Representation matters. I grew up in small town 80s England, racing dirt bikes with my brothers. Parents, teachers and peers always exclaimed, “But you’re a girl…” I was 11. I wondered why people kept telling me this, like a girl shouldn’t be doing what I was doing, like a girl couldn’t be the lead character in her own adventures.
I remember the day my dad bought a VHS player and took us to the local video store, we fell in love with movies, we wanted to be like the action heroes we saw on screen, but there were no girl heroes. I’ve dedicated my career as a writer director to changing that. As I became educated about privilege and unconscious bias (including my own) I understood the importance of seeing empowered marginalised characters on screen.
You are the hero of your own story, regardless of your gender, race, sexuality or class. This industry is not a gentle place; it's tough, but dear future marginalised filmmakers so are you, write your stories, shoot your indie films, make them so full of heart and beauty they can't be ignored. To steal a famous movie quote, “If you build it, he will come” — meaning your audience but I’m changing it to, “If you build it, she will come”.
BAFTA & BEHIND THE SCENES
SARAH WALKER • BAFTA Interview
SARAH WALKER • BAFTA Interview
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES • BTS
AWARDS & PRESS
BAFTA BREAKTHROUGH BRIT • WRITER DIRECTOR
BAFTA ELEVATE • DIRECTOR
BEST DRAMATIC SERIES • LEO AWARDS • WARRIOR NUN
BEST NEW TV DRAMA NOMINEE • NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS UK • A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES
BEST TV MOVIE NOMINEE • CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS • I AM ELIZABETH SMART
BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE • CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS • I AM ELIZABETH SMART
BEST TV DRAMA NOMINEE • BAFTA • THE CRASH
BEST SHORT FILM • RTS AWARD • SOUL BOY
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR NOMINEE • BROADCAST YOUNG TALENT AWARDS • SOUL BOY
BEST YOUNG WRITER NOMINEE • BROADCAST YOUNG TALENT AWARDS • SOUL BOY
BEST YOUNG WRITER NOMINEE • BROADCAST YOUNG TALENT AWARDS • ALMOST STRANGERS
CHANNEL 4 FUTURE CREATIVE AWARD • WRITER DIRECTOR 2002
BEST NEW DIRECTOR • HIGHLY COMMENDED • BROADCAST YOUNG TALENT AWARDS • 420 SECONDS OF LOVE
BEST NEW WRITER NOMINEE • BROADCAST YOUNG TALENT AWARDS • 420 SECONDS OF LOVE
THE CRASH
BBC · DIRECTOR · TV MOVIE
"Lily Loveless, who plays Ashley, will probably also get a BAFTA nomination because those scenes were tremendous. Suddenly, I am glued to the screen, as anxious as the parents now running across the field to find out their child’s fate ... The howl of the fireman as he tried to revive her wins scene of the year so far for me. It’s only been an hour, but I care about these people." - Victoria Prior, The Custard TV
I AM ELIZABETH SMART
LIFETIME · DIRECTOR · TV MOVIE
"With the movie’s real-life subject Elizabeth Smart as on-screen narrator and off-camera producer, “I Am Elizabeth Smart” is a rare, exceptional Lifetime movie about redefining victimhood. More than once during her captivity, Elizabeth has the choice to draw others into her panic, and more than once, she opts not to. In those moments, the camera zooms in on Boden’s face, and the background around her grows fuzzy: The isolation of trauma, illustrated. “I Am Elizabeth Smart” is a Lifetime movie, with all the connotations that implies. And on the other hand, it is remarkable because it is a Lifetime movie; it is a remarkable Lifetime movie. Much like Smart herself, it is restrained, unpretentious, and direct. It is a startling, bold film" - Sonia Saraiya, Variety
WARRIOR NUN
NETFLIX · DIRECTOR SEASON ONE · LEAD DIRECTOR SEASON TWO
"Warrior Nun wants to talk about strong women, and sisterhood, and it succeeds at doing both. Women are at the center of this show, even when they work in service of a larger purpose" - Nicole Hill, Den of Geek
"At that point, your mind is made up. You are either in, because Warrior Nun has all the shameless, breathless, genre-splashing and-thenning that you haven’t seen since the first season of Stranger Things. Or you are out, because your sense of fun curled up and died some years ago ... It’s a show about a bunch of kickass girls killing monsters with swords in churches. Honestly, what isn’t there to love?" - Stuart Heritage, The Gaurdian
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES
SKY ONE & AMC · DIRECTOR
"The best episode of the season so far, playing to show strengths with an excellent turn from Malin Busku’s Satu ... The sharp visuals and convincing performances help you buy into the scene – offering a dramatic urgency sorely missing from the rest of the series ... A Discovery Of Witches reached a new peak in its latest episode. By putting witches in the spotlight and pushing conflicts forward, the show found a fresh groove which showcased its strengths" - Adam Starkey, Metro
GET EVEN
NETFLIX & BBC · LEAD DIRECTOR · ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
"There’s a holy trinity of teen TV shows: Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The O.C. But Netflix’s Get Even is now up there for me too ... Get Even does trump Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars in one very important way: diversity. The main cast members of this show completely run the gamut in terms of race. Black, Asian, and Latinx actors are rarely given the opportunity to play roles where their racial identity isn’t at the narrative core. On Get Even, they indulge in the same kind of frothy exploits we’ve watched countless white actors do on the CW for years ... I finished it thinking, “Wow, I love all these girls and would jump in front of a bus for them.” - Christopher Rosa, Glamour
"The girls are not just there to look fantastic in tailored blazers - they all have distinctive personalities, elaborate character arcs, and, in a rare move, the narratives of the non-white characters don’t revolve around their races ... Moody teenage melodrama marked by mean girls, angsty romance, and youthful rebellion - all of which will make you unexpectedly nostalgic for 2010 house parties and P.E. classes. You won’t have trouble watching the whole season in one sitting — and trust me, you’ll want to." - Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz, The Cut
DATES
CHANNEL 4 · DIRECTOR
"It was enjoyable, I didn't just want more, I couldn't wait to see how successive episodes would link and weave into a format so unforgivingly dependent on great writing and acting. Suffice to say, in a game of snog, marry or avoid, Dates is definitely a keeper" - Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph