Lorna Nickson Brown
Actor / Writer / Director
Lorna Nickson Brown is a director, screenwriter and actress from Birmingham.
Lorna trained at the prestigious Drama Centre London, winning a Laurence Olivier Bursary Award in her final year. Her recent acting credits include, THE JETTY (BBC One), directed by Marialy Rivas and THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (MGM), directed by George Clooney.
She was selected by Creative England as one of ten emerging female filmmakers in the British creative industries.
Lorna’s short films have screened at BAFTA and OSCAR qualifying festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. Her recent short film, DOG RUN, won the Breaking Boundaries Grand Prize Award at the OSCAR qualifying Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival and is now available onApple TV.
Lorna is motivated to tell stories that make the world feel a less frightening and lonely place. Although her stories are often set in bleak and impoverished worlds, she aims to portray the magic that exists in the places where no one wants to look. She is motivated to challenge hate and give people hope to continue in the most difficult of circumstances, demonstrating how strength, resilience and kindness exist within human nature.
Lorna’s goal in filmmaking is to explore the simple beauty and wonder of the world; in nature, in small acts of kindness, in togetherness, and having each day and beginning afresh. She wants her films to remind us of the richness of community and to help us feel the true marvel of life.
Lorna has been selected for Directors UK Inspire 2024-25 and will be mentored by director, Saul Dibb.
Film, TV & Theatre Agent
Acting Agent
Voices
Actors
She is a member of BAFTA Connect and Directors UK.
"Beautifully directed and paced." Mike Leigh [NED & ME]
"Tender, beautiful, and achingly humane, DOG RUN explores the interconnectedness of all things. A short and expansive piece of cinema." Sunday Times bestselling author, Kiran Millwood Hargrave [DOG RUN]
"Strong and unique." Marcelo Martinessi [NED & ME]
“A marvel of a film. The direction, the cinematography, a stellar set of performances and a wonderful enchanting score all coalesce into a deeply moving and profound experience. Lorna Nickson Brown has a rare gift, seamlessly blending naturalism with moments of shimmering magical realism. A filmmaker and a film suffused with radical empathy and life affirming lyricism. A poetic reminder of the powerful bonds, and the lie of separation, between humans, animals and the natural world”Tom de Freston[DOG RUN]
"Wide-eyed and openhearted" The Hollywood Reporter [LUCY THE HUMAN CHIMP]
"With Lorna Nickson Brown in the role of Janis Carter - it rings true. It's a largely silent performance by Ms. Nickson Brown, but she's our emotional touchstone." The Wall Street Journal [LUCY THE HUMAN CHIMP]
Film
Production | Character | Director | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE | Susie | Simon Curtis | Carnival Films |
BOYS IN THE BOAT | Student | George Clooney | MGM |
THE LEPER | Emma | Hugh Mulhern | NFTS |
CHRONICLES OF COURAGE | Marian | Ernest Mills | Savage Mills |
COLD BLOW LANE | Pam | Penny Andrea | Swamp Light Productions |
TASK 2 | Lorna | Tom Nicoll | Nicoll Film Productions |
AFTER DEATH | Livvy | Gez Medinger/Robin Schmidt | Acheron Films |
BEAUTIFUL RELICS | Evie | Adrian Hedgecock | Inherited Outline |
BRASH YOUNG TURKS | Shaz | Transient Films | Ash & Naeem Mahood |
Television
Production | Character | Director | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
THE JETTY | Kit | Marialy Rivas | Firebird Pictures / BBC Studios / BBC One |
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT | Ann 1956 | Saul Dibb | Wild Mercury/Banijay |
LUCY, THE HUMAN CHIMP (Emmy nominated) | Janis | Alex Parkinson | Keo Films / Channel 4 / HBO |
BEING BETTER | Teacher | Tom Lawes | BBC New Creatives |
THE FEED | Assistant to the President | Jill Robertson | The Feed Production Ltd/Amazon |
DOCTORS | Angela Donaldson | Debbie Howard | BBC One |
POIROT: THE LABOURS OF HERCULES | Lucinda | Andy Wilson | ITV |
BREATHLESS | Mrs Baring | Paul Unwin | ITV |
HOLBY CITY | Melody | David Tucker | ITV |
DOCTORS | Saffron | Alex Jacobs | BBC One |
Stage
Production | Character | Director | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
THE MERCIES (R&D) | Ursa | Oliver Dawe | Oliver Dawe / Kiran Millwood Hargrave |
SUBJECT MATER | Young Sister | Oliver Dawe | Paradise in the Vault, Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
BUTTERFLIES | Lorna | Susan Lynch | The Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
OF MICE AND MEN | Curley's Wife | Roxana Silbert | The Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
INTO THY HANDS | Esther | Jonathan Holmes | Wilton's Music Hall |
TITS/TEETH | Gayle | Anna Niland | Soho Theatre |
SERIOUS MONEY | Sherill | Jonathan Mumby | The Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
HIS DARK MATERIALS | Rachel Kavanaugh | The Birmingham Repertory Theatre | |
ANTIGONE | Antigone | Tim Ford | The Young REP - The Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
THE MISANTHROPE | Celimene | Jonathan Martin | Drama Centre |
PARADISE LOST | Libby | Dominic Colenso | Drama Centre |
FUENTE OVEJUNA | Laurencia | Oleg Mirochnikov | Drama Centre |
OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD | Liz Morden | Shona Morris | Drama Centre |
TWO GENTLEMAN OF VERONA | Silvia | Simon Usher | Drama Centre |
Radio
Production | Character | Director | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
VIOLETS | Birmingham Violet | Eilidh McCreadie | BBC Book at Bedtime |
BUTTERFLIES | Lorna | Paul Dodgson | BBC New Creatives/Rural Media for BBC Sounds |
RIOT GIRLS: KATY | Katy | Emma Harding | BBC Radio 4 |
HOMEFRONT | Queenie | Jessica Dromgoole/Allegra Mcilory | BBC Radio 4 |
THE TRUTH ABOUT ANNA | Ellie | Carl Prekopp | BBC Radio 4 |
Short Film
Production | Character | Director | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
THE LEPER | Emma | Hugh Mulhern | NFTS |
ROXANE | Younger Sister | Oliver Dawe | Woven Voices |
THE COST OF LIVING | The Tenant | Tom Nicoll | Alter |
THE BOOKSHOP | Spanish Woman | Susan Lynch | StudioPOW |
Film, TV & Theatre
Short Films
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
DOG RUN | Copper Thread Productions developed with Clermont Ferrand Film Festival x Kickstarter | Writer/Director/Producer A silent man is lifted out of a life of exploitation through an unexpected bond with guard dog, Sabre, and the healing power of nature. • 41st Flickers' Rhode Island Film Festival, Providence, USA (2023) - WINNER, Breaking Boundaries Grand Prize • The British Short Film Awards London (2023) - WINNER, Best Supporting Actress, Paula Wharton • Big Syn International Film Festival, London (2023) - the world's largest sustainability film festival - WINNER, Best UK Short Film by a Female Director • International Film Festival The Hague, Netherlands (2023) - WINNER, Best Film • International Sound & Music Film Festival, Croatia (2023) - NOMINATED, Best Score, Jonathan Escoto Brown • The British Short Film Awards, London (2023) LONGLIST - Best Score, Jonathan Escoto Brown • International Film Festival The Hague, Netherlands (2023) - HONORABLE MENTION, Best Actor, Sid Phoenix • Catania Film Festival, Italy (2023) - HONORABLE MENTION, Best European Short • Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil (2023) - SEMI FINALIST, Official Selection • San Jose International Film Festival, California, USA (2023) • Bakunawa Film Festival, Philippines (2023) • 17th British Shorts Film Festival, Berlin (2024) • Yountville International Short Film Festival, Napa Valley, USA (2024) • Venezia Shorts, Italy (2024) - Semi-finalist • Kino London Short Film Festival, UK (2024) -Semi-finalist • British Urban Film Festival, London, UK (2024) - Official Selection Dog Run has been selected by BAFTA albert as a case study and will be released on AppleTV on August 23, 2024 |
NED & ME | Copper Thread Productions funded by BFI NETWORK. Available to watch on Prime Video/ ShortsTV | Director and Executive Producer An elderly man meets a young woman in a café, and the deal that follows will alter their lives forever. NED & ME explores the complexity of euthanasia and human transactions. • Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival (2021) • FICBUEU - Best Actor Award (2021) - WINNER • Royal Television Society Midlands Award (2023) - NOMINATED • Aesthetica Short Film Festival (2020) • This is England: Rouen Film Festival (2020) • British Shorts Berlin (2021) • International Festival Signes De Nuit (2021) • Aswan International Women Film Festival (2021) • Bolton International Film Festival (2021) • Margate Film Festival (2021) |
FIGURE | Choreographed and Directed by Lanre Malaolu | Lead Producer Figure is an award-winning experimental film about boys growing up without fathers. It explores how early detachment from a father figure affects emotional growth and engagement with the world. Through a dynamic fusion of physical theatre and hip-hop dance, the film follows two young men as they search for answers both outside and inside themselves. *Official selection includes: • Aesthetica Film Festival, York (BAFTA-Qualifying) 2018 • New Renaissance Film Festival, London (Winner: Best Dance Short Award) 2018 • Lights Dance Film Festival, Toronto (Winner: Audience Choice Award) 2018 • Hackney Short Film Festival (Winner: Best Narrative Drama Award) 2018 • Zanzibar International Film Festival 2018 • Afrika Film Festival 2018 • Afrikana Film Festival 2018 • Short Sounds Film Festival 2018 • 24fps International Film Festival 2018 • Beatfreeks: Festival of Audacity 2018 • Spill Festival 2018 • Melanin Box Festival 2018 • Frame Rush, The Place, 2019 • Short Fuse 2019, • BFI Soul Film Festival, 2019 • Dance Umbrella Film Festival, Barbican, 2019 |
Film
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
COLD BLOW LANE | Swamp Light Productions in association with Blue Shadows Film | Producer An experimental art film, written and directed by Penny Andrea. Starring Susan Lynch, Adam El Hagar, Ken Nwosu and Grace Chilton. • Winner of Best Narrative Feature at Liverpool Underground Film Festival 2020 • Winner of Lift-Off Feature, Global Premiere 2019 • Official Selection at Working Title Film Festival, Vicenza 2019 |
Radio
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
BUTTERFLIES | BBC Sounds | Radio Writer and Creator Produced by BBC New Creatives / Rural Media. |
Theatre
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
BUTTERFLIES | Birmingham Rep | Playwright and Creator Stage play produced by Birmingham REP in partnership with the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust for The REP’s New Writer’s Foundry Festival, during Associate Artist residency at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2018. Butterflies is one woman’s autobiographical journey through thyroid cancer, and beyond. It explores the commonly associated feelings of ‘butterflies’ - anxiety, anticipation or fear, and the journey of reintegration after a cancer diagnosis. |
JUAN RULFO'S SHORT STORIES | Presence Theatre | Produced stage reading of Luvina, They Have Given Us the Land and You Don't Hear Dogs Barking at The Chalton Gallery, London/Mexican Embassy (Directed by Simon Usher) |
Assisting Credits
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
SAVE ME | Sky Atlantic/World Productions | Shadowed Producer, Patrick Schweitzer. Television BAFTA-nominated TV Drama |