Motivational Monday – Film Director
For our latest Motivational Monday, we spoke to alumna and film director, Hannah Beach, about feminism in the film industry.
After finishing her A Levels as part of the Class of 2014, Hannah studied Theatre & Performance at the University of Bristol. After realising the course wasn’t quite in line with what she wanted, she decided to re-start her degree, this time studying Psychology. Although not what she originally envisioned, she was enthralled by the topics covered, and enjoyed the real-life applications of her course. She graduated in 2018 and decided to take a year out to re-calibrate, following the sudden passing of her mum. After spending four months travelling around Central America, Hannah returned to the UK, where she began studying for a Master’s in Film Directing at the MetFilm School. This course turned out to be perfect for her, as she used it to feed her intrigue for film and cultivate her passion for directing.
Today, Hannah works as a film director and will soon complete her second short film, A Matter of Minutes – a thriller exploring the brutal reality of living with a severe nut allergy, which will begin touring film festivals shortly. Something that stands out to Hannah in her work is the way her gender is perceived. “The film industry is very male-dominated, and being a female director feels sometimes harder than it should. I don’t want to feel like I’m defying the odds by becoming a female film director, but sadly that’s sometimes the case. I feed my own interpretation of feminism into my work by exploring the feminine through using female protagonists, and by telling stories that often go unheard. I hope that this will help to break down the gender discrepancies that exist in the industry, and in the wider world too.”
Hannah’s plans for the next five years are unwritten. A distant goal of hers is to direct a feature film, but she wants to wait for the right opportunity. She describes herself as hardworking, self-questioning and inspired – three words that surely will equate to success in the coming years.