Biography

Louisa Connolly-Burnham is an award-winning writer-director-actress from Birmingham and founder of Thimble Films. A bold new voice in British cinema, Louisa is known for her emotionally charged, darkly sensual, female-led storytelling and her compelling presence both behind and in front of the camera.

In 2024, she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the breakout short film Sister Wives, alongside BAFTA-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce (MUBI's How To Have Sex). The film was long-listed for the 2025 Oscars and BAFTAs, as well as the 2024 BIFAs, and was later acquired by Film4 and Channel 4.

Sister Wives went on to win over 50 awards at more than 100 international festivals, including 'Best Director' at The British Short Film Awards, HollyShorts, Sunrise Film Festival, The Shark Awards, One Fluid Night, and Brighton Rocks. It also took home Best British Short, Best Actress, and the Audience Award at The Iris Prize, sponsored by Pinewood Studios.

The film was featured in Letterboxd's 2024 Year in Review, ranking as the #3 Highest Rated Live Action Short Film globally. I

Louisa's directorial debut, The Call Centre (2020), also earned acclaim on the festival circuit with nominations at Oscar-qualifying Foyle Film Festival, and BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica and Underwire, where it received a Best Producer nomination. It won Audience Awards at ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival and Sunday Shorts. The film has garnered 2M+ views on Omeleto, making it one of the platform's most successful shorts to date.

Her second short, The Track (2021), continued her momentum with selections at the Oscar-qualifying Durban International Film Festival and multiple BAFTA-qualifying festivals. It won Best Director at the 2022 World Indie Film Awards, and is available on Omeleto and Minute Shorts.

Her third short, The Ceiling (2022), which explores themes of consent and arousal non-concordance, screened at Exit 6, Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, and San Diego Short Film Festival, and was featured on Director's Notes.

Her fourth film, Fleeting (2023), set during Ireland's 2018 Repeal the 8th referendum, was selected by IFTA-qualifying festivals Fastnet, Catalyst, and Disappear Here, and is available on Minute Shorts.

In recognition of her creative achievements, Louisa was awarded a BFI scholarship in 2024 to the Female Film Club, and served as a juror for the 2024 BAFTA x Rocliffe New Writing Competition.

Louisa is a passionate advocate for underrepresented voices in film. She is the founder of Kulty, a safe and inclusive space for women, non-binary, and gender-queer filmmakers, and is an active member of Directors UK, Women in Film & TV (WFTV), and Cinesisters.

Her work has been featured in Variety, BBC News, Glamour, Collider, Deadline, Film Stories, British Cinematographer, Attitude, Diva, Pink News, Yahoo, Awards Daily, and more.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Louisa Connolly-Burnham is an award-winning writer-director-actress from Birmingham and founder of Thimble Films. A bold new voice in British cinema, she is celebrated for emotionally charged, darkly sensual, female-led storytelling.

In 2024, Louisa wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the breakout short film Sister Wives, alongside BAFTA-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce (How To Have Sex). The short was long-listed for the 2025 Oscars and BAFTAs, acquired by Film4, ranked #3 in Letterboxd’s global "Year in Review 2024", and won over 30 awards across 100+ international festivals.

(2025) Louisa began development of her debut feature, Sister Wives. BAFTA-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce is attached to star, alongside executive producer Liz Destro (Longlegs, The Monkey). The Coppola family’s American Zoetrope (Priscilla, Lost in Translation, Apocalypse Now) joined as US producing partner, with Emily Everdee of Everdee Media leading in the UK. Composer Clint Mansell (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Love Lies Bleeding) came on board.

Louisa’s previous shorts have also earned international acclaim. Her directorial debut, The Call Centre, received nominations at Oscar-qualifying Foyle Film Festival and BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica and Underwire, alongside Audience Awards at ÉCU and Sunday Shorts. Her subsequent films, including The Track, The Ceiling, and Fleeting, have screened at Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festivals, winning awards for directing and continuing to explore bold, socially relevant themes.

(2025) Louisa began development on three new shorts: The Intimacy Coordinator, Scratching Post, and Full Fat.

A passionate advocate for underrepresented voices in film, Louisa founded Kulty, a safe and inclusive space for women, non-binary, and gender-queer filmmakers. She is a member of Directors UK, WFTV, and Cinesisters, and was awarded a BFI scholarship to the Female Film Club. She has served as a juror for the BAFTA x Rocliffe New Writing Competition, and (2025) joined the juries of Raindance Film Festival, The Kinsale Shark Awards, Utah Film Festival, Sunrise Film Festival, and Stamford International Film Festival.

Her work has been featured in Variety, BBC News, Glamour, Collider, Deadline, Film Stories, British Cinematographer, Attitude, Diva, Pink News, Yahoo, Awards Daily, and more.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anon