Award Winning Film & TV DirectorRepresented by Independent Talent Group
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Kate Cheeseman is a highly experienced BAFTA & RTS Award Winning Director, having won multiple prizes for both her television and film directing. Her shorts have won Best Short and Best Director Awards at multiple Oscar, BAFTA & BIFA recognised festivals, screening worldwide and her television directing has won a BAFTA, an RTS, a Priz Danube and multiple further nominations including a second RTS.
Kate combines a strong sense of script development with a highly creative, visual approach to realising stories on the screen. Her experience working with actors creates a secure and inventive environment on set, combined with her ability to understand the technical aspects of film making including VFX and therefore successfully manage crews. She has directed period drama, thrillers, procedural and action-based series, as well as comedy to many rave reviews and pick of the day articles. She has been lead director on multiple high-end series and filmed on 6k as well as super 16 mm film. She has led large casts and crew including high profile actors in both the UK & Internationally.
Her most recent credits include the short film, Between the Piers, Mallorca Files for Amazon Prime, lead director on the much-anticipated series 6 opening block of the international hit, Outlander for Lionsgate/Starz, three episodes of the world-famous Doc Martin for ITV, and lead director on the BAFTA winning show, Call the Midwife.
Her short What Happened to Evie won prizes around the world and recently screened on Dutch Television at Christmas, as part of the United Nation Women's campaign, Orange the World.
Kate began her career at the BBC working on a David Attenborough series before moving into investigative journalism helping win a multi-million award for a victim of medical negligence. After producing and directing in factual, she started directing scripted television, winning awards for a series about the WW1 poets, working with future stars Tom Hollander, Alex Jennings and Sam West. She now directs in high-end television and is attached to direct a number of feature films both in the UK and Europe as well as developing some of her own.
Kate combines a strong sense of script development with a highly creative, visual approach to realising stories on the screen. Her experience working with actors creates a secure and inventive environment on set, combined with her ability to understand the technical aspects of film making including VFX and therefore successfully manage crews. She has directed period drama, thrillers, procedural and action-based series, as well as comedy to many rave reviews and pick of the day articles. She has been lead director on multiple high-end series and filmed on 6k as well as super 16 mm film. She has led large casts and crew including high profile actors in both the UK & Internationally.
Her most recent credits include the short film, Between the Piers, Mallorca Files for Amazon Prime, lead director on the much-anticipated series 6 opening block of the international hit, Outlander for Lionsgate/Starz, three episodes of the world-famous Doc Martin for ITV, and lead director on the BAFTA winning show, Call the Midwife.
Her short What Happened to Evie won prizes around the world and recently screened on Dutch Television at Christmas, as part of the United Nation Women's campaign, Orange the World.
Kate began her career at the BBC working on a David Attenborough series before moving into investigative journalism helping win a multi-million award for a victim of medical negligence. After producing and directing in factual, she started directing scripted television, winning awards for a series about the WW1 poets, working with future stars Tom Hollander, Alex Jennings and Sam West. She now directs in high-end television and is attached to direct a number of feature films both in the UK and Europe as well as developing some of her own.
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"A Director with a Clear and Confident Approach
Kate Cheeseman’s direction shows a filmmaker operating with confidence and clarity. Having begun her career in film editing before moving into documentary and fiction, she brings a refined sense of pacing and visual storytelling.
Her BAFTA-winning work on Pig Heart Boy, along with recognition from the Royal Television Society and the British Medical Association, underscores a career grounded in craft and narrative discipline. In Between the Piers, that experience translates into a film where each shot feels considered and emotionally precise: never overstated, yet always intentional.
Landscape as Emotional Language
Shot along the southern British coastline around Southsea during winter, the film makes striking use of its natural environment. The shifting weather conditions, moving from muted greys to moments of saturated color, mirror the emotional progression of the story itself. This visual evolution becomes a central storytelling device. The coastline is not simply a setting, but an extension of the characters’ internal states, capturing isolation, tension, and, gradually, the possibility of reconnection.
Performances Rooted in Truth
The performances anchor the film with a strong sense of authenticity. Elen Rhys, known for her work in The Mallorca Files, delivers a nuanced and internalized portrayal of a woman navigating unresolved tension with her mother. Anne Kavanagh, with a long-standing presence across British theatre and screen, brings emotional weight and quiet vulnerability to the role of the grieving parent. Brian Bovell, recognized for his work in The Bill, Doctors, and Holby City, adds further depth in a supporting role. Together, the cast delivers performances grounded in credibility and emotional truth.
The Power of What Is Left Unsaid
What distinguishes Between the Piers is its understated approach. Dialogue is minimal, but meaning is carried through gesture, silence, and visual composition. Rather than relying on exposition, the film builds its emotional weight through observation and presence. Kate Cheeseman allows the story to unfold organically, trusting both her performers and the audience, resulting in a film with a lasting emotional impact.
A Film Built on Collaboration
The production reflects a strong collaborative spirit. Made on a modest budget, the film brought together a predominantly female-led creative team—including cinematographer Gabi Norland, editor Mary Finlay, production designer Natasha Guinness, and composer Sally Herbert—alongside students and emerging professionals from a local university. This blend of experience and new voices contributes to the film’s authenticity and reinforces its thematic focus on community, connection, and shared experience.
Grief, Loneliness, and the Need for Connection
Cheeseman emphasizes the importance of portraying grief as an ongoing process: one that requires patience, empathy, and human connection. The film speaks to a broader social reality, addressing loneliness not only among older generations but across contemporary society as a whole. In doing so, Between the Piers becomes both a personal story and a wider reflection on the importance of support systems in an increasingly disconnected world.
International Trajectory
The film’s trajectory is further strengthened by its selection for distribution by a leading European sales agent known for representing Oscar-caliber films, positioning it for continued international exposure. With its combination of emotional intelligence, visual precision, and deeply grounded performances, Between the Piers exemplifies the kind of filmmaking that defines Indie Short Fest at its best—intimate in scale, yet expansive in meaning.
Kate Cheeseman’s direction shows a filmmaker operating with confidence and clarity. Having begun her career in film editing before moving into documentary and fiction, she brings a refined sense of pacing and visual storytelling.
Her BAFTA-winning work on Pig Heart Boy, along with recognition from the Royal Television Society and the British Medical Association, underscores a career grounded in craft and narrative discipline. In Between the Piers, that experience translates into a film where each shot feels considered and emotionally precise: never overstated, yet always intentional.
Landscape as Emotional Language
Shot along the southern British coastline around Southsea during winter, the film makes striking use of its natural environment. The shifting weather conditions, moving from muted greys to moments of saturated color, mirror the emotional progression of the story itself. This visual evolution becomes a central storytelling device. The coastline is not simply a setting, but an extension of the characters’ internal states, capturing isolation, tension, and, gradually, the possibility of reconnection.
Performances Rooted in Truth
The performances anchor the film with a strong sense of authenticity. Elen Rhys, known for her work in The Mallorca Files, delivers a nuanced and internalized portrayal of a woman navigating unresolved tension with her mother. Anne Kavanagh, with a long-standing presence across British theatre and screen, brings emotional weight and quiet vulnerability to the role of the grieving parent. Brian Bovell, recognized for his work in The Bill, Doctors, and Holby City, adds further depth in a supporting role. Together, the cast delivers performances grounded in credibility and emotional truth.
The Power of What Is Left Unsaid
What distinguishes Between the Piers is its understated approach. Dialogue is minimal, but meaning is carried through gesture, silence, and visual composition. Rather than relying on exposition, the film builds its emotional weight through observation and presence. Kate Cheeseman allows the story to unfold organically, trusting both her performers and the audience, resulting in a film with a lasting emotional impact.
A Film Built on Collaboration
The production reflects a strong collaborative spirit. Made on a modest budget, the film brought together a predominantly female-led creative team—including cinematographer Gabi Norland, editor Mary Finlay, production designer Natasha Guinness, and composer Sally Herbert—alongside students and emerging professionals from a local university. This blend of experience and new voices contributes to the film’s authenticity and reinforces its thematic focus on community, connection, and shared experience.
Grief, Loneliness, and the Need for Connection
Cheeseman emphasizes the importance of portraying grief as an ongoing process: one that requires patience, empathy, and human connection. The film speaks to a broader social reality, addressing loneliness not only among older generations but across contemporary society as a whole. In doing so, Between the Piers becomes both a personal story and a wider reflection on the importance of support systems in an increasingly disconnected world.
International Trajectory
The film’s trajectory is further strengthened by its selection for distribution by a leading European sales agent known for representing Oscar-caliber films, positioning it for continued international exposure. With its combination of emotional intelligence, visual precision, and deeply grounded performances, Between the Piers exemplifies the kind of filmmaking that defines Indie Short Fest at its best—intimate in scale, yet expansive in meaning.