In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we are delighted to once again partner with the Dinard British and Irish Film Festival, which held its 37th edition in the picturesque seaside town of Dinard, Brittany.
At the festival, Film Ireland's Associate Editor Gemma Creagh caught up with Philippa Lowthorpe, the three-times BAFTA-winning director, to discuss her acclaimed career in film and television and some of her most celebrated work.
Philippa chats about directing the multi-award-winning series Three Girls, alongside Irish editor Una Ní Dhonghaíle - and their BAFTA, as well as her work on The Crown, and her most recent feature film, H Is for Hawk, starring Claire Foy alongside Irish actors Denise Gough and Brendan Gleeson.
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Philippa Lowthorpe
Philippa Lowthorpe is a three-times BAFTA winner and the first female director to win a BAFTA for directing TV fiction. Most recently, Philippa directed H Is for Hawk for Plan B/Film4. Based on the memoir by Helen Macdonald, it stars Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson and is produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Following its world premiere at Telluride, the film was selected for the prestigious Patron’s Gala at the London Film Festival. The film was released on 23rd January 2026 and received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film.
Philippa directed the critically acclaimed limited series Prisoner 951 for BBC/Fremantle, written by Stephen Butchard, telling the powerful and revelatory true story of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, who was taken hostage in Iran, and her husband Richard’s fight for her release. The series was broadcast in December 2025, and stars Joseph Fiennes and Narges Rashidi, who won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Female Lead Performance and has also been nominated for Best Lead Performance at BAFTA and BANFF, where the series also has a nomination for Best Limited Series.
Philippa directed the multi-award-winning mini-series Three Girls, written by Nicole Taylor, about the Rochdale grooming scandal, which won five BAFTAs, including Best Limited Series and Philippa’s second BAFTA for directing. She directed Claire Foy in The Crown season two, and Naomie Harris and Jude Law in The Third Day: Winter for HBO/Plan B, written by Dennis Kelly. Her film Misbehaviour starred Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessie Buckley. Set in 1970, it tells the true story of the first Black woman to win Miss World and the young feminists who infiltrated the event in order to disrupt and demonstrate.
Philippa was lead director of the very first series and feature-length special of international hit Call the Midwife, for which she won her first directing BAFTA in 2013. Other work includes Five Daughters, written by Stephen Butchard; Swallows and Amazons, written by Andrea Gibb; and The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Jared Harris, Natascha McElhone, and Jodhi May. Starting out as a documentary maker, Philippa has always been drawn to telling real-life stories. One of her early films, Three Salons at the Seaside, was chosen by the Grierson Trust as one of the Must-See Documentaries of the last 50 yearsand can be seen on BBC iPlayer. It has achieved a cult following and was chosen by Cate Blanchett as her inspiration for her Documentary Now! episode, written by Seth Meyers.
Dinard British and Irish Film Festival
The Dinard British and Irish Film Festival is an annual celebration of cinema that takes place in the coastal town of Dinard, Brittany. Now in its 37th year, the festival showcases the best of contemporary British and Irish filmmaking, highlighting emerging talent alongside established voices. Known for its warm hospitality and discerning audiences, Dinard provides a unique platform for filmmakers to connect with international industry figures and audiences in France.
