Sophie Cunningham | Director

Sophie Cunningham | Director

Sophie discovered her passion for television at a young age. Traditional education was hard for her and documentaries became a haven, providing a more accessible and compelling way to learn than school. Sophie developed a keen interest in people and has used her own experiences and sense of feeling different - she was born with a rare eye condition - to relate to others going through similarly difficult experiences in her work. Her desire to capture perceptive stories with compassion and originality has seen her documentaries as producer, made over a decade in the business, broadcast on Amazon Prime, the BBC, Discovery and Netflix. Her debut film as director, Look Away (2021), screened on Sky Documentaries, earned Sophie a BAFTA nomination for Emerging Talent: Factual.

In her own words:

“I have always been fascinated by people and the world around me. I wasn’t traditionally academic and I didn’t find school easy, so I poured all of my efforts into my interpersonal skills. The real world just made more sense to me than traditional education ever would and I loved TV, and devoured documentaries.

“I grew up with an eye condition that had a massive impact on my life. I knew I was different to everyone else and had frequent hospital visits, so I know what it feels like to not fit the norm. I want to use my experiences to make compassionate documentaries highlighting not just women’s issues but the stories of those who have ever felt unheard or underrepresented too, and to provide an empowering platform for them to do so. I love stories that offer a nuanced look at important social issues and provide a window into a different world.

“Having worked as an established producer for many years, stepping into the role of director felt like I was at the beginning of my career again. I’d never worked with a female director before and didn’t think it was possible for someone like me. Being championed through BAFTA Breakthrough is such a vote of confidence and an opportunity to promote the message that being different is actually a superpower. If I can do it, then so can you.”

Sophie’s Breakthrough credit is television documentary Look Away

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