James Kent
Director
Agent
Assistant
Biography
James Kent is a versatile director of television and film, who most recently directed the acclaimed BBC miniseries Lost Boys and Fairies, which won Best Miniseries at the 2025 International Emmys, was nominated for Best Limited Series at the BAFTA Television Awards 2025 and was the most nominated series at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2025 (seven nods), earning five wins including Best Director for James and Best Television Drama.
James also won a BAFTA, Emmy and RTS Award for Holocaust: A Music Memorial from Auschwitz (BBC). Further hit television includes episodes of Emmy-nominated Fellow Travelers (Showtime), BAFTA-nominated The Capture (BBC), Emmy-nominated The White Queen (BBC) and MotherFatherSon (BBC).
In 2015, for the multi award-winning drama feature Testament of Youth, starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harington, James was nominated for Breakthrough British Filmmaker at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. He went on to direct The Aftermath, the highly regarded period drama starring Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård, and the moving La Voix Humaine, an adaptation of Poulenc’s opera. His next feature, Stolen Girl, stars Scott Eastwood and Kate Beckinsale and releases soon.
Gallery
Credits
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
L. S. LOWRY: THE UNHEARD TAPES 2026 |
Wall to Wall / BBC |
Director. |
|
LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES 2023 |
Duck Soup / BBC |
Producers. Adam Knopf, Daf James, Bekki Wray-Rogers, Libby Durdy *Winner, Best TV Movie / Mini-Series – International Emmy Awards 2025 |
|
FELLOW TRAVELERS 2022 |
Showtime |
Starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey. Executive producers Ron Nyswaner, Robbie Rogers and Daniel Minahan. |
|
THE CAPTURE II 2021 |
Heyday/BBC/NBC |
Lead Director. Producers: Rosie Alison, Kristian Dench, Ben Chanan. Starring: Holliday Grainger, Paapa Essiedu, Ron Perlman. |
|
MOTHER FATHER SON 2019 |
BBC Studios |
Lead director. |
|
SPARK 2016 |
ABC |
Pilot |
|
AMERICAN CRIME II 2015 |
ABC |
Prods: John Ridley, Michael MacDonald |
|
11/22/63 2015 |
Bad Robot / Warner Bros TV |
Prods: JJ Abrams, Bridget Carpenter |
|
THE THIRTEENTH TALE 2013 |
Heyday Films |
Director. 90min film for BBC2. *Winner, C21 Media awards ‘Best Miniseries’. |
|
THE WHITE QUEEN 2012 |
BBC/Starz |
Lead Director. *Nominee, Golden Globes 2014, Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television |
|
INSIDE MEN 2011 |
BBC |
4 x 1 hours for BBC1. Exec Prod Hilary Salmon. Producer Colin Wratten. |
|
CHOPIN SAVED MY LIFE 2012 |
Channel 4 |
Director. 60 min doc. *Nominated Grand Jury Award Sheffield Documentary Film Festival. |
|
MARCHLANDS 2011 |
ITV Studios |
Sole director on 5 x 60 min drama: a haunting ghost story told over three generations. |
|
9/11: THE VOICES FROM THE TOWERS 2009 |
Darlow Smithson/ HBO |
90 min feature documentary *Nominee, 2010 International Emmy Awards, Documentary |
|
THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LISTER 2009 |
Oxford Film & Television/ BBC |
90 min drama based on the diary of a remarkable woman * Premiered at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in March 2010 as the Opening Night Gala film in the Odeon West End |
|
MARGARET 2009 |
Great Meadow/ BBC |
Director Writer: Richard Cottan 2 hr single film Cast: Lindsay Duncan as Margaret Thatcher *Winner, RTS Awards 2009: Best Production Design |
|
CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS 2008 |
ITV Drama / Mammoth Screen |
Director |
|
WAR ORATORIO 2007 |
Oxford Film & Television / More 4 / Channel 4 |
Director. 90 min film TX: June 2007 Libretto by Michael Symmons-Roberts Composer: Dominic Muldowney *Winner, RTS Craft Awards: Best Sound |
|
ELIZABETH DAVID: A LIFE IN RECIPES 2006 |
Wall to Wall / BBC2 |
Director. *Nominee, Grierson Awards for Best Factual Drama 2006 |
|
H.G.WELLS: WAR WITH THE WORLD 2005 |
Wall to Wall / BBC2 |
Adaptor/Director. |
|
HOLOCAUST: A MUSIC MEMORIAL FILM FROM AUSCHWITZ 2004 |
BBC2 |
Director. *Winner, BAFTA 2006 ‘Huw Wheldon Award for Best Specialist Factual’ |
|
CUTTING EDGE: THE KIDNAPPING OF ELIZABETH SMART 2003 |
Darlow Smithson / Channel 4 |
Director. |
|
THE GENIUS OF MOZART 2002 |
BBC2 |
Writer/Director. *Winner, BAFTA Best Sound 2005 |
|
WITHCRAZE 2002 |
Blast! Films / BBC2 |
Director. |
|
JOHN OSBORNE: ANGRY MAN 2001 |
Oxford TV / Channel 4 |
Exec/Director. |
|
LARRY AND VIVIEN: THE OLIVIERS IN LOVE 2001 |
Blakeway / Channel 4 |
Director. |
|
NAZI WOMEN - MAGDA GOEBBELS 2000 |
Oxford TV / Channel 4 |
Exec/Director. |
|
STORYVILLE 'Gianni Versace: Fashion Victim' 2000 |
Littlebird / BBC2 / HBO / Canal Plus |
Director. |
|
EASTENDERS 1999 |
BBC1 |
Director. 5 episodes |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
STOLEN GIRL 2024 |
Ilbe Film/Voltage Pictures |
Producers: Frida Torresblanco |
|
LA VOIX HUMAINE 2022 |
Trademark Films/ BBC/ Royal Opera House |
Producers: David Parfitt, Nikki Weston, Maurice Whitaker |
|
THE AFTERMATH 2019 |
Scott Free/Fox Searchlight/BBC Films |
Producers: Jack Arbuthnott, Ridley Scott, Malte Grunert |
|
TESTAMENT OF YOUTH 2014 |
Heyday Films |
Prods: Rosie Alison, David Heyman |
Documentaries
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
ONE STRANGE ROCK 2018 |
Nutopia |
Producer: Darren Aronofsky, Starring: Will Smith |