Born in Uttoexeter, writer/director Shane Meadows grew up in Nottingham and the city’s estates and suburbs have provided the themes, locations and settings for all his work to date. His career in film-making began at a local film centre in Nottingham where he borrowed a camcorder at weekends and developed a technique of filmmaking using his friends and actors, producing a short film every month for a year. In 1995 he was approached to direct the TV documentary The Gypsy’s Tale and the following year, he produced, directed, edited and co-starred in the 60-minute film Small Time, winner of the Michael Powell award at the 1996 Edinburgh International Film Festival.Shane then went on to write and direct his ‘Midlands’ Trilogy’ consisting of Twentyfourseven starring Bob Hoskins and winner of the FIPRESCI award at the 1998 Venice Film Festival; A Room for Romeo Brass; and Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, his comedic homage to the Spaghetti Western genre, which was selected for Directors’ Fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. In 2003 Shane directed the revenge thriller Dead Man’s Shoes, co-written by and starring Paddy Considine, whom he had met and become friends with as a teenager. Considine won several awards for his performance including the 2005 Evening Standard British Film Award and the Empire Award for Best Actor. April 2007 saw the release of his most successful film yet: This is England, brilliantly evoking the tensions of 1983 Britain through the tale of Shaun, a lonely 11 year-old growing up in a Northern town who is adopted by a group of local skinheads.

Shane Meadows is perhaps the most important filmmaker of his generation and one of the brightest talents in British cinema.

This Is Shane Meadows is released 3rd September

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