Nicholas Connor is an English filmmaker. Best known for his work on the film ''Cotton Wool''. In 2017 he was awarded the 'Ones to Watch' Award by

Into Film Into Film is a charity supported principally by the British Film Institute (through the National Lottery), Cinema First and Northern Ireland Screen. Into Film aims to put film at the heart of children and young people's educational, cultural and p ...

at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

. Presented by actor

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing intimidating, authoritarian characters and villains. Dance started his career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film an ...

, sponsored by

EON Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...

. Connor presently lives in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

, England.

Career

Nicholas Connor started his career as a

script supervisor A script supervisor (also called continuity supervisor or script) is a member of a film crew who oversees the continuity of the motion picture including dialogue and action during a scene. The script supervisor may also be called upon to ensure wa ...

and then attended the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

Film Academy at

HOME A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

in Manchester. In 2016 he directed ''Northern Lights'', which received a mixed critical response. Chris Olson from
UK Film Review
' gave the film 4 stars calling it "a beautiful piece of filmmaking". Jennie Kermode for 'Eye for Film' gave the film 3 stars, stating "''Northern Lights'' may sometimes by lacking in energy but it doesn't outstay its welcome and overall it's an impressive debut." In 2017, aged 17, he directed ''Cotton Wool'' with a cast including

Leanne Best Leanne Best (born 15 June 1979) is an English actress. She trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and presently lives in southwest London. She is known for her roles as Jane Cobden in the BBC series ''Ripper Street'', Celia Do ...

and

Crissy Rock Christine Murray (born 23 September 1958), known professionally as Crissy Rock, is an English actress, stand-up comedian, and author, most notable for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film '' Ladybird, Ladybird'', and as Janey York in '' ...

. The film was shot by

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

winning cinematographer Alan C. McLaughlin. The film was supported in its research by the British Stroke Association and received a 12A by the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...

. The film received a 5 star review from
ScreenCritix
', which stated "he is really coming into his own and certainly cementing his status as one of the UK’s hottest prospects." The film's red carpet premiere took place in

, England. In December 2017 he featured on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

to talk about his career. He won the UK Inspirational Children and Young Peoples Award for Arts and Culture in 2018. In 2024, it was announced that he would be directing an adaption of the play "Maurice's Jubilee", starring

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English actor with many stage, television, and film roles. Classically trained, he is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Gl ...

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis (born 12 May 1937), is an English actress. She is a three-time Emmy Award winner, winning for the television dramas, '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, '' The First Churchills'' in 1971, and for '' Vanity Fair'' i ...

and

Nichola McAuliffe Nichola McAuliffe (born 27 August 1955) is an English television and stage actress and writer, best known for her role as Sheila Sabatini in the ITV hospital sitcom '' Surgical Spirit'' (1989–1995). She has also starred in several stage musi ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Festivals Accolations

Personal life

Connor grew up in his hometown of

. His sister is

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

golf professional 'Rachel Connor'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, Nicholas English filmmakers Living people 1999 births People from Oldham