# Nigel Finch

Nigel Lucius Graeme Finch (1 August 1949 – 14 February 1995) was an English film director and filmmaker whose career influenced the growth of British gay cinema.

## Biography

Nigel Finch was born in Tenterden, Kent, the son of Graham and Tibby Finch, and raised in Bromley, south east London. He studied art history at the University of Sussex.
Finch began working as co-editor for the BBC television documentary series Arena in the early 1970s. He produced and directed many notable programs including My Way (1978), and The Private Life of the Ford Cortina (1982). He rose to prominence with the documentary Chelsea Hotel (1981), which profiled the famed New York hotel and its legacy of famous gay guests, including Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, William S. Burroughs, Quentin Crisp and Andy Warhol. His documentary subjects include artist Robert Mapplethorpe (1988), filmmaker Kenneth Anger (1991), and artist Louise Bourgeois (1994). Finch went on to direct films such as the BAFTA-nominated drama The Lost Language of Cranes, and the musical soap opera The Vampyr.
Finch died from AIDS-related illness in London in 1995 during post-production of his first full-length feature film Stonewall, a docudrama loosely based on events leading up to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City.

## Filmography

Film
* The Errand (1980) (Short film)
* The Caravaggio Conspiracy (1984)
* Stonewall (1995)
TV movies
* Ligmalion: A Musical for the 80s (1985)
* Raspberry Ripple (1986)
* The Lost Language of Cranes (1991)
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1986 | Screen Two | Episode "Shergar" |
| 1988 | Bergerac | Episode "Whatever Lola Wants" |
| 1992–1993 | The Vampyr: A Soap Opera | Miniseries |

### Documentary works

TV movies
* 25x5: The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones (1989)
TV series
| Year | Title | Episode |
| 1978 | Omnibus | "Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision" (Also producer) |
| 1978 | Arena | My Way |
| 1981 | Arena | Did You Miss Me? |
| 1981 | Arena | Chelsea Hotel |
| 1982 | Arena | The Private Life of the Ford Cortina |
| 1983 | Arena | Kurt Vonnegut , Jr: "Deadeye Dick" |
| 1988 | Arena | Robert Mapplethorpe |
| 1991 | Arena | Kenneth Anger |
| 1993 | Arena | Tales of Rock 'N' Roll: Peggy Sue |
| 1993 | Arena | Pirates (Also producer) |
| 1994 | Arena | Louise Bourgeois: No Trespassing |
Executive producer
* Paris Is Burning (1991)

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1988 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Factual Series | Arena TV series | Nominated |
| 1989 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Factual Series | Arena TV series | Won |
| 1990 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Factual Series | Arena TV series | Nominated |
| 1991 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Factual Series | Arena TV series | Nominated |
| 1992 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Factual Series | Arena TV series | Nominated |
| 1981 | Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo | Best Short Film | The Errand | Nominated |
| 1995 | BFI London Film Festival | Audience Award | Stonewall | Won |
| 1996 | Frameline Film Festival | Audience Award | Stonewall | Won |
Nigel Finch's death was commemorated in the ending title of the opera-film "Dido and Aeneas" (1995) directed by Peter Maniura (conducted by Richard Hickox. See the corresponding entry in Dido and Aeneas discography).