# Abner Pastoll

Abner Pastoll (born 12 February 1982) is a British-South African film director, screenwriter, and editor, born in South Africa, where his family used to own a two-screen cinema. He is based in London, UK and Seoul, South Korea.

## Background

Abner started making films at the age of four, inspired primarily by his family's cinema, and his father's film and video equipment. He originally thought he wanted to become an actor, but soon discovered he preferred being behind the camera. He grew up in London.

## Career

Abner's feature directorial work includes A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019) and Road Games (2015), and short films such as Getaway Driver (2017) and Me or the Dog (2011). He is co-founder of production company February Films, which he runs with producer Junyoung Jang (co-producer of Korean film The Host).
In the summer of 2014, he shot the France-UK co-production Road Games (aka Fausse Route), starring Andrew Simpson, Joséphine de La Baume, Frédéric Pierrot and genre legend Barbara Crampton. The film has been described as a 'taut Euro thriller'. It world premiered in August 2015 at FrightFest in London, and was released theatrically in the US on 4 March 2016 by IFC Films to an overall positive reaction. Bloody Disgusting called it "a wonderful thriller; a layered character-driven narrative with great writing and equally-great tension – a very pleasant surprise". The film currently retains an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Road Games holds the unique distinction of having played the UK's FrightFest two years in a row, at its world premiere in 2015 and a reprise the following year in 2016, when Abner did a live commentary with FrightFest director Alan Jones (film critic).
On 8 March 2017 (International Women's Day), it was announced by Deadline Hollywood that Abner was set to direct the crime-thriller A Good Woman Is Hard to Find from a script by Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Ronan Blaney, starring Sarah Bolger. He would also re-team with Andrew Simpson (actor) and Edward Hogg, who appeared in his earlier works. Filming completed in December 2017. A Good Woman Is Hard to Find debuted to huge acclaim and praise from critics and audiences alike. It world-premiered the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival and went on to close the 20th anniversary of London's FrightFest (film festival). It opened day and date theatrically and on digital HD in the UK and Ireland on 25 October 2019 through Signature Entertainment and in the US on 8 May 2020 via Film Movement. The New York Times said "[Pastoll] layers gangland grift, domestic drama and female fury into a satisfying lasagna of mounting violence". The film has a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 51 reviews.
Abner had been attached to direct the horror film Sunrise (2024), reuniting him with writer Ronan Blaney, and had described the film as a "new take on vampires". It is not known why he left the project.
His next known projects include a "kick-ass, sarcastic" action-thriller set in the Arizona desert, and a Korean-language action-thriller entitled Live and Die.

## Filmography

Other works :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Dead Man's Dream | Co-director, Co-writer | |
| 2004 | Shooting Shona | Co-director, Co-writer | |
| 2006 | In A Day | Editor | uncredited |
| 2013 | Action UK! | Writer, Director, Showrunner | Children's TV series |
| 2013 | A Long Way from Home | Executive Producer | Edinburgh Film Festival |
| 2020 | Shine Your Eyes | Associate Producer | Berlin Film Festival |
| 2024 | House of Ashes | Associate Producer | Brooklyn Horror Film Festival |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Event | Award | Work | Result |
| 2019 | Molins Film Festival | "Being Different" Audience Award | A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Won |
| 2019 | MOTELx - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de Lisboa | Best European Feature Film Award / Méliès d'Argent | A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Nominated |
| 2019 | Fantasy Filmfest | Fresh Blood Award for Best First or Second Feature | A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Nominated |
| 2019 | FrightFest | Electric Shadows Award for Best Film | A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Won |
| 2020 | Sombre Festival de Cine Fantástico Europeo de Murcia | Best Director | A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Won |
| 2024 | Fantasy Filmfest | Get Shorty (Audience Award) | Rotation | Nominated |