Hope Dickson Leach

Hope completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University where she made three short films that played at festivals worldwide. While in New York she was assistant to Todd Solondz on his film PALINDROMES. Hope’s award-winning thesis film, THE DAWN CHORUS, was selected for Sundance, Edinburgh, London and many other festivals. Screen International made her a Star of Tomorrow and Filmmaker Magazine named her one of the ’25 New Faces of Independent Film’. Since her return to the UK, she has made further acclaimed short works for Channel 4, Film London, the UK Film Council and the National Theatre of Scotland. Her debut feature THE LEVELLING, produced by Wellington Films as part the iFeatures scheme (funded by BBC Films, the BFI and Creative England) had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016. At the London Film Festival she was awarded the inaugural IWC Filmmaker Bursary Award in Association with the BFI and in 2017 she won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Screenplay and was named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. She is currently developing several features and is a co-founder of Raising Films – a campaign to make the film industry more parent-friendly. She lives in Scotland with her husband and two sons.

Hope is represented by Elinor Burns at Casarotto, Ramsay & Associates, and Keya Khayatian & Bec Smith at UTA.

http://hopedicksonleach.com/

 

FILMOGRAPHY

 

THE LEVELLING – 83 mins


Produced by Rachel Robey, Wellington Films


Starring Ellie Kendrick, David Troughton & Jack Holden


A family drama set in Somerset following the devastating floods of 2014

 

Commissioned under iFeatures scheme, funded by BBC Films, the BFI & Creative England

 

Completed June 2016

 

Winner BAFTA Scotland Best Screenplay 2017

 

Distributed in the UK by Peccadillo Pictures; in the US by Monterey Media

 

FESTIVALS:

Toronto International Film Festival 

Moscow New British Film Festival 

London Film Festival

Cucalorus Film Festival 

Thessaloniki Film Festival

Les Arcs Film Festival

Rotterdam Film Festival 

Goteborg Film Festival

British Film Festival In Armenia 

Bath Film Festival

Barcelona Auteur Film Festival 

Baku British Film Festival 

Bermuda Film Festival

Madrid ImagineIndia Film Festival 

Belfast Film Festival

Lucca Film Festival

Crossing Europe Film Festival 

Sydney Film Festival

Shanghai Film Festival

Helsinki Film Festival

 

 

Short Films

 

SILLY GIRL – 16mm, 2016

 

Written by Ellie Kendrick with Jason Barker, produced by Loran Dunn 

 

Directed by Hope Dickson Leach

 

Based on a play by Ellie Kendrick written for the Royal Court. Commissioned by NOWNESS as part of their Define Gender series

 

WEDDING NIGHT – HD, 5 mins, 2011

 

Written and Directed by Hope Dickson Leach


Produced by Rosie Ellison


Starring Jordan McCurrach, Hannah Day & Robbie Mack

 

Created for the National Theatre of Scotland’s Five Minute Theatre, this was a one-take live piece of filmed theatre about the wedding night of Prince William and his bride. The audience played the paparazzi in the piece and shouted out to the actors playing William and Kate.

 

Currently it has been watched over 8000 times on YouTube.

 

MORNING ECHO – HD, 15 mins, 2009

 

Written and Directed by Hope Dickson Leach Produced by Geraldine Patten


Starring Kerry Fox, Peter Sullivan & Amelia Foster

 

Funded by Film London and the UKFC New Cinema Fund, as part of the Pulse Plus Scheme

 

Woodstock Film Festival


Branchage, Jersey International Film Festival


Mill Valley Film Festival – Awarded BAFTA/LA Certificate of Excellence in Short Film 

Austin Film Festival


Cucalorus Film Festival


London Short Film Festival – Winner, Best Female Character


Cinequest Film Festival


Wisconsin Film Festival


Latitude Film Festival


Regiofun Festival, Poland


Underwire Film Festival – Winner, Best Screenplay

 

SUBTITLES NOT INCLUDED – HD, 4 x 3 mins, 2009

 

Written by Hope Dickson Leach & Zoe Cartwright
 

Directed by & Starring Zoe Cartwright


Produced by Anna Higgs & Gavin Humphries, Quark Films

 

Broadcast on Channel 4, Nov 23-26 2009

 

PARLIAMO GLASGOW – HD, 23 mins, 2008

 

Directed by Hope Dickson Leach


Written by Stewart Thompson


Produced by Vicki Patterson & Jack Ravenscroft


Starring Edyta Budnik, James Grant, Jamie Quinn and Ann Downie

 

Produced as part of the Coming Up scheme, by IWC media and Touchpaper TV Broadcast on Channel 4, 30 Sept 2009

 

Nominated for BAFTA SCOTLAND NEW TALENT AWARD – FICTION

 

VOICES: 3MW – HD, 4 x 3 mins, 2008

 

Directed by Hope Dickson Leach


Produced by Gavin Humphries & Anna Higgs, Quark Films


Written by and featuring Young People from Kids Company & Foundation 4 Life

 

Broadcast on Channel 4, Jan 12-15 2008

 

THE DAWN CHORUS – 35mm, 15 mins, 2006

 

Written & Directed by Hope Dickson Leach Produced by Jennifer Westin
 Starring Valerie Shusterov & Henry Glovinsky

 

It’s been seven years since the plane crashed, but Bonnie and Lloyd are still searching for their parents in the wreckage.

 

Edinburgh International Film Festival


Boston Film Festival


DC Shorts Film Festival


Student Shorts Film Festival, Toronto 


Austin Film Festival – winner, Best Student Narrative Short Film 

London Film Festival

Three Rivers Film Festival, Pittsburgh – winner, Best Short Film 

Sundance Film Festival


Britspotting ’07


Nashville Film Festival

Stony Brook Film Festival


Shout Charlotte Film Festival


Ozone Film Festival, New Orleans


Cucalorus Film Festival


Encounters Short Film Festival


The Now Film Festival (online) – Finalist, Best Short Film

Shortlisted for 2008 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

 

LADIES IN WAITING – s16mm, 11 mins, 2005

 

Written & Directed by Hope Dickson Leach Produced by Lizzie King
 Starring Lalage Lumley

 

Nina and the other new 12-year-old girls at her English boarding school must visit the school doctor for a check-up. As they wait outside the doctor’s office, wondering what will happen inside, allegiances are born, and broken.

 

Reel Venus Film Festival, New York


Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival, Florida Staten Island Film Festival
 Boston Film Festival


Garden State Film Festival


Three Rivers Film Festival – Kodak Finalist Hi Mom! Film Festival
 Student Shorts Film Festival, Toronto

 

Special Mention for Innovation from Cannery Works Festival for Emerging Filmmakers Development Award from Milos Forman Fund

 

CAVITIES – 16mm, 13 mins, 2004

 

Written, Directed, Edited and Produced by Hope Dickson Leach Starring Valerie Shusterov & Julie Kessler

 

13 -year-old Nina hates her Mom, her thighs and the ill-fitting bridesmaid dress she must wear tomorrow at her mother’s wedding. When her Mom has to help her out of the dress, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

 

Edinburgh International Film Festival


Los Angeles International Short Film Festival 

Prends Sa Court! Montreal
 Olympia Film Festival


Hi Mom! Film Festival


Nashville Film Festival


New York Short Film Festival


IFP Buzz Cuts, New York