People behind the camera shape the stories we see on screen. Diverse points of view enrich cinema. Today, we share with you women and non-binary directors who have screened at Aesthetica and gone on to make waves in the industry.

Alice Seabright | Pregnant Pause (2016)

Named Screen International: Star of Tomorrow in 2019, Alice Seabright’s career has transitioned from successful shorts to bigger projects. She wrote and directed for Sex Education (Seasons 2-3), and is the creator and writer of BBC’s Chloe. In 2016, her short film, Pregnant Pause, was shown at Aesthetica.

Prano Baily-Bond | Censor (2021)

Welsh filmmaker Prano Bailey-Bond won Best Experimental Film at Aesthetica 2013 with Man vs. Sand. Since then, she won the Méliès d’Or at Sitges Film Festival upon the release of her debut feature film, Censor. She is now adapting Booker Prize nominee Mariana Enriquez’ Things We Lost in the Fire (2016) for the screen.

Rose Glass | Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Writer and director Rose Glass has made captivating short films for the likes of Film4/Channel 4 and Giorgio Armani. In 2019, she released her debut feature film Saint Maud. Her highly-anticipated follow up is Love Lies Bleeding, a psychological thriller featuring Kristen Stewart, Anna Baryshnikov and Dave Franco.

Claire Oakley | Make Up (2019)

Oakley is a British director and screenwriter, whose feature film about obsession, Make Up (2020), debuted to widespread critical acclaim. In 2019, she was named the Screen Star of Tomorrow and she is currently developing a project with BBC Film. In addition, she is now writing an original series with Sky.

Cherish Oteka | The Black Cop (2021)

Oteka is a documentary filmmaker. In 2022, they won a BAFTA for Best Short Film with The Black Cop. In this short film, we follow a former police officer as he discusses his memories of homophobia and racism at the Met. Oteka is passionate about telling universal stories through the lens of erased communities.

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Still:

Censor (2021), dir. Prano Bailey-Bond