May Miles Thomas facts for kids

May Miles Thomas is a talented filmmaker from Scotland. She is known for directing and writing movies. She has also worked in many other roles in filmmaking, like designing sets and editing. May Miles Thomas has made several important films, including One Life Stand and Solid Air. She is also famous for creating interactive projects.

About May Miles Thomas

May Miles Thomas was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She went to Hillhead High School and then studied design and photography at the Glasgow School of Art.

Her career in television and film started in the mid-1980s at BBC Television in London. There, she directed documentaries about music and art. In 1990, she became a freelance filmmaker. She made music videos and commercials in the UK and other countries.

In 1995, she started her own film company called Elemental Films.

Early Film Success

Her first script, The Beauty of the Common Tool, was made into a short film. It won an award for Best Short Film at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 1996.

In 1997, May Miles Thomas became a Fellow of the Nipkow Programm in Berlin. This helped her write screenplays for future films. She also attended a special film event in Denmark. In 1998, she went to a screenwriting workshop in Germany.

Since 1999, May Miles Thomas has focused on writing and directing feature films and non-fiction works. She is married to Owen Thomas and lives in Glasgow. The British Film Institute has recognized her as one of the most active women directors in Britain.

May Miles Thomas's Films

Here are some of the films May Miles Thomas has worked on:

• 1997 The Beauty of the Common Tool (a short film)
• 1999 Colentina (a documentary film)
• 2000 One Life Stand (a feature film)
• 2003 Solid Air (a feature film)
• 2009 The Devil's Plantation (an interactive project)
• 2013 The Devil's Plantation (an app and a feature film)
• 2017 Voyageuse (a feature film)

One Life Stand Film

In 2000, May Miles Thomas finished her first feature film, One Life Stand. This movie was filmed in black and white using a small digital camera. It was one of the first British digital feature films made with a very low budget. May Miles Thomas was the writer, director, cinematographer (who films the movie), and editor for this project.

Many news outlets, like Variety and The Guardian, gave the film good reviews. One Life Stand won five Scottish BAFTAs and a British Independent Film Award. It was also shown at many film festivals around the world.

Solid Air Film

In 2003, May Miles Thomas released her second feature film, Solid Air. This movie starred actors like Brian McCardie and Gary Lewis. It was filmed in Glasgow in 2002.

Solid Air premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2003. It was also shown at many other film festivals.

The Devil's Plantation Project

In 2007, May Miles Thomas received an award to create The Devil's Plantation. This was an interactive website and multimedia project. It explored the secret history and old paths of Glasgow.

In 2013, the project was turned into an app for phones and tablets. It also became a feature film. This film was shown at the Glasgow Film Festival and in cinemas across Scotland. The Guardian newspaper gave the app a five-star review.

Voyageuse Film

In 2014, May Miles Thomas began working on Voyageuse. This feature film was based on the life of her late mother-in-law, Erica Thomas. Erica was born in Hungary in 1933 and moved to the UK in 1938. She became a scientist during the Cold War.

The film was shot between 2014 and 2017 in the UK, Spain, and the United States. It stars the famous actress Dame Siân Phillips. Voyageuse was completed in 2018 and first shown at the Glasgow Film Festival in March 2018.

Voyageuse won the Raindance Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards. It was also chosen by a film critic as one of the best films of the year.

Awards and Recognition

May Miles Thomas has received many awards for her work:

• Best Film at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival in 1997 for The Beauty of the Common Tool.
• Shortlisted for Best Live Action Short at the Academy Awards in 1998 for The Beauty of the Common Tool.
• Nipkow Fellowship in 1997.
• Best Film and Best Actor at the New York Silicon Alley Film Festival in 2000 for One Life Stand.
• Best Film, Best Director, Best Writer, and Best Actress at the BAFTA New Talent Awards in 2000 for One Life Stand.
• Received a special mention for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2000 for One Life Stand.
• Outstanding Achievement Award from Scottish Screen in 2000.
• Best Achievement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards in 2000 for One Life Stand.
• NESTA Fellowship in 2000.
• Finalist for the European Screenplay Award in 2001 for Ringing the True.
• Best Director and Best Cinematography at the Festroia Festival Internacional de Cinema in Portugal in 2003 for Solid Air.
• Recognized as a Pioneer to the Life of the Nation by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for her contributions to British Cinema.
• Creative Scotland Award from the Scottish Arts Council in 2007.
• Best Interactive Project at the BAFTA New Talent Awards in 2010 for The Devil's Plantation website.
• Nominated for the Cineworld Audience Award at the BAFTA Scotland Film and Television Awards in 2013 for The Devil's Plantation.
• The Raindance Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards 2018 for Voyageuse.

See also

Cinema of Scotland