 Contents Message from Chair Steve Smith 5 Message from CEO Andrew Chowns 7 History of Directors UK 10 Programme 12 Biographies 16 “The ALEXA Mini is the perfect camera for drone aerials, it’s cleverly designed, intuitive to operate and allows us to create beautiful images in the air that match seamlessly with the ARRI cameras on the ground.” The Helicopter Girls And Then There Were None (BBC); Mission Impossible 5 (Paramount); McDonalds: We Are Awake (Tantrum), Detectorists (BBC) www.arri.com/alexamini “The ALEXA provides a canvas that gives you total creative confi dence to use di erent optics for di erent projects, safe in the knowledge that the core quality is already outstanding.” Cinematographer John Conroy, ISC Penny Dreadful (S-2+3), Jamestown, The Tunnel (S-2), Fortitude, Broadchurch (S-2), Luther (S-3+4), The Smoke, The Sea, Parked, Upstairs Downstairs, Silent Witness www.arri.com/alexa “Most of my documentary work is about capturing human emotion in the moment. No retakes, no second chances. With perfect ergonomics, killer sensor, and simple functionality, my AMIRA gives me complete confi dence and control.” Cinematographer Johann Perry David Beckham: For the Love of the Game; Stephen Fry: Out There; JK Rowling: Who Do You Think You Are; Till Death Do Us Part “Quite simply, the ARRI AMIRA is the best documentary camera I have had on my shoulder in over 20 years.” Cinematographer Neil Harvey (One Direction: Where We Are Tour; Fullwell73) www.arri.com/amira www.arri.com Inspiring your Vision. Creative Skillset’s High End TV Council congratulates Directors UK on its 25th Anniversary… ...and all the participants of our director training programmes with Directors UK and BBC Writersroom, supported by funds from the High End TV Levy - developing world-class TV drama skills. Keep up with opportunities by signing up for our newsletter at www.creativeskillset.org/newsletter @SkillsetTV #HETV creativeskillset.org Message from Directors UK Chair Steve Smith Hello and welcome joined by feature film director, Simon West, who to the fourth annual will be closing the day and take us through his Directors’ Festival! incredible career. Dougal Shaw will enlighten us on the perks and pitfalls of filming on mobile phones; As the new Chair We will hear from embedded directors who have of Directors UK, I am lived and worked in some of the world’s harshest extremely pleased to and most hostile environments; We will find out be able to welcome you how to successfully plan and address any issues in all to this year’s Festival. pre-production for a low-budget film; How to successfully work with – and direct – actors; What it It’s such an honour and privilege to be taking over is like to work in high end drama; And hear tips on as Chair from the talented Beryl Richards – who how to gain political access for documentaries. has stepped down after serving two and a half years in the post, having reached the maximum This year, we are also celebrating the 25th term of six years on the Board. Beryl has done anniversary of Directors UK – we have grown incredible work over the years and she will be considerably since we began in 1992, as a a tough act to follow. Whilst I know Beryl will collecting and distribution society. If you’re curious continue to be actively involved with Directors UK, to find out just how different things were back then, I hope you will join me in thanking her for her years one session this afternoon will look back at what of dedication to the Board, and wish her all the the film and TV industry was like in the 90s. With best for the future. years of experience between them, our panel will discuss how much directing has changed over the This will be my first Directors’ Festival as Chair, last two decades and if we really are better off with but my fourth as a Board member, and each year the advances in technology. this event has always been the highlight of the Directors UK social and events calendar. If you In my next few years as Chair, I hope to continue have never attended the event before, you are the great work of the previous years, championing in for a real treat. The Festival is an exclusive directors and our work, lobbying for a better members-only one-day event dedicated to the craft working environment and conditions, driving of directing, celebrating the work we do with a campaigns that challenge and encourage community of directors, colleagues and friends, change for all, and building a strong united packed with knowledge and ideas to help develop directing community to ensure our voices are your craft. Today’s sessions include exclusive Q&As, heard and needs are met. panel discussions, networking opportunities, tips and techniques from some of the UK’s most If we haven’t had the chance to meet yet, please respected practitioners to stimulate and inspire you. do come over and say hello. Whether you direct factual, animation or features, and regardless of your background and Today is a day of celebration. I hope the sessions experience, there is something here for everyone. and conversations you have will be ones of This year we are lucky enough to have a range great value. of established industry influencers and new talent participating in our events. Legendary Hi - this is a scan of my signature that Victoria wanted for some thank you letters. SteveHave a fantastic day! documentary director and producer Roger Graef will be our keynote speaker, sharing insight into his work and life as a factual director. We’ll also be The Directors’ Festival programme 5 Message from Directors UK CEO Andrew Chowns Welcome to the We look forward to many more years championing 2017 Directors’ and supporting you, and I encourage you all to Festival, a celebration participate and become more involved in the work of the craft of directing we do. Please take advantage of the events and and directors. This services available to you. year, we are also celebrating the Our strength is in numbers and together we will 25th anniversary continue to shape the industry for the better. Whilst of Directors UK. we celebrate our past 25 years we are also looking firmly to the future and how we can improve your We’ve come a long way since our early beginnings rights in an ever-changing digital world. as a collecting society with 2,000 members. 25 years on we are proud to be the professional Our new Board members have been elected, and association for directors representing over 6,500 many are here today. The Directors UK team are members. Over that time our UK distributions have also on hand – we all look forward to meeting you. grown from zero to over £13million each year and we have expanded the range of services We really hope you have a great day – this event and support we offer to include events, career is here for you all to enjoy and to inspire. development and training, legal advice, industrial relations and campaigning. Most of the time we are focussed on the nuts and bolts of Directors UK – managing your distributions and delivering these services to support you as freelance directors in your working lives. What’s so great about the Directors’ Festival is that it’s a chance for us all to come together and simply celebrate the work and creativity of our talented directors. Directors UK Team, Dec 2016 The Directors’ Festival programme 7 THE BFI IS PROUD TO SUPPORT NEW FILMS FROM AMMA ASANTE ANDREW HAIGH ANDREW HULME ANDY SERKIS CLIO BARNARD D E B O R A H HAYWOOD HAIFAA AL-MANSOUR JIM HOSKING KATE MCLARNON LUCY COHEN LYNNE RAMSAY MATTHEW HOLNESS MICHAEL PEARCE NEIL BISWAS PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI RICHARD BILLINGHAM RUNGANO NYONI SAUL DIBB SKY NEAL SOPHIE FIENNES STEVE MCLEAN TINGE KRISHNAN TOBY MACDONALD #BFIBacked #NationalLottery bfi.org.uk/filmfund Film Fund Ad Directors Festival 148x210 2017-05_FINAL.indd 1 22/05/2017 16:07 THE BFI IS PROUD TO SUPPORT NEW FILMS FROM AMMA ASANTE ANDREW HAIGH ANDREW HULME ANDY SERKIS CLIO BARNARD D E B O R A H HAYWOOD HAIFAA AL-MANSOUR JIM HOSKING KATE MCLARNON LUCY COHEN LYNNE RAMSAY MATTHEW HOLNESS MICHAEL PEARCE NEIL BISWAS PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI RICHARD BILLINGHAM RUNGANO NYONI SAUL DIBB SKY NEAL SOPHIE FIENNES STEVE MCLEAN TINGE KRISHNAN TOBY MACDONALD #BFIBacked #NationalLottery bfi.org.uk/filmfund Film Fund Ad Directors Festival 148x210 2017-05_FINAL.indd 1 22/05/2017 16:07 History of Directors UK We are the professional association for screen directors in the UK, working to ensure that directors and their work are recognised at every level. But where did it all begin? 1992 1996 Directors UK’s origins began with the formation of the For the first time in UK law a director became Directors and Producers Rights Society (DPRS). Originally an owner of copyright, when an amendment was part of the Directors Guild of Great Britain (DGGB), for the made to the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents purpose of collecting payments due to directors under Act to make “the principal director of a film an European legislation. In 1992, DPRS split off from the DGGB author for copyright purposes”. This gave directors to become a separate organisation, collecting and a legal case for UK residual payments.