JANE LINFOOT

Writer-director

A background working in production has served Jane Linfoot well. Not only because it has given her an address book full of contacts to call on when making her selffinanced shorts, but because it has taught her the importance of the relationship between directors and actors. Two shorts so far - Creep, about a little boy with a secret, and the triptych Youth, about young people, which screened at Edinburgh last year - show a keen sense of observation and a measured hand. 'Youth absolutely captured the essence of what it means to be young,' says Film4's executive in charge of new talent, Jo McClellan. 'She has a particular skill working with young non-actors and her motivation is incredibly impressive - she got both films off the ground single-handedly.' She is preparing another short, On Your Own, about a boy in care whose attempts to be independent are thwarted by his environment, and is working on her feature debut, a dark drama set in North Yorkshire, exploring similar themes to her shorts.