Biog & CV

Kate Cheeseman is a BAFTA and multi-award winning director working in both film and television. She is attached to direct two major films and has just finished directing two episodes of the Amazon detective series Mallorca Files. Before that she directed, three episodes of the last series of the worldwide hit show Doc Martin, shot on super 16mm film. Every episode received pick of the days in more than one paper as well as 5 star reviews.

Previously, she was lead director on Season 6 of Outlander, filming the opening 90 minute special as well as an extended second episode. Both series have involved filming large set scenes, big actions scenes, stunts, fights and intimate scenes. She was also lead director on series 9 of Call the Midwife, also directing the finale of season 8 where she directed multiple births as well as a few stunts, taut drama and a bit of light comedy. She has directed five short films and is attached to four feature films, two with one with full funding.

Kate began her career in film editing, before moving to direct documentary films where she took crews abroad, and directed large scale reconstructions of train crashes, life boat rescues and house fires. Moving to fiction she was awarded a BAFTA, the Prix Danube Jury Prize and several further prizes and nominations for the serial and TV Film, Pig Heart Boy. Furthermore, she won an RTS Award and a BMA medal for previous scripted productions.

In high-end drama, Kate has directed high calibre stars as well as actors new to the screen. She has filmed large cast scenes as well as fights and stunts, and has worked on both period drama and contemporary material.

Kate’s short #MeToo thriller, "What Happened to Evie", has received world acclaim winning awards at a number of major festivals. It is soon to be screened as part of a televised debate in the Netherlands. It is one of three films selected for the UN Women, Orange the World Campaign. The short stars Olivier Award winning Mike Jibson (HamiltonLdn) and Bessie Coates. Amongst other awards, it won Best International Short Fiction at Galway Film Fleadh as well as at San Jose International Film Festival and Best Short by a female director in the Cannes Short Film Corner. Kate's other recent film, Blue Room, is a short about a young woman trapped in a strange room. It is a film about recovering from grief and stars Georgia Henshaw. Kate has also made a comedy horror short with Phil Davis which was chosen as one of the top 5 thrillers and a highlight of Aesthetica Film Festival and finally an animated opera which is still in post.

Kate is now dividing her time between high-end drama and developing her feature projects. More information and examples of her work can be found on this website.

She is represented by Olivia Gray, Independent Talent
Referees: Pippa Harris and Annie Tricklebank at Neal Street Productions, Ben Donald and Dominic Barlow at Cosmopolitan Pictures, Philippa Braithwaite or Mark Crowdy at Buffalo, Barbara Stepansky or Karen Bailey at Starz. Emails on request.