Deborah Haywood – 2020 Jury

Sheffield Short Film Festival is super excited to welcome Pin Cushion writer / director Deborah Haywood to the UK Short Jury!

Following her first short film Deborah was selected for Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2007.  Several more successful short films followed, most notably multi-award winning and BIFA nominated Sis (2010).

Pin Cushion, (2018) starring Lily Newmark and Joanna Scanlan, Deborah’s debut feature, opened Critic’s Week at Venice International Film Festival in 2017.  It was nominated for three BIFA’S, longlisted for the Evening Standard Awards, won Special Jury Award at EFF of Seville, Jury Award at Ithaca Fantastik FF, and the Audience Award at the International Films de Femmes.  She also received a nomination for Breakthrough Filmmaker at the London Critic’s Circle Awards.  Pin Cushion gained 4* reviews, including Critic’s Choice in the New York Times. 

Deborah was also named as one of the Biggest Breakout Female Filmmakers by Harper’s Bazaar, 2018. 

Deborah is now developing Beak, a surreal gothic horror, with the BFI, and Nancy Says, a fantastical musical with BBC Films.  Both will be produced by Gavin Humphries.  She is adapting a novel by Peter Cook, which will be directed by Ruth Paxton and produced by Linda Reisman (Leave No Trace), and writing a biopic of the artist Niki De Saint Phalle with producers Serena Armitage and Piers Tempest.

She is represented by Mark Casarotto, at Casarotto Ramsay Associates.