Draft:Toby Kearton

• Comment: This needs some more work on it, given it is a COI submission. There is promotional language ("amassed") and there is sourcing to IMDB, which needs to be removed. If that is removed some significant areas of the current draft would be unsourced. The requirements of WP:CREATIVE look towards independent evidence of the subject's work getting reviews / comments. Ukfilmreview is a partly paid for service so it comes across as a PR exercise. A lot of the other sources make little or even no reference to the subject. ChrysGalley (talk) 11:49, 8 June 2026 (UTC)

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. CinemaContributions (talk) 20:35, 7 March 2026 (UTC)

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Toby Kearton
Toby Kearton on location in Clove Hitch Quay, London UK.

Toby William Kearton (born 20 June 1997) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter and producer.

Kearton's films frequently explore contemporary themes in a historical settings with focus and attention to detail on the meditation on morality and the paradox of war.

Kearton's films have screened in festivals in Cannes, Rome, São Paulo, Los Angeles, New York City among others and in the UK with selections at BAFTA and BIFA qualifying film festivals.

Early life and education

Kearton was born in Harlow, Essex, on 20th June 1997. Kearton has cited it was after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the documentaries found on the bonus discs of DVDs that made him dedicate his life to a career in film. He was part of the inaugural regional BFI Film Academy course in 2013 where he received a Silver Arts Award by Trinity College London.

After making an amateur film, Kearton received a scholarship to study at the New York Film Academy in Burbank, California from 2015 to 2018.

Career

Kearton began working in the film industry at age 16 in June 2014 as a production assistant on the film Tulip Fever.

He worked in various assistant roles in prep on television productions including Series 2 of Tattoo Fixers, Series 3 of Gold Rush: White Water and a production runner of Series 13 of the auditions and live broadcast of Britain's Got Talent. In addition to directing, Kearton has worked as a screenwriter and as a first assistant director on a number of independent film productions.

Short Films

Kearton first gained attention with his NYFA intermediate short film Dissonance, a dystopian drama about a world where music is outlawed. The film was shot over five days in January 2017 on location in Manhattan, Kew Gardens and Queens House of Detention. It was Kearton's first collaboration with Brazilian producer João Paneguini. The film premiered at the Court Métrage at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in May 2018 and received the award for achievement directing at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. The film's composer Ramesh Kumar Kannan, was nominated for his original score for a short film at the 9th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

In 2018, he directed two historical short films exploring complex themes, The Dust Child, where two American medics must search for their principles, set during the Vietnam War filmed in seven hours at Malibu Creek State Park doubling as Vietnam and The Little Picture, set during occupied France during the final days of the second world war in Europe. The Little Picture was filmed at the Zortherian Ranch over the course of four days and marked the second collaboration with producer João Panguini. The Little Picture received the Annual Award at the Top Shorts Film Festival in 2020with juror Virginia Bach stating: "In the troubled times we are now experiencing, I found this story extremely relevant." The film has received over 895k views on YouTube.

He went on to direct the short film Pricks, an adaptation of a one-woman stage production by playwright Jade Byrne. The original play explores the experiences of people living with Type 1 diabetes and was developed through Byrne's work as an advocate for diabetes awareness. Pricks entered production in Darlington in September 2021 and wrapped a week later. Pricks premiered at the Royal College of Physicians on 18th March 2022 at the annual Talk About Diabetes Seminar and was the finalist at the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival and received the award for Docu-Drama at the Women X Film Festival in 2023.

In 2022, Kearton directed Hidden Wounds, a one-minute public service announcement exploring the lasting psychological effects of military service and trauma among veterans.

Kearton directed the short film Kamerad, having co-written the script with Kári Liljendal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trapped within a crater in no mans land, the film is inspired by the story of Henry Tandey, a British private who was later associated with a widely circulated claim that he had spared the life of a wounded German corporal during the first world war, who was later alleged to have been Adolf Hitler. Kamerad entered production in Evesham in September 2022 for three days. The film premiered in the United States at the Madison Film Festival in August 2023 and in the UK at the Flatpack Film Festival in May 2024 where it was nominated. Kamerad was awarded short film of the year at the 2024 Los Alamos Film Festival and Kearton received the 2024 Jury Award for achievement in directing at the Door County Festival in Wisconsin.

In 2024, Kearton directed the documentary short Dick Dangerfield: Defending Drama, a 30-minute film examining the challenges facing the lack of funding in the performing arts in the United Kingdom. Later that year, Kearton directed the short thriller Tethered, which involves a patient at the mercy of a methodical psychiatrist. The film was a Semi-Finalist at the Los Angeles Independent Short Film Festival in 2026.

Television

In summer 2024, Kearton directed the pilot episode of the television series Livin’ with the Devil, created by Emilia Böhme and Praveen Srinivas. The series follows a young couple navigating the difficulties of shared living after a breakup. The pilot was shot in London over the course of nine days and was developed as a proof-of-concept for a potential series and has since been made available on demand.

In April 2024, Kearton became a member of Directors UK and was mentored by director Azhur Saleem through the Inspire Mentorship Scheme. This led Kearton acting as Shadow Director on Series 2 of ITV's After The Flood.

Feature Film

Kearton's feature-length directorial debut, Sweet Nothings, began production in July 2025 in Lincolnshire and entered post-production in October of the same year. The film, a drama, romance, mystery, involves a man confronting secrets from his past the day before his wedding. It stars Benjamin Schnau, Bee Anderby, Samson Ajewole and Kate Cook.

Filmography

Feature film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Editor
TBA	Sweet Nothings	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Short film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Editor
2018	Dissonance	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2018	The Dust Child	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2018	The Little Picture	Yes	Yes	No	No
2022	Hidden Wounds	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
2023	Pricks	Yes	Yes	No	No
2024	Kamerad	Yes	Yes	No	No
TBA	Dick Dangerfield: Defending Drama	Yes	No	No	No
TBA	Tethered	Yes	Yes	No	No
TBA	After Everything	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive producer	Creator	Episode(s)
2025	Livin' with the Devil	Yes	Yes	No	No	"The Pilot"

External links

Toby Kearton on IMDb