Ursula Macfarlane is a British director. Her work has been commissioned by major broadcasters and streamers, including the BBC, Netflix, HBO, CNN Films, ITV, Hulu and PBS, and has been shown at festivals worldwide, earning numerous accolades. She has received multiple nominations for both BAFTA, Emmy and Grierson awards and won many other prestigious awards. With a particular interest in making nuanced films about strong female protagonists, from Yoko Ono to Anna Nicole Smith, she is passionate about giving women a voice where they have been unheard or misunderstood. She is currently working on an ambitious hybrid film project with actress Ruth Wilson, where fiction, documentary and installation are merged.
TELL ME WHY
Shakesperean in its proportions, Tell Me Why is a character-driven, psychological drama structured on actual events and people who defined an era. Created and written by Heidi Mumford-Yeo, Tell Me Why is a celebration of three cultural icons while reframing the media narrative.
A Goldspin Films and Mason Media Matrix co-production.
“We live in an age where the vacuous and vapid are celebrated, and everyone wants to be famous, often without having any discernible talent. But it wasn’t always this way. Growing up in the ’90s, I remember watching Paula on the Big Breakfast as I got ready for school, but it wasn’t until I started researching her life that I discovered what an exceptionally intelligent, talented, and misunderstood woman she was. Some people called her the ‘British Marilyn Monroe’, but I actually think she’s more interesting than reductive labels and unimaginative tropes.
Impossible to pidgeon-hole, Paula was a dazzling writer, a TV icon and a trailblazer who reinvented the wheel and paved the way for countless women who came after her; wife, mother, muse, and mannequin, there wasn’t much she didn’t excel at. But she was also a paradox. As I learnt more about her life with Bob and his own incredible achievements, including, but not confined to, masterminding the greatest cultural event of modern times - Live Aid - they both captured my imagination. Bob and Paula defined a generation, and it was in this spirit that I wanted to write their story, reminding the audience what real, inimitable talent looks like while also redressing a toxic and myopic media narrative.” Heidi Mumford-Yeo, creator and writer.
Goldspin Films
Goldspin Films has acquired the rights to the best-selling book, Damaged by Chris Wild. Created and written by Heidi Mumford-Yeo and set in Halifax during the 90s, Damaged is a pulse-catching story of triumph over adversity exploring the crisis in British children’s homes and one boy’s fight for survival against all odds. A Goldspin Fims and Mason Media Matrix production.
Drama series optioned
In 2021, Beyond Entertainment/Banijay Group optioned Heidi’s debut drama series, TELL ME WHY a premium drama exploring the life and times of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates.
Legends of Change: The Unstoppable Rise of Veganism
Heidi collaborated with this pioneering new book featuring 85 first-hand stories of women transforming their lives and the world by choosing a compassionate, vegan lifestyle. Heidi is featured amoung world-class athletes, Olympic stars, doctors, academics, actors and models, discussing all aspects of plant-based living, from nutrition to beauty, wellness to science.
Cambridge University MA
I’m delighted to say that I’ve been accepted into Cambridge University to begin my masters MSt course beginning early next year.
This is a wonderful opportunity to study at a globally revered University and to further my academic trajectory in a subject for which I have so much passion.
Misanthropos Update
Proud to share the pre-production website for the film I'm currently working on, 'Misanthropsos' based on Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.
Principal photography begins this autumn in Portugal and we are all very excited about the next stage of the journey.
As a large ensemble cast it’s been a unique experience coming together to bring Maximianno’s vision to life, and being Shakespeare, not without it’s challenges!
I’m lucky to share the journey with truly gifted actors & a director with great generosity of spirit 🙏🏻🎥✨
There’s lots about the project & even an interview with me on how I felt coming back to Shakespeare again after a hiatus.
Check it out xx
72nd Festival De Cannes
My third year at Cannes & it was as enchanting as ever. Red carpet screenings at the Palais Des Festivals for Too Old To Die Young and Les Plus Belles Années de Notre Vie , as well as gala events made it an unforgettable event.
Narrating the Whale Bowl documentary
The Whale Bowl is an award winning documentary I narrated and which has gone on to win critical acclaim internationally. I was honoured to be a part of this project, which highlights the desperate plight of captive cetaceans the world over.
The Whale Bowl is a short documentary that follows the heart felt plight of Lolita, the world's loneliest orca. Through a combination of animation, archive and live footage, the documentary explores Lolita's history and the people fighting to set her free.
