Directors UK and Creative Skillset’s High End TV (HETV) Council have announced two directors set to participate in the High End TV Drama Directors Career Development Programme. According to a press release, Tina Gharavi and Samantha Harrie will serve as “placement directors on two of the UK’s most popular High End drama productions: Kudos’ ‘The Tunnel: Vengeance’ and Neal Street Productions’ ‘Call The Midwife.’”
A total of six directors will be chosen from 200 applications to participate in the program, which was “launched to help progress and diversify the directing talent in HETV drama.” The four remaining candidates will be announced later this year.
The initiative includes a 12-week paid stint on a High End drama production, where the placement director will have the chance to work side-by-side with the show’s lead director. Placement directors “will gain an insight into all areas of HETV drama including pre-production, shooting, and post-production; ultimately giving them the skill set needed to be able to direct an episode in the future.” They will also have the chance to direct 2nd unit when possible and potentially earn an on-screen credit.
“Ensuring full representation behind-the-scenes in High End TV productions is imperative if HETV is to be reflective of society,” HETV Programme Lead Kaye Elliott explained. “This is why the Council and levy are fully supportive of initiatives such as the High End TV Drama Directors Career Development Programme, and we are delighted that two female directors have secured such high profile placements.”
Gharavi received a BAFTA nomination for her coming-of-age film “I Am Nasrine” in 2013. She made her debut with the 2001 documentary short “Closer,” and her other directing credits include several shorts as well as the 2007 doc “A Town Like Lackawanna.” She is currently working on her next film, the gangster story “The Good Iranian.” As part of the High End TV Directors program, Gharavi will be working with Gilles Bannier (“Tin Star,” “The Tunnel: Sabotage”) on “The Tunnel: Vengeance.”
Harrie’s graduation film, the short “Love Letters,” earned her a Royal Television Society award nomination. A selectee for the 2016 BBC New Directors Scheme, Harrie has also helmed episodes of “Doctors” and the shorts “Copier” and “Adrift.” She is attached to direct two upcoming features: “The Pod,” a sci-fi/black comedy hybrid, and “The Orchestra,” a revenge thriller. Harrie will team up with Syd Macartney (“Last Tango in Halifax”) on “Call the Midwife” for the HETV program.
