Dionne Edwards is a British filmmaker and screenwriter, of mixed Jamaican and Nigerian heritage, best known for her short film ''We Love Moses''.
Early life
Whilst growing up Edwards spent time in the foster care system.
Edwards studied film and TV production at the
University of Westminster
, mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength
, type = Public
, established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster
, endowment = £5.1 million ...
, following which she spent a year working at
Working Title Films
Working Title Films is a British film studio that produces motion pictures and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The company was founded by Tim Bev ...
as a Working Title Action! Intern. Missing out on a place at the
National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repor ...
she went on to work for the
Rio Cinema in Dalston, East London, whilst continuing to work on her own films.
Career
In 2011 Edwards co-founded production company Teng Teng Films alongside producer Georgian Goggin. It has produced four of her short films, including her breakthrough short film ''We Love Moses''.
''Hi, Miss!'' (2014) is a short film written and directed by Edwards, which explores the relationship between two quarrelling teenage photography students. It won the Audience Award at the
East End Film Festival
The East End Film Festival was one of the UK's largest film festivals. It ceased all operations on 4 March 2020. The owner, Alison Poltock, explained that "the push to provide a more mainstream commercial offering is not for us."
Founded in 200 ...
in 2015. ''We Love Moses'' (2016) is a short film written and directed by Edwards, which explores a 12-year-old's secret crush on her brother's best friend, both of whose lives are dramatically changed in a single moment in a shocking plot twist. The film explores girlhood, relationships and sexuality. Edwards was mentored on the project by
Desiree Akhavan
Desiree Akhavan (born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'',[BFI
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 (United Kingdom), National Lot ...]
Flare LGBT Filmmakers’ Mentorship scheme
and was pre-funded by
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, ...
, as part of London Calling Plus. Screened at more than 50 festivals, it picked up nine awards including Best British Short Winner at the 2017
Iris Prize
The Iris Prize, established in by Berwyn Rowlands of The Festivals Company, is an international LGBT film prize and festival which is open to any film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex au ...
and Short Film of the Year at the
Critics’ Circle Film Awards.
It was licensed for broadcast by Cine+,
Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
and
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
.
In 2018 she directed ''That Girl'', part of drama anthology ''On the Edge'', a Channel 4 mini-series that explored the criminal justice system from the perspective of a criminal, a witness and the victim. In 2019 she was an assistant director to
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Reinaldo Marcus Green (born 1981) is an American director, producer and writer. His films include ''Monsters and Men'' (2018), '' Joe Bell'' (2020), and '' King Richard'' (2021), which was nominated for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.
E ...
on the
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
revival of the Channel 4 series ''
Top Boy
''Top Boy'' is a British television crime drama series, created and written by Ronan Bennett. The series is set in the fictional Summerhouse estate in the London Borough of Hackney and focuses on two drug dealers Dushane ( Ashley Walters) and ...
'', she went on to direct two episodes of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle'', which explored the experience of a family of Caribbean origin over four generations. In 2019 she was named a
Star of Tomorrow.
In 2020 she was an Sundance Adobe Fellow.