Kelly Holmes graduated with an MFA Advanced Film Practice in 2016. She is a director/writer who has had her shorts purchased and broadcast on national French television, has screened her shorts internationally, winning awards and screening at BAFTA and Oscar qualifying festivals, and is embarking on her 2nd French/UK coproduction. Her next short is a Creative England /France 3 funded high budget war film, ATTRITION.

Her Scottish short film FAMILY PORTRAIT, a Victorian family drama about death portrait photography, was shot in the historic Pollok House in Glasgow, and stars Allison McKenzie (Line of Duty) and Douglas Russell (Outlander). FAMILY PORTRAIT has recently won the Paris Courts Devant postproduction prize, including a coproduction with French company Arts Premiers and a broadcast contract with France 3. FAMILY PORTRAIT has screened at London Short Film Festival, where Kelly was nominated for Best Female Director, and at Glasgow Short Film Festival, nominated for Best Scottish Film Award, and has won Best Director at AM Egypt Film Festival and Best Student Short Film at Bolton Film Festival.

Kelly has just completed filming supernatural WW1 short ATTRITION in April 2018 on location in Ipswich, and cast include Edward Hogg, Jack Roth, Lewis MacKinnon and Jack Parry Jones. The film has been commissioned by Creative England’s Emerging Talent fund, was 2nd place winner in Enter the Pitch’s competition at Pinewood Studios and has a presale for broadcast with France 3 Television. ATTRITION is also a co-production between French producer Charles Paviot/Arts Premiers and UK producer Anne Beresford. The film will be broadcast in France in November 2018 as part of the channel’s WW1 centenary programming, and will head to international film festivals in late 2018.

Kelly has several features in development. The first is FACES OF A QUEEN with producer David Brown and writer Kate Davidson, a 16th century thriller about Mary Queen of Scots and the murder of her 2nd husband Lord Darnley. And as well as writing her science fiction spec script SINGULARITY, Kelly has also completed two iFeatures applications, one a body horror set in 1968 about organ donation and the second, a dystopian drama set in the far north of Scotland with fellow Screen Academy alumni writer Chris Lindsay. Chris and Kelly are also currently pitching a television single drama to networks.

Kelly shadowed Douglas McKinnon on BBCs Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, and was mentored by Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio), opportunities that were made possible through Screen Academy Scotland. She is now being mentored by James Kent (Testament of Youth). She holds a BA, MA and a MFA in Directing from Screen Academy Scotland and has taken part in talent schemes with Creative England, Skillset and Creative Alliance. She also lectures at University of Derby and Sheffield Hallam University.

Kelly says “Screen Academy gave me the opportunity to understand who I am as a film director, and where I wanted to place myself in industry. The mentor programme was hugely valuable and gave me a career trajectory and taught me to trust my instincts.”

FUNDING/FILM FESTIVALS/AWARDS
–  Creative England Emerging Talent Fund, France 3 presale and Enter the Pitch award for Attrition
–  Paris Courts Devant C3PM postproduction prize for Family Portrait, including coproduction contract with French production company Arts Premiers and a broadcast contract with France 3 Television, AM Eygpt Film Festival Best Director winner, Bolton Film Festival Best Student Film winner, Runner Up – Enter The Pitch Competition
– Recipient of Skillset funding, Rafford Scholarship, research funding and Promising Researcher Award
– Participant in Creative England Talent Modules, and Creative Allience Foot Up Mentoring Scheme
– Shorts have screened in over 50 international film festivals including: Glasgow Short Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Leeds Film Festival, Lund Fantastique Festival, Exposures Film Festival

WEBSITE: www.kellyholmesdirector.com