Sue Hayes (29 April 1951 – 23 April 2021) was a British film and television executive who, as London Film Commissioner, was instrumental in championing London as an international filming destination. She also directed Edinburgh International Film & Television Festival and won an International Emmy for her documentary "For The Sake of the Children" in 1991.

Early life

Sue Hayes was born 29 April 1951 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, eldest child of James Hayes (who worked in the

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

Car Plant in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

) and Alice Hayes (née Manuel). She attended

Apsley Grammar School Apsley may refer to: Places * Apsley, Hertfordshire, a suburb of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England ** Apsley railway station * Apsley, Ontario, a community in North Kawartha, Ontario, Canada * Apsley, Tasmania, a locality in Tasmania, Aus ...

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

, and studied economics and sociology at City University.

Career

Hayes' early career was as a journalist for the

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

and the

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

, before working as a researcher for Granada TV and then as a producer at companies including Channel 4, ITV, Granada TV and The History Channel. From 1979 to 1983 she was director of the

Edinburgh International Television Festival The Edinburgh International Television Festival is an annual media event held in the United Kingdom each August which brings together delegates from the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry. The Festival ...

. In 1989 she launched an independent production company, VPL, which made TV documentaries, including For the Sake of the Children (1991), which won an

International Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

. In 2000, Hayes was appointed the commissioner of the London Film Commission (now

Film London Film London is London's film and media agency – sustaining, promoting and developing London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital. This includes all the screen industries based in London – film, television, video, co ...

), and was its head until 2010. She was involved in the establishment of the London Filming Partnership and in both these roles was a key figure in London becoming a go-to location for international productions.

Death

Hayes died on 23 April 2021, at the age of 69. Hayes was survived by her partner, producer Rod Caird.Veteran factual producer Rod Caird passes away at 73
/ref> He died on 12 October 2021, at the age of 73.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Sue 1951 births 2021 deaths British film producers British women Film people from London