Molly Dineen (born 7 March 1959) is a television documentary director, cinematographer and producer. One of Britain's most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, Molly is known for her intimate and probing portraits of British individuals and institutions. Her work includes The Lie of the Land (2007), examining the decline of the countryside and British farming, The Ark (1993) about London Zoo during Thatcherism and the Lords' Tale (2002), which examined the removal of the hereditary peers.
Early life
Dineen was born in Canada and brought up in Birmingham, England. She attended the Bournville School of Art and then studied Photography, Film and Television at the London College of Printing. Sound Business (1981), featuring sound producer Lloyd Coxsone and record store owner Blacker Dread (Steve Burnett-Martin) was her final degree project. She then worked for two years for a documentary camera crew, becoming a member of the ACTT Union. She went on to the National Film and Television School, where she studied documentary under Herb Di Gioia and Colin Young, achieving recognition for her 1987 debut Home from the Hill. This film was picked up by BBC Two for Eddie Mirzoeff's 40 Minutes series, nominated for a BAFTA and shown in 22 other countries.
Career in documentary
Dineen makes observational documentaries and has a "tone of her own". She has been described as a "leading film-maker of her generation". Her style is unique, creating close personal portraits of issues and institutions. She has been described as exemplary, "standing-ovation television...Dineen is our box Byron". In 1997, she made the party election broadcast for Tony Blair. In 2011, the British Film Institute released a three volume box set of her work. "Her camera watches faces, conversations and behaviour patterns with a seemingly incurious objectivity, allowing her subjects to unveil their secret fears and frustrations".
Awards and nominations
Winner of BAFTA Best Single Documentary
Winner of BAFTA Best Factual Series
Winner of Grierson Award for Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue
Winner of Grand Jury Prize at Visions du Reel, Neon
Winner of Royal Television Society Documentary Award
Winner of Royal Television Society Prize
Winner of First Prize at Anthropos Documentary Festival, Los Angeles
Winner of Women in Film and Television - Broadcaster's Contribution to the Medium Award Winner of Prix des Bibliothèques at Lyon Biennale Europeane de Cinema Winner of TV Suisse Rommande Prize, Nyon Documentary Festival Winner of Voice of Viewers and Listeners Best Television Programme Winner of Uppsala Film Festival Documentary Prize Winner of Indies Documentaries and Features Awards Winner of BFI Kodak Newcomers of the Year Award Nominated for BAFTA Best Single Documentary Nominated for Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary on a Contemporary Issue Nominated for Grierson Award for Best Single Documentary Nominated for Prix Europa Nominated for Screen Nation Film & TV Awards for Diversity in Factual Production Nominated for Indies Award