Molly Dineen is a television documentary director, cinematographer and producer. One of Britain's most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, Dineen 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 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, which dealt with the themes of colonialism, international development, and the end of the British Empire, 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

Filmography

Personal life

Dineen has been married to William Sieghart since 1996. They have three children.