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Sandra A. Goldbacher (born 1960) is a British film
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
,
TV director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...
, and
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
.


Early life and education

Goldbacher grew up in
Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is an elevated suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twent ...
in the
London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest London borough b ...
, the daughter of an Italian Sephardic Jewish father, a fruit importer, and a Protestant mother, who was a native of the Isle of
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...
in Scotland. Her mother converted to Judaism when Goldbacher was a year old. Goldbacher's father was a Holocaust survivor. Goldbacher grew up as a Reform Jew. She said she encountered some anti-semitism growing up. Goldbacher graduated from
Sussex University , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...
as a French Literature major, and then did a year-long course at
Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries of ...
, studying film and video.


Career

Goldbacher got her start directing commercials for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
''
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
,
Evian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evi ...
,
Wella Wella Aktiengesellschaft, AG is a German hair care company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1880 by Franz Ströher, it specialises in hair care, Hair styling, styling and colorants sold to individuals as well as hairdressers and ...
, Johnny Walker and
Baileys Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur, an alcoholic drink flavoured with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey. It is made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. It is the original Irish cream, inven ...
. She also directed documentaries for the BBC series ''Building Sights'', and two documentaries on boxing for
Channel Four 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 ...
. In 1994, Goldbacher made two shorts: ''Seventeen'', which starred
Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award. Weisz began acting in British stage and television in the ...
, and ''Piccadilly Circus By Night''. She had made films while in college. Goldbacher's first feature film, ''
The Governess ''The Governess'' is a 1998 British period drama film written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher. The screenplay focuses on a young Jewish woman of Sephardic background, who reinvents herself as a gentile governess when she is forced to fi ...
'', starring
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic ''Grosse ...
, which Goldbacher wrote based on a fictional diary that she wrote, was nominated for a BAFTA award in 1999 for best newcomer. In 2001, she released her second film, '' Me Without You,'' which starred
Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, she has been acting professionally since age 13. Friel achieved fame with her portrayal of Beth Jordache on the British soap opera '' Brookside'' ...
and Michelle Williams and was written by Goldbacher and Laurence Coriat. The movie had been in development before ''The Governess,'' but funding came earlier for the other film. ''Me Without You'' explores the "over-intense" relationship between two teenage girls. The film was loosely based upon a childhood friendship she had when she was younger. Both films featured Jewish characters and themes. In 2007, Goldbacher directed the television film adaptation of
Noel Streatfeild Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE (24 December 1895 –11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the U ...
's book '' Ballet Shoes'' for
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...
, which starred
Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includ ...
. In 2012, she directed two episodes of the second season of '' The Hour,'' starring
Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...
. In 2016, Goldbacher directed an episode of the TV series '' Endeavour'', set in 1967. Also in 2016, she directed two episodes of the British TV series ''
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...
''. In 2017, she directed an episode of the TV series ''
Anne with an E ''Anne with an E'' (initially titled ''Anne'' for its first season within Canada) is a Canadian television series loosely adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 classic work of children's literature, ''Anne of Green Gables''. It was created by ...
''. In 2018, Goldbacher directed the first series of the Amazon TV series '' Ordeal by Innocence'', starring
Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ga ...
and
Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born ) is a British actress. Her movie career includes roles in ''She's Out of My League'', ''Men in Black 3'', ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', and ''Before We Go''. She has had recurring roles on the TV series ''Entourage'' and ' ...
. It was an adaptation of the 1958 book by
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...
. In 2019, Goldbacher directed the four-episode
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...
mini-series, ''The Accident'', which was created by and written by
Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...
, and is about a small Welsh community and how it copes with a devastating explosion.


Personal life

In 1999, Goldbacher married writer/producer Peter Salmi. They have one child.


Awards and honours

* 1994: Chicago Film Festival, Silver Plaque for ''Seventeen'' * 1999: BAFTA, Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer in British Film (nominee) for ''The Governess'' * 1998: Dinard British Film Festival, Golden Hitchcock (nominee) for ''The Governess'' * 1998:
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has beco ...
, Crystal Globe (nominee) for ''The Governess'' * 1998: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Audience Award for ''The Governess'' * 1998: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Special Prize (or an author debut) for ''The Governess'' * 1998: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kodak Vision Award for ''The Governess'' * 2001: Dinard Film Festival, Golden Hitchcock (nominee) for ''Me Without You'' * 2002: BAFTA, Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year (nominee) for ''Me Without You'' with Finola Dwyer


Filmography

* 1983: ''Barbie Dolls and War Toys'' short film – photography * 1983: ''Polka Dots and Moonbeams'' short film – co-director * 1984: ''Night of a Thousand Eyes'' short film – co-director, editor * 1990: ''Brendan's Boys'' TV – director * 1993: ''Born to Be Wild'' TV – director * 1993: ''Josie Lawrence'' TV – director * 1993: ''Conceptions and Misconceptions'' TV – director * 1994: ''Seventeen'' short film – director, script * 1994: ''Building Sights'' TV show – director (episodes: "Grand Central Terminal", "John Hancock Center") * 1995: ''Piccadilly Circus by Night'' short film – director, written by * 1998: ''
The Governess ''The Governess'' is a 1998 British period drama film written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher. The screenplay focuses on a young Jewish woman of Sephardic background, who reinvents herself as a gentile governess when she is forced to fi ...
'' – director, written by * 1999: ''The Devil's Chimney'' – director * 2001: '' Me Without You'' – director, screenplay * 2007: '' Ballet Shoes'' – director * 2012: '' The Hour'' – director (episodes: Episode #2.1, Episode #2.2) * 2016: '' Endeavour'' TV series – director (episode: "Ride") * 2016: ''
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...
'' TV series – director (episodes: "The Clockwork Prince", "An Ordinary Woman") * 2017: ''
Anne with an E ''Anne with an E'' (initially titled ''Anne'' for its first season within Canada) is a Canadian television series loosely adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 classic work of children's literature, ''Anne of Green Gables''. It was created by ...
'' TV series – director (episode: "But What Is So Headstrong as Youth?") * 2018: '' Ordeal by Innocence'' TV series – director (episodes: Episode #1.1, Episode #1.2, Episode #1.3) * 2019: ''The Accident'' TV series – director (episodes: Episode #1.1, Episode #1.2, Episode #1.3, Episode #1.4) * 2024: '' The Reckoning'' TV series – director


Works or publications

* * * *


References


Further reading

* *


External links


Sandra Goldbacher
at Tomboy Films * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldbacher, Sandra 1960 births Living people British Jews Alumni of the University of Sussex British women film directors People from the London Borough of Barnet British women screenwriters British television directors Civil servants from London British women television directors