Francis Lee (born 1969, TIFF interview from the end of 2017 where he states that he has turned 48.) is an English filmmaker who has written and directed the films '' God's Own Country'' (2017) and ''

Ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...

'' (2020).

Life and career

Francis Lee grew up on his family's farm in

Soyland Soyland is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is just north of Ripponden Ripponden is a village and civil parish on the River Ryburn near Halifax in West Yorkshire, England. Historically it was part of the West Riding of ...

Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

. After finishing school, he studied acting at the Rose Bruford College and worked in the theatre afterwards. Lee first appeared on television in 1994 in ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most ...

'', which was followed by guest roles in television series like ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'', ''

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

'' and ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. In cinema, he had small roles in

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

's ''

Topsy-Turvy ''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The story ...

'' (1999) and in

Sandra Goldbacher Sandra A. Goldbacher (born 1960) is a British film director, TV director, and screenwriter. Early life and education Goldbacher grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, the daughter of an Italian Sephardic Jewish fat ...

's '' Me Without You'' (2001). Although working as a director today, he never trained at a film school. In the 2000s, Lee lost interest in acting and wanted to tell his own stories. While working at a scrapyard, he made his directing debut with the short film ''The Farmer's Wife'' (2012), followed by the short films ''Bradford Halifax London'' (2013) and ''The Last Smallholder'' (2014). He had his breakthrough with the 2017 film '' God's Own Country'', which received critical acclaim. He won prizes at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

and the Teddy Awards, the Breakthrough director award at the

London Film Critics' Circle The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally. The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the ...

and the BAFTA Award for Best Debut Screenwriter. Lee directed ''

'', which was released in September 2020 and stars

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

and Saoirse Ronan as a lesbian couple in the 19th century. He is working on an upcoming horror film that explores themes of "class and queerness". He divides his time between Yorkshire and London.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Interview with Francis Lee at Film-Inquiry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Francis 1969 births Living people English film directors 20th-century English male actors English LGBT writers English gay actors LGBT film directors 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people People from Calderdale (district)