Molly Dineen (born 7 March 1959) is a

television documentary Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. *Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

director,

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

and producer. One of Britain's most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, Molly is known for her intimate and probing portraits of British individuals and institutions. Her work includes ''The Lie of the Land'' (2007), examining the decline of the countryside and British farming, ''The Ark'' (1993) about London Zoo during Thatcherism and the ''Lords' Tale'' (2002), which examined the removal of the hereditary peers.

Early life

Dineen was born in Canada and brought up in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England. She attended the Bournville School of Art and then studied Photography, Film and Television at the

London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

. ''Sound Business'' (1981), featuring sound producer

Lloyd Coxsone Lloyd Coxsone (born Lloyd Blackford, c. 1945) is a Jamaican-born sound system operator and record producer, who has been resident in the United Kingdom since 1962. Biography Blackford was born in Morant Bay, Jamaica, c.1945, and moved to Wandswo ...

and record store owner Blacker Dread (Steve Burnett-Martin) was her final degree project. She then worked for two years for a documentary camera crew, becoming a member of the ACTT Union. She went on to the National Film and Television School, where she studied documentary under

Herb Di Gioia Herb Di Gioia is an Italian, American documentary film director who pioneered the field of "observational cinema" in his work and impacted ethnographic film making through his contributions as a teacher at Britain’s National Film and Televisi ...

and

Colin Young Colin Young (born 12 September 1944, Barbados) is a singer known for being a member of the British soul band the Foundations. Biography In the mid-1960s, Young came to England for a holiday with his father and decided to stay. He was a former ...

, achieving recognition for her 1987 debut '' Home from the Hill''. This film was picked up by BBC Two for Eddie Mirzoeff's 40 Minutes series, nominated for a BAFTA and shown in 22 other countries.

Career in documentary

Dineen makes observational documentaries and has a "tone of her own". She has been described as a "leading film-maker of her generation". Her style is unique, creating close personal portraits of issues and institutions. She has been described as exemplary, "standing-ovation television...Dineen is our box

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

". In 1997, she made the party election broadcast for Tony Blair. In 2011, the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

released a three volume box set of her work. "Her camera watches faces, conversations and behaviour patterns with a seemingly incurious objectivity, allowing her subjects to unveil their secret fears and frustrations".

Awards and nominations

Winner of BAFTA Best Single Documentary Winner of BAFTA Best Factual Series Winner of Grierson Award for Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue Winner of Grand Jury Prize at Visions du Reel, Neon Winner of Royal Television Society Documentary Award Winner of Royal Television Society Prize Winner of First Prize at Anthropos Documentary Festival, Los Angeles Winner of Women in Film and Television - Broadcaster's Contribution to the Medium Award Winner of Prix des Bibliothèques at Lyon Biennale Europeane de Cinema Winner of TV Suisse Rommande Prize, Nyon Documentary Festival Winner of Voice of Viewers and Listeners Best Television Programme Winner of Uppsala Film Festival Documentary Prize Winner of Indies Documentaries and Features Awards Winner of BFI Kodak Newcomers of the Year Award Nominated for BAFTA Best Single Documentary Nominated for Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary on a Contemporary Issue Nominated for Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary Nominated for Prix Europa Nominated for Screen Nation Film & TV Awards for Diversity in Factual Production Nominated for Indies Award

Filmography

* ''Home from the Hill'' – 1985 BBC Two documentary about Lieutenant-Colonel Hilary Hook's return to the UK after living abroad. Nominated for a BAFTA, Won Royal Television Society Prize, First Prize at Anthropos Documentary Festival, Los Angeles, TV Suisse Rommande Prize, Nominated for a Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary. * ''My African Farm'' (

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

, 1988) – Dineen returns to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and to the home of Sylvia Richardson, a stalwart of

British colonialism The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...

. * ''Operation Raleigh, The Mountain, The Village'' (BBC Two, 1988) – Operation Raleigh was founded by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

to give young people the benefit of war time in peace. Two 30-minute films about an expedition to

Southern Chile Southern Chile is an informal geographic term for any place south of the capital city, Santiago, or south of Biobío River, the mouth of which is Concepción, about {{convert, 200, mi, km, sigfig=1, order=flip south of Santiago. Generally cities ...

. * '' Heart of the Angel'' (BBC Two, 1989) – Capturing life in

Angel Tube Station Angel is a London Underground station in the Angel, London, Angel area of the London Borough of Islington. It is on the Bank and Monument stations, Bank branch of the Northern line, between King's Cross St Pancras tube station, King's Cross St. ...

, one of the busiest on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

, this account of the struggles by staff to cope with the British travelling public is filled with humour and pathos. Won Royal Television Society Documentary Award, Chosen as the British entry for Prix Europa and nominated for Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary. * ''The Pick, the Shovel and the Open Road'' (

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

, 1990) – A 60-minute film about the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

roadwork company McNicholas. * ''The Ark'' (BBC Two, 1993) – In this series of four films, Dineen reveals the inner working of

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

. Won the BAFTA for Best Factual Series, a Special Commendation at the Prix Europa, won Voice of Viewers and Listeners Best Television Programme and Indies Documentaries and Features Award. * ''In the Company of Men'' (BBC Two, 1995) – A three-part series which joins Major

Crispin Black Lieutenant-Colonel Crispin Nicholas Black (born 1960) is an intelligence consultant and commentator on terrorism and intelligence, after a previous career as a British Army officer. He is a veteran of the Falklands War and is retained by the BB ...

and his men in The Prince of Wales Company of the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

during a final tour of duty in pre-ceasefire

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Won Women in Film and Television - Broadcaster's Contribution to the Medium Award. * ''

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

'', a short profile of the Prime Minister produced as a

party political broadcast A party political broadcast (also known, in pre-election campaigning periods, as a party election broadcast) is a television or radio broadcast made by a political party. In the United Kingdom the Communications Act 2003 prohibits (and previou ...

and screened on all four channels for the general election campaign in 1997. * ''Geri'' (Channel 4, 1999) –

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

, the most colourful and outrageous of the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

, has dramatically left the band. Two days later, Dineen joins her as she dodges the paparazzi and seeks solace with family and friends in a fascinating rollercoaster ride through fame, celebrity and the personality behind that infamous

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

dress. Nominated for an Indies Award. * ''The Lord's Tale'' (Channel 4, 2002) – About the hereditary lords losing their seats in the Lords due to the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

. Dineen follows one of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

’s greatest upheavals: the abolition of the hereditary peers. *''The Lie of the Land'' (Channel 4, 2007) – On the eve of the

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

ban, Dineen uncovers the unpleasant thrust of life in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, ...

, where farmers struggle to survive under the weight of government legislation and national indifference towards rural communities. Won the BAFTA for Best Single Documentary, Grand Jury Prize at Visions du Reel in Nyon, Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary on a Contemporary Issue. *''Being Blacker'' (BBC Two, 2018) – Following three years of Blacker Dread's life. Nominated for Best Single Documentary at the Grierson Awards and Diversity in Factual Production - Screen Nation Film & TV Awards.

Personal life

Dineen has been married to

William Sieghart William Matthew Timothy Stephen Sieghart (born 1960) is a British entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist and the founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry. He is former chairman of the Somerset House Trust. Education and career Born in 1 ...

since 1996. They have three children together, Maude, Ruby and Joseph and a Lucas Terrier called Jessie, whom Molly is particularly attached to.

References

External links

*
Molly Dineen at the British Film Institute

Sound Business 1981 Reggae Documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dineen, Molly 1959 births BAFTA winners (people) English documentary filmmakers Living people People from Birmingham, West Midlands Canadian emigrants to England Film directors from Toronto Canadian expatriates in England Alumni of the National Film and Television School