Mike Leigh in conversation

The film director and screenwriter Mike Leigh has received thirteen BAFTA nominations and six American Academy Award nominations. He has won four BAFTAs and was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 2015. In 1993, he was awarded an OBE for services to the film industry. His acclaimed work includes popular films such as SECRETS AND LIES, LIFE IS SWEET, VERA DRAKE, NAKED and MR TURNER. His renowned television plays include ABIGAIL’S PARTY and NUTS IN MAY.

His work often centres on the British working class and is done initially without any script. Mike and the actors improvise the characters and the scenes, whilst under his overall control. Before his work for the cinema, he directed nine plays for BBC TV, including the seminal AGIGAIL’S PARTY, which starred his then-wife, Alison Steadman. His first feature film, 1988’s HIGH HOPES, focused on a struggling working-class couple in London. His next release, LIFE IS SWEET, had a somewhat similar theme, as did others. The dark NAKED saw Mike winning the Best Director award at 1993’s Cannes Film Festival. In 1996, his SECRETS AND LIES won the festival’s highest honour, the prestigious Palme d’Or. Other notable films include CAREER GIRLS, TOPSY-TURVY, ALL OR NOTHING, ANOTHER YEAR and MR TURNER.