Pinny Grylls
Encyclopedia
Pinny Grylls is an award-winning documentary filmmaker.
In 2001 Grylls co-founded Invisible Films with Rachel Millward. In the next year they founded the Birds Eye View
Film Festival, which has since showcased films by emerging women filmmakers around the country, and is the UK's first major film festival for female filmmakers. In 2003, Millward took control of Birds Eye View, and Grylls focused on Invisible films, making short films Human and Blackout, which won her a place on the 2004 Berlin Film Festival Talent Camp. In 2004 she wrote and directed Small Worlds starring Zoë Wanamaker
.
Grylls' commissioned films since include 14 arts documentaries
for Creative Partnerships (Arts Council of Great Britain
) including four films for The Helen Storey Foundation. Her first documentary, Mr and Mrs Smith, was screened at the Channel Four Britdoc festival in July 2007 and at Britspotting in 2007 in Germany.
In 2006 Grylls was one of the recipients of the 2006 Film London UK Film Council
Digital Shorts Scheme grants for her 2nd short documentary 'Peter and Ben' completed in 2007. This multi - award winning film was screened at the London International Film Festival 2007 and at International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
where it was nominated for prestigious Silver Cub Award. It has won Best Documentary at Aspen Shorts Fest 2008 and 3 awards at the 5th London Short Film Festival - the FourDocs Award for Best Documentary the VX Auteur Award and 'Highly Commended' for the Best Film Award. It also won the SXSouthWest Click Grand Jury Prize in 2008. It also screened in the International Competition at Clermont-Ferrand
Short Film Festival 2008. In 2009 it won the Shooting People Werner Herzog Competition.
Grylls directed a 3 Minute Wonder
for Channel Four called "Bravo!" celebrating the centenary of "The Bra". It was broadcast in August 2007. She went on to direct Brit Doc supported 3 minute wonder "Seeing a Song, Hearing a Smile" for Channel Four, broadcast in July 2008.
In 2008 she was nominated for a 2008 Channel Four 4Talent Award in the 'Short Documentary' category. In 2010 she directed a First Cut
episode for Channel 4
; "Who Do You Think You Were?" explored the phenomenon of past life regression
. The documentary was Pick of The Day in the Observer, Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph and Radio Times. It was given 4 stars in Time Out.
On 19th December 2010 Grylls was featured in an Observer
article as one of a crop of 'innovative daring directors' making short films for the web.
and the Children's Film Unit. She studied Anthropology
and Archaeology
at Oxford University. She is the daughter of British artist Vaughan Grylls
and theatre designer Gillian Daniell, and step daughter of publisher Polly Powell. She is married to actor Sam Crane
and they have a young son.
In 2001 Grylls co-founded Invisible Films with Rachel Millward. In the next year they founded the Birds Eye View
Birds Eye View
Birds Eye View is an organisation established in 2002 to celebrate and support women's work in film, most notably by way of an annual film festival in London that places women at the heart of the creative vision.-Overview and History:...
Film Festival, which has since showcased films by emerging women filmmakers around the country, and is the UK's first major film festival for female filmmakers. In 2003, Millward took control of Birds Eye View, and Grylls focused on Invisible films, making short films Human and Blackout, which won her a place on the 2004 Berlin Film Festival Talent Camp. In 2004 she wrote and directed Small Worlds starring Zoë Wanamaker
Zoe Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
.
Grylls' commissioned films since include 14 arts documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
for Creative Partnerships (Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
) including four films for The Helen Storey Foundation. Her first documentary, Mr and Mrs Smith, was screened at the Channel Four Britdoc festival in July 2007 and at Britspotting in 2007 in Germany.
In 2006 Grylls was one of the recipients of the 2006 Film London UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...
Digital Shorts Scheme grants for her 2nd short documentary 'Peter and Ben' completed in 2007. This multi - award winning film was screened at the London International Film Festival 2007 and at International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam....
where it was nominated for prestigious Silver Cub Award. It has won Best Documentary at Aspen Shorts Fest 2008 and 3 awards at the 5th London Short Film Festival - the FourDocs Award for Best Documentary the VX Auteur Award and 'Highly Commended' for the Best Film Award. It also won the SXSouthWest Click Grand Jury Prize in 2008. It also screened in the International Competition at Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
Short Film Festival 2008. In 2009 it won the Shooting People Werner Herzog Competition.
Grylls directed a 3 Minute Wonder
3 Minute Wonder
3 Minute Wonder is a short Channel 4 television slot that broadcasts first time directors' three-minute TV programmes in the middle of the channel's weekday primetime schedule...
for Channel Four called "Bravo!" celebrating the centenary of "The Bra". It was broadcast in August 2007. She went on to direct Brit Doc supported 3 minute wonder "Seeing a Song, Hearing a Smile" for Channel Four, broadcast in July 2008.
In 2008 she was nominated for a 2008 Channel Four 4Talent Award in the 'Short Documentary' category. In 2010 she directed a First Cut
First Cut (TV)
First Cut was initially a strand of thirty half-hour primetime documentaries commissioned by Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Documentaries, Sarah Mulvey. It was added to the schedule to replace the old Alt-TV show, which launched many documentary makers' careers including Marc Isaacs, , Emily...
episode for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
; "Who Do You Think You Were?" explored the phenomenon of past life regression
Past life regression
Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations, though others regard them as fantasies or delusions. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a...
. The documentary was Pick of The Day in the Observer, Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph and Radio Times. It was given 4 stars in Time Out.
On 19th December 2010 Grylls was featured in an Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
article as one of a crop of 'innovative daring directors' making short films for the web.
Personal life
As a child Grylls attended Westminster SchoolWestminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and the Children's Film Unit. She studied Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
at Oxford University. She is the daughter of British artist Vaughan Grylls
Vaughan Grylls
-Early life:Born 10 December 1943, Newark-on-Trent. Attended art schools at Nottingham, Wolverhampton,Goldsmiths and the Slade School of Fine Art.-Pun-sculptures:...
and theatre designer Gillian Daniell, and step daughter of publisher Polly Powell. She is married to actor Sam Crane
Sam Crane (actor)
Sam Crane is an English actor who has mainly worked in theatre. He was listed in New York Magazine as one of London's hottest young stage actors and was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award in 2008....
and they have a young son.