Dawn Shadforth
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
British born producer director and writer Dawn Shadforth created some of music video's most iconic imagery and received many awards for her work in music before moving into drama. Since then Shadforth's short film "The Big Day" won the BIFA for Best British Short Film at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards and she's been nominated for two BAFTAs in 2019 for Breakthrough talent for "Trust" episode "Silencio" and in 2021 for Best Mini-Series for "Adult Material". "Adult Material" received 5 BAFTA nominations in total.
Dawn Shadforth was born in Billericay, Essex, England, the daughter of a pharmacist and a ceramicist. She earned a 1st Class Hons Degree in Fine Art - Sculpture from Sheffield Hallam University.
Shadforth was originally a fine artist. Alongside her fine art practice she developed skills and interest in filmmaking creating video drama campaign pieces for an activist theatre groups in Sheffield. At the same time she started making low budget music videos for small independent dance labels in the North of England and New York, including Warp Records, 10 Denk and an early video for the band Moloko. In 1991 Shadforth won the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Award in 1991 for a fine art installation piece exhibited in Manchester and Sheffield.
Transitioning from a multi-media artist to music-video and television in 1995, Shadforth directed "The Friend's Tale", a 10-minute docudrama for Channel 4's Battered Britain series. Around the same time she directed "The Seven Year Glitch", an experimental film documenting the Warp Records seven-year anniversary tour. This was screened at Onedotzero in London, United Kingdom and Sónar in Barcelona, Spain.
An enduring fascination with electronic music and house music runs deep through Shadforth's work and dance has been a constant theme in the evolution of her work. In 1996, Shadforth directed a music video for the track "Hush" by house legend Kurtis Mantronik and featuring a cameo by Todd Terry. The video was filmed in Brooklyn in New York City and Sheffield.
In 1997, Shadforth's music video for Sheffield band All Seeing I's single Tthe Beat Goes On" won for Best Dance Video at the 1998 Muzik Video Awards and for Best New Director and Best Editing at the 1998 Creative Art & Design Awards. In 1999 Shadforth's video for Garbage's "Special" was awarded Visionary Video at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
In 2000, Shadforth made the Kylie Minogue video "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" The video features Minogue in a computer generated futuristic city. The video is credited with making the song a number one hit worldwide. The exposure from the video quickly made Shadforth a "must have" director, and the film has been widely mimicked and parodied. "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was so suggestive and idea-rich that it provided the source material for "Words & Music", a sprawling 2004 tome on music and hyper-consumption by British journalist Paul Morley. The video won best Director, best editing and best Video at the 2001 CAD Awards.
Shadforth also directed the award-winning promo film for "The Importance Of Being Idle" which went on to win the award for Best Video of 2005 at the NME Awards
In 2010 Shadforth was given the prestigious Icon Award at UK Music Video Awards.
In 2016 the disco epic "Lights" by Hurts and 80's infused "Old Skool by Metronomy featuring Sharon Horgan were nominated for 6 awards collectively at the UKMVA's. "Lights" by Hurts also won Shadforth a special achievement award at the 2015 1:4 Awards.
In 2017 Shadforth directed "The Big Day", a short film written by Kellie Smith produced by Michelle Eastwood. The film went on to win the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best British Short Film at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards.
Her acclaimed work on long-form TV drama includes "Trust" in 2017 following lead director Danny Boyle the show starred Donald Sutherland, Hilary Swank and Luca Marinelli. Shadforth was nominated for Breakthrough Talent at the 2018 BAFTA Awards for her Episode 5 entitled "Silencio".
In 2018 she followed Oscar winning director Tom Hooper with her work on the adaptation of Phillip Pullman's saga "His Dark Materials". The mini-series "Adult Material" in 2019 was written by playwright Lucy Kirkwood, for Channel 4 and Netflix. The show starred Hayley Squires and featured Rupert Everett. It garnered rave reviews and was nominated for five BAFTA awards in 2021 including Best Miniseries. Squires won an International Emmy for her performance in the show.
Shadforth followed this with "Mood", written by Nicôle Lecky for BBC Worldwide and AMC in 2021, shot in East London during the pandemic. The show combines fantasy music sequences with comedy drama and was critically very well received.
In 2022 directed all episodes of a Christmas special of "I Hate Suzie Too", the show created by Billie Piper and Lucy Prebble and produced by Badwolf for Sky Atlantic which was received to universal acclaim and 5 star reviews.
Dawn Shadforth was born in Billericay, Essex, England, the daughter of a pharmacist and a ceramicist. She earned a 1st Class Hons Degree in Fine Art - Sculpture from Sheffield Hallam University.
Shadforth was originally a fine artist. Alongside her fine art practice she developed skills and interest in filmmaking creating video drama campaign pieces for an activist theatre groups in Sheffield. At the same time she started making low budget music videos for small independent dance labels in the North of England and New York, including Warp Records, 10 Denk and an early video for the band Moloko. In 1991 Shadforth won the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Award in 1991 for a fine art installation piece exhibited in Manchester and Sheffield.
Transitioning from a multi-media artist to music-video and television in 1995, Shadforth directed "The Friend's Tale", a 10-minute docudrama for Channel 4's Battered Britain series. Around the same time she directed "The Seven Year Glitch", an experimental film documenting the Warp Records seven-year anniversary tour. This was screened at Onedotzero in London, United Kingdom and Sónar in Barcelona, Spain.
An enduring fascination with electronic music and house music runs deep through Shadforth's work and dance has been a constant theme in the evolution of her work. In 1996, Shadforth directed a music video for the track "Hush" by house legend Kurtis Mantronik and featuring a cameo by Todd Terry. The video was filmed in Brooklyn in New York City and Sheffield.
In 1997, Shadforth's music video for Sheffield band All Seeing I's single Tthe Beat Goes On" won for Best Dance Video at the 1998 Muzik Video Awards and for Best New Director and Best Editing at the 1998 Creative Art & Design Awards. In 1999 Shadforth's video for Garbage's "Special" was awarded Visionary Video at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
In 2000, Shadforth made the Kylie Minogue video "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" The video features Minogue in a computer generated futuristic city. The video is credited with making the song a number one hit worldwide. The exposure from the video quickly made Shadforth a "must have" director, and the film has been widely mimicked and parodied. "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was so suggestive and idea-rich that it provided the source material for "Words & Music", a sprawling 2004 tome on music and hyper-consumption by British journalist Paul Morley. The video won best Director, best editing and best Video at the 2001 CAD Awards.
Shadforth also directed the award-winning promo film for "The Importance Of Being Idle" which went on to win the award for Best Video of 2005 at the NME Awards
In 2010 Shadforth was given the prestigious Icon Award at UK Music Video Awards.
In 2016 the disco epic "Lights" by Hurts and 80's infused "Old Skool by Metronomy featuring Sharon Horgan were nominated for 6 awards collectively at the UKMVA's. "Lights" by Hurts also won Shadforth a special achievement award at the 2015 1:4 Awards.
In 2017 Shadforth directed "The Big Day", a short film written by Kellie Smith produced by Michelle Eastwood. The film went on to win the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best British Short Film at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards.
Her acclaimed work on long-form TV drama includes "Trust" in 2017 following lead director Danny Boyle the show starred Donald Sutherland, Hilary Swank and Luca Marinelli. Shadforth was nominated for Breakthrough Talent at the 2018 BAFTA Awards for her Episode 5 entitled "Silencio".
In 2018 she followed Oscar winning director Tom Hooper with her work on the adaptation of Phillip Pullman's saga "His Dark Materials". The mini-series "Adult Material" in 2019 was written by playwright Lucy Kirkwood, for Channel 4 and Netflix. The show starred Hayley Squires and featured Rupert Everett. It garnered rave reviews and was nominated for five BAFTA awards in 2021 including Best Miniseries. Squires won an International Emmy for her performance in the show.
Shadforth followed this with "Mood", written by Nicôle Lecky for BBC Worldwide and AMC in 2021, shot in East London during the pandemic. The show combines fantasy music sequences with comedy drama and was critically very well received.
In 2022 directed all episodes of a Christmas special of "I Hate Suzie Too", the show created by Billie Piper and Lucy Prebble and produced by Badwolf for Sky Atlantic which was received to universal acclaim and 5 star reviews.
