NFTS Directing Fiction graduate and director of Suffragette, Sarah Gavron, has won The Deluxe Director Award at the 26th annual Women In Film & Television Awards, which took place on Friday 2nd December 2016. The award was presented to Sarah by Suffragette star, Anne Marie Duff.
The Deluxe Director Award recognises outstanding achievement by a woman director in film, TV or digital media across entertainment, comedy or drama within the last two years.
The jury, which was chaired by Briony Hanson, Director of Film, British Council, said the following about the decision to present the award to Sarah:
“Happily the jury had much to choose from this year and there was some animated discussion as we deliberated – but at the end of the day there was only one way we could go as all roads led to Sarah Gavron. That she took such a vital real life event (and it’s surely not too grand a statement to say that for everyone in this room it’s probably THE most important event of the 20th century) and made it feel accessible, contemporary, alive and truthful as a drama, is a testament to her extraordinary skills as a director. She conducted a cast to give the very best they had, lifted a beautiful script off the page, and brought London and its place in this story vividly to life for a wide and receptive audience. “
Kate Kinninmont MBE, Chief Executive of Women in Film & TV said, “In the year when Directors UK published their report, Cut Out of the Picture, showing that there has been no real improvement in the hiring of women directors in British film over the past ten years, it was a joy to see Sarah Gavron’s brilliant work on Suffragette being recognised at our Awards Lunch with The Deluxe Director Award. Sarah not only brought to the screen a hugely important story about women, she also provided wonderful parts for women, as well as ensuring that a great many women were employed at every level behind the cameras. More power to her!”
Nik Powell, NFTS Director, said: “We are incredibly proud of Sarah’s achievement in winning this important award. The NFTS is taking inspiration from Sarah and her peers to build the number of successful women filmmakers and we are looking forward to implementing the initiatives we announced at our Gala, which took place in June and celebrated Great British Women, to help make this happen.”
For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk and www.wftv.org.uk
