Simon Blake is a writer and director working in film, theatre, music promos and commercials.  His first feature film STILL starring Aidan Gillen,  Jonathan Slinger, Elodie Yung, Amanda Mealing and Sonny Green opened in the UK in 2015 at The Regent Street Cinema and in Ireland at The Irish Film Institute. The film is distributed in the U.K and Ireland by Verve Pictures, in the U.S by Film Movement and the sales agent for the rest of the world is Reel Suspects.  STILL won BEST INTERNATIONAL FIRST FEATURE at the prestigious Galway Film Fleadh in 2014 and Simon also won BEST DIRECTOR at The London Independent Film Festival 2015.  STILL was also nominated for The Roger Ebert Award for Outstanding debut at the Chicago International Film Festival 2014, The Heinrich award for New Directors at The Braunschweig Film Festival 2015 and The Regle Du Jeu Heartbeat Award at The Dinard Film Festival in 2015. 

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The film received a cinema distribution in the U.K and Ireland and was screened at more than 15 festivals in Europe and the U.S.  STILL received a largely very positive critical response on release – "One of the most surprising, gritty and impressive British films I've seen in a long time." Backseat Mafia; “STILL is one of the most assured pieces of filmmaking I’ve seen in quite some time......Keep an eye on this film maker as STILL promises great things ahead” The Chicagoist; “An impressively accomplished first feature, intensely controlled and notable for it’s fine performances Blake draws from his cast. Blake has three projects currently in preparation on the strength of STILL, something to look forward to.” Sight & Sound; “It nails the uncertain atmosphere of a city in flux…Gillen is superb.”  The Times; “Phenomenal directing….gripping performances…..Compelling” We’ve Got This Covered; “Intelligent, complex and hugely bleak debut from one to watch writer, director Simon Blake” Total Film; "An impressively powerful piece of work, uncomfortable but utterly riveting." Talking Pictures; “Blake expertly mixes psycho drama with social realism” The Irish Post; “A terrific British Indie Film, shocking, clever and wrong foots you at every turn” Jason Solomons, Movie Talk; “Fascinating feature debut. A sleek slice of London noir. Very promising stuff” The Irish Times. And those who thought differently “A film desperate to make a grand statement about the awful toll of isolation, but falls short of its ambition” Time Out, “The effect is one of cheeking puffing frustration and emotional disconnect” Empire.

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Simon is due to shoot his second feature ITHACA in Suffolk and London in 2024.  For more details, CLICK HERE. He has just completed a new short film, SITUATION COMEDY, which is currently being submitted to film festivals. Simon currently has a slate of films he is developing with his producer Colette Delaney-Smith and their production company Blunt Stuff.  https://www.bluntstuff.co.uk/films-in-development.

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Simon started out in theatre with The Common Eight Theatre Company and then founded and was Artistic Director of Changeinspeak, performing at venues such as The Young Vic and BAC. Described by Time Out as having “A deserved reputation for developing a unique style of theatre, a dynamic fusion of music, narrative and the visual” and his work as “Brave and Remarkable” by The Independent.  They produced ten original plays written and directed by Simon and also a version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at The BAC.  Simon began directing and producing music promos in both the UK and the U.S and is still doing so with Blunt Stuff. He has also made a number of short films including AWAYDAY which won BEST SHORT and BEST SCREENPLAY at The Valencia Film Festival. Chosen by The British Council in its Best of British tour, Awayday was screened at more than 50 film festivals worldwide. Simon has directed information films and documentaries for Scope (the Cerebral Palsy charity), The Mental Health Foundation  and The Roundhouse. He has also written and co-produced the feature film Heaven’s Only Daughter for the independent film maker Philip Harder.

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