Charles Sturridge
Chairman
Directors UK
Charles Sturridge has worked in the theatre, television and film. He made his film debut as an actor in Lindsay Anderson's If… (1968).
His early television work included Coronation Street and the documentary series World in Action. In 1981 he directed Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited with Anthony Andrews and Jeremy Irons, which won 17 international awards including two Golden Globes and six British Academy awards, including 'Best Actor' and 'Best Series'. For the BBC he directed Stephen Poliakoff's Soft Targets (1983) with Helen Mirren, and A Foreign Field (BBC 1993) with Alec Guinness, Jeanne Moreau, Leo McKern, Geraldine Chaplin and Lauren Bacall. In 1996 he directed Gulliver's Travels (C4/NBC ) with Ted Danson, Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, which won 6 US Emmy's , including 'Best Series' and the Royal Television Society's 'Team' award.
In 2001 he wrote and directed Longitude (C4 2000) starring Michael Gambon, Jeremy Irons and Ian Hart, winning the BANFF TV Festival 'Best Series' award, two PAWS awards and five BAFTA's (from a record breaking seven nominations), including 'Best Series', 'Best Actor', 'Best Music', 'Best Photography' and 'Best Production Design'. In 2000 he formed Firstsight Films with producer Selwyn Roberts and their first production was an epic account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 'Endurance' expedition, which Sturridge wrote and directed. The film Shackleton (2002) starred Kenneth Branagh and was shot on location in the Arctic, winning the BAFTA for 'Best Series' and 'Best Costume', and the Radio Times Audience award for 'Best Drama 2002'. It was also nominated for 7 US Primetime Emmys, winning for music and photography. Most recently he directed the first three episodes of the Mirage/Weinstein Co/BBC/HBO adaptation of Alexander Macall Smith’s The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, transmitted in 2009, which was nominated for three Primetime Emmys.
His films include Runners with James Fox and Jane Asher (Goldcrest 1982), Evelyn Waugh’s: A Handful of Dust with Kristen Scott Thomas and Alec Guinness(New Line 1988), E.M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread with Helen Bonham Carter and Judy Davis (Sovereign 1991), both of which he co-wrote, and Fairytale – A True Story (Icon/Paramount 1997) starring Harvey Keitel, Peter O'Toole, Bill Nighy and Phoebe Nicholls, which won the British Academy award for 'Best Children’s Film' 1998. He was a contributor to the Beckett on Film series, directing Ohio Impromptu starring Jeremy Irons (Best Drama LWT Awards). More recently he wrote and directed Lassie (2006), based on the classic novel by Eric Knight, starring Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton and Peter Dinklage.
His theatre work includes directing his own translation (with Tania Alexander) of The Seagull with Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce (Queens Theatre, 1985) and Endgame (2006) starring Ken Cranham, Peter Dinklage, Georgina Hale and Tom Hickey which at opened at the Gate Theatre Dublin on Samuel Beckett's 100th birthday and later transferred to the Barbican.
Charles Sturridge is Chairman of Directors UK and has an active role in addressing issues affecting British directors. He recently spoke before the House of Lords Communications Committee on the Future of the British Film and Television Industry.
About Directors UK
Directors UK is the single voice for British screen directors, representing the creative, economic and contractual rights of its 4,000 members – almost all working directors in the UK, in all genres from drama to documentary.
Directors UK has an elected Board of film and television directors under the presidency of Paul Greengrass (The Green Zone, United 93, Bourne Supremacy) and Chairmanship of Charles Sturridge (The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Shackleton, Lassie).
Directors UK promotes excellence in the craft of direction both nationally and internationally. It works closely with fellow campaigning organisations and collecting societies in the UK and Europe to represent and lobby for greater protection of directors’ rights, and has associations with directors’ organisations across the globe through FERA (Federation of European Directors) and IAESDO (International Association of English Speaking Directors’ Organisations).
www.directors.uk.com
In 2001 he wrote and directed Longitude (C4 2000) starring Michael Gambon, Jeremy Irons and Ian Hart, winning the BANFF TV Festival 'Best Series' award, two PAWS awards and five BAFTA's (from a record breaking seven nominations), including 'Best Series', 'Best Actor', 'Best Music', 'Best Photography' and 'Best Production Design'. In 2000 he formed Firstsight Films with producer Selwyn Roberts and their first production was an epic account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 'Endurance' expedition, which Sturridge wrote and directed. The film Shackleton (2002) starred Kenneth Branagh and was shot on location in the Arctic, winning the BAFTA for 'Best Series' and 'Best Costume', and the Radio Times Audience award for 'Best Drama 2002'. It was also nominated for 7 US Primetime Emmys, winning for music and photography. Most recently he directed the first three episodes of the Mirage/Weinstein Co/BBC/HBO adaptation of Alexander Macall Smith’s The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, transmitted in 2009, which was nominated for three Primetime Emmys.
His films include Runners with James Fox and Jane Asher (Goldcrest 1982), Evelyn Waugh’s: A Handful of Dust with Kristen Scott Thomas and Alec Guinness(New Line 1988), E.M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread with Helen Bonham Carter and Judy Davis (Sovereign 1991), both of which he co-wrote, and Fairytale – A True Story (Icon/Paramount 1997) starring Harvey Keitel, Peter O'Toole, Bill Nighy and Phoebe Nicholls, which won the British Academy award for 'Best Children’s Film' 1998. He was a contributor to the Beckett on Film series, directing Ohio Impromptu starring Jeremy Irons (Best Drama LWT Awards). More recently he wrote and directed Lassie (2006), based on the classic novel by Eric Knight, starring Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton and Peter Dinklage.
His theatre work includes directing his own translation (with Tania Alexander) of The Seagull with Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce (Queens Theatre, 1985) and Endgame (2006) starring Ken Cranham, Peter Dinklage, Georgina Hale and Tom Hickey which at opened at the Gate Theatre Dublin on Samuel Beckett's 100th birthday and later transferred to the Barbican.
Charles Sturridge is Chairman of Directors UK and has an active role in addressing issues affecting British directors. He recently spoke before the House of Lords Communications Committee on the Future of the British Film and Television Industry.
About Directors UK
Directors UK is the single voice for British screen directors, representing the creative, economic and contractual rights of its 4,000 members – almost all working directors in the UK, in all genres from drama to documentary.
Directors UK has an elected Board of film and television directors under the presidency of Paul Greengrass (The Green Zone, United 93, Bourne Supremacy) and Chairmanship of Charles Sturridge (The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Shackleton, Lassie).
Directors UK promotes excellence in the craft of direction both nationally and internationally. It works closely with fellow campaigning organisations and collecting societies in the UK and Europe to represent and lobby for greater protection of directors’ rights, and has associations with directors’ organisations across the globe through FERA (Federation of European Directors) and IAESDO (International Association of English Speaking Directors’ Organisations).
www.directors.uk.com
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