# Andrew Haigh

Andrew Haigh (/heɪɡ/; born 7 March 1973) is an English filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing the films Weekend (2011), 45 Years (2015), Lean on Pete (2017), and All of Us Strangers (2023). He also wrote and directed the HBO series Looking (2014–2015) and its film sequel Looking: The Movie (2016), as well as the BBC Two limited series The North Water (2021).

## Early life

Haigh was born in Harrogate on 7 March 1973 and grew up in Croydon. He studied history at Newcastle University.

## Career

Haigh worked as an assistant editor on films such as Gladiator and Black Hawk Down before debuting as a writer/director with the short film Oil. In 2009 he directed his first feature-length film, Greek Pete, which debuted at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The film is set in London and centers on male prostitution, chronicling a year in the life of rent-boy Pete. Greek Pete won the Artistic Achievement Award at Outfest in 2009.
Haigh's second feature, the highly acclaimed romantic drama Weekend about a 48-hour relationship between two men (played by Tom Cullen and Chris New), premiered on 11 March 2011 at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Emerging Visions. The film played in many other festivals around the world, and went on to collect many more awards including the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Narrative Feature at L.A. Outfest and London Film Critics' Circle award for Breakthrough British Filmmaker.
Haigh's next film 45 Years (2015) premiered as part of the main competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. The film won the top acting prizes at the festival for both its leads, Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. The film screened at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals in September 2015. The film later received an Academy Award nomination for Charlotte Rampling. Upon release, the film received positive reviews, holding a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail wrote: "45 Years exposes the paradoxical balance of the successful marriage, one that requires a sentimental suspension of disbelief on the one hand and a hard-headed ability to deal with the everyday on the other."
Haigh co-created, co-produced and occasionally wrote and directed the HBO drama series Looking (2014–2016), about a group of gay men in San Francisco, which struggled to attract audiences despite receiving generally positive reviews from critics. Cancelled after two seasons, the series finished with a two-hour TV movie in 2016. Haigh's next film, Lean on Pete, based on the Willy Vlautin novel about a teenage boy in Oregon, premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017. It was released in cinemas and on VOD in April–May 2018 and received critical acclaim. In October 2016, Haigh was announced as the writer-director of The North Water, a mini-series based on the novel of the same name by Ian McGuire. Filming began in summer 2018. After some filming delays in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released between 15 July and 12 August on BBC Two in 2021.
In 2023, Haigh returned to film directing the romance drama All of Us Strangers starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. The film is an adaptation of the Taichi Yamada novel Strangers (1988). The film premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival to critical acclaim and was distributed by Searchlight Pictures. The film also screened across the UK as a part of the BFI London Film Festival and is set to appear at the New York Film Festival on 16 October 2023. Peter Debruge of Variety praised the film writing, "Haigh brings a sense of intimacy to this movie, presenting us with characters who are willing to be vulnerable to partners they barely know. It’s sexy, of course, but also quite moving, as this kind of exposed honesty feels like the foundation for any relationship".
In 2024, Haigh directed a music video for the Pet Shop Boys song "A New Bohemia". Filmed in Margate, the video features Tracey Emin and Russell Tovey.

## Influences

Haigh participated in the 2022 Sight and Sound poll, which is held once every 10 years for contemporary filmmakers to select their 10 favourite films in no particular order; he chose Black Narcissus (1947), Some Like It Hot (1959), L'avventura (1960), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Cries and Whispers (1972), Don't Look Now (1973), Watership Down (1978), Ratcatcher (1999), Uzak (2002), and The Holy Girl (2004).

## Personal life

Haigh is gay. He is married to Andy Morwood, with whom he has two daughters.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Editor | Distributor |
| 2009 | Greek Pete | Yes | Yes | Yes | Peccadillo Pictures |
| 2011 | Weekend | Yes | Yes | Yes | Peccadillo Pictures / IFC Films |
| 2015 | 45 Years | Yes | Yes | No | IFC Films |
| 2017 | Lean on Pete | Yes | Yes | No | Curzon Artificial Eye / A24 |
| 2023 | All of Us Strangers | Yes | Yes | No | Searchlight Pictures |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Editor | Ref. |
| Year | Title | 2003 | Oil | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2005 | Markings | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2005 | Cahuenga Blvd | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | Five Miles Out | Yes | Yes | No | |
Editor / Miscellaneous
* 1996: The Proprietor - Production assistant (London)
* 2000: Small Time Obsession - Second assistant director
* 2000: Gladiator - Apprentice editor
* 2000: Born Romantic - Assistant editor
* 2000: Breathtaking - Assistant editor
* 2001: Black Hawk Down - Assistant editor
* 2002: The Count of Monte Cristo - Assistant editor
* 2002: The Four Feathers - Assistant editor
* 2003: Shanghai Knights - Assistant editor
* 2003: Mona Lisa Smile - Assistant editor
* 2004: Fits - Short film; unit production manager
* 2004: Fragments - Short film; first assistant director
* 2005: Kingdom of Heaven - Assistant editor
* 2007: The Good Night - Assistant editor (dailies)
* 2007: Hannibal Rising - Assistant editor
* 2007: Mister Lonely - First assistant editor
* 2008: A Matador's Mistress - First assistant editor
* 2008: Crack Willow - Editor

### Filmography critical reception

Critical and public response of Marvel Cinematic Universe films :
| Film |
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score | Rotten Tomatoes Average Critic Rating | Metacritic |
| Greek Pete | 58% (12 reviews) | 5.2/10 | - |
| Weekend | 95% (87 reviews) | 8.1/10 | 81 (18 reviews) |
| 45 Years | 97% (211 reviews) | 8.6/10 | 94 (36 reviews) |
| Lean on Pete | 90% (190 reviews) | 7.9/10 | 80 (40 reviews) |
| All of Us Strangers | 96% (252 reviews) | 8.8/10 | 90 (53 reviews) |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Notes | Ref. |
| 2014–2015 | Title | Looking | Yes | Notes | Yes | HBO series; executive producer |
| 2016 | Looking: The Movie | Yes | Yes | HBO movie | |
| 2019 | The OA | Yes | No | Netflix series; 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | The North Water | Yes | Yes | BBC2 Miniseries; 5 episodes | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result |
| 2009 | Leeds International Film Festival | Yorkshire Film Award | Five Miles Out | Won |
| 2009 | Atlanta Film Festival | Special Jury Award | Greek Pete | Won |
| 2009 | L.A. Outfest | Programming Award for Artistic Achievement | Greek Pete | Won |
| 2011 | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | MovieZone Award | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | L.A. Outfest | Grand Jury Award | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | London Film Critics' Circle Award | Breakthrough British Filmmaker | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | Nashville Film Festival | Best of Festival Award | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival | Audience Award | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | SXSW Film Festival | Audience Award | Weekend | Won |
| 2015 | Edinburgh International Film Festival | Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film | 45 Years | Won |
| 2015 | Evening Standard British Film Award | Editor's Award | 45 Years | Won |
| 2015 | London Film Critics' Circle Award | Best British / Irish Film of the Year | 45 Years | Won |
| 2015 | National Board of Review | Top Ten Independent Films | 45 Years | Won |
| 2015 | BAFTA Award | Outstanding British Film | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | British Independent Film Award | Best British Independent Film | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | British Independent Film Award | Best Director | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | British Independent Film Award | Best Screenplay | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | David di Donatello Award | Best European Film | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | Empire Award | Best British Film | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | European Film Award | Best Screenwriter | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | Evening Standard British Film Award | Best Film | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | London Film Critics' Circle Award | Best Film of the Year | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | London Film Critics' Circle Award | Director of the Year | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2015 | San Francisco Film Critics Circle | Best Adapted Screenplay | 45 Years | Nominated |
| 2018 | British Independent Film Award | Best Director | Lean on Pete | Nominated |
| 2023 | British Independent Film Award | Best British Independent Film | All of Us Strangers | Won |
| 2023 | British Independent Film Award | Best Director | All of Us Strangers | Won |
| 2023 | British Independent Film Award | Best Screenplay | All of Us Strangers | Won |
| 2024 | Critics' Choice Movie Award | Best Adapted Screenplay | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |
| 2024 | Satellite Award | Best Adapted Screenplay | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |
| 2024 | BAFTA Award | Best Director | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |
| 2024 | BAFTA Award | Best Adapted Screenplay | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |
| 2024 | BAFTA Award | Outstanding British Film | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |
| 2024 | Independent Spirit Award | Best Director | All of Us Strangers | Nominated |