Andrew Haigh

Andrew Haigh (; born 7 March 1973) is an English filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing the films Weekend, 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 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. It 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, it 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 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,

Filmography Film Year TitleDirectorWriterEditor 2009 Greek Pete 2011 Weekend 2015 45 Years 2017 Lean on Pete 2023 All of Us Strangers 2026 A Long Winter

Short film Year TitleDirectorWriterEditor 2003 Oil 2005 Markings 2005 Cahuenga Blvd 2009 Five Miles Out

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

Television Year TitleDirectorWriter Notes 2014–2015 Looking Also executive producer 2016 Looking: The Movie TV movie 2019 The OA 2 episodes 2021 The North Water Miniseries 5.2/10 8.1/10 45 Years 97% (211 reviews) 8.6/10 Lean on Pete 90% (190 reviews) 7.9/10 All of Us Strangers 96% (252 reviews) 8.8/10 90 (53 reviews)

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