Interview: Kate Driver

Newcastle writer‑director Kate Driver has quickly become one of the most notable emerging filmmakers in the region, at a time when the North East has one of the lowest proportions of female directors in the country. Her work is grounded in intimate, character‑driven storytelling, often focusing on trauma, identity and the realities of modern womanhood.

Driver’s debut BIFA‑qualifying short Saint Agnes has drawn attention for its clear, unsensational approach to depicting the aftermath of sexual violence, centring the experiences and resilience of its two lead characters. Developed through Film Hub North’s Script Lab and supported by a women‑led producing team, the film has been praised for its careful framing, strong performances and commitment to telling these stories with honesty and care.

We caught up with Katie to find out more…

Growing up, which films, actors or directors first made you feel like filmmaking was something you wanted to pursue?
I think I first got interested and knew that filmmaking was something you could actually do when my parents showed me Jaws for the first time when I was around 5 or 6 years old. It completely blew my mind and it actually inspired a lifelong love of both film and sharks. I watched so many behind the scenes documentaries on what it took to actually make the film and just couldn’t devour enough information on how they shot this film. I’ve seen the film well over 100 times and there’s still moments that wow me.

You’ve spoken about the North East having the lowest proportion of female directors in the North. Which women filmmakers have influenced or inspired you?
Back in 2021, I stumbled upon a short called Shagbands by Luna Carmoon. To this day, it’s still one of my favourite short films. It follows four teenage girls during a heatwave in the 00s, and I connected to it straight away. Luna has such a talent at crafting visually stunning scenes across her films that borders on dreamlike at times, but contrasts this with the realism of growing up and the realities of being a woman in the modern world. Charlotte Wells is another filmmaker whose work I adore; her 2022 film Aftersun genuinely changed my life, I can’t remember seeing a film that affected me so much, and to this day I can’t watch it without weeping. I loved her approach of restraint, forcing the audience to really take in each subtle detail and sit in those feelings of dread.

When did you realise you wanted to work in film, and what were the first steps you took to make that real?
I did the classic route of studying Film at university, but if I’m honest, I didn’t enjoy it. The only module I really enjoyed was scriptwriting and by the time I graduated I felt really disillusioned with filmmaking and the industry. I decided to explore another passion of mine which is Marine Science and did a Masters Degree in the field, but 6 months in I already felt myself being drawn back to film. It wasn’t really until the pandemic that I started writing and exploring with filmmaking again. I applied to the Film Hub North Script Lab in 2021 and was rejected. And I have this thing where if I get a rejection or someone says I can’t do something, it makes me want to do it even more and almost prove them wrong, but prove to myself that I know I can do this. I put so much more effort into my application the following year and was successful, and from that point on I made connections and doors started to open.

Tell us about Saint Agnes — what drew you to the story, and did any of it grow out of personal experience?
It was back in 2019; I’d never been someone who really engaged with art, but I went to Auckland Palace, and they had a visiting art exhibition from the National Gallery. I was drawn to a painting of a young girl holding a lamb, and her fingernails were dirty and it was such a contrast to her beautiful skin and rosy cheeks. A volunteer saw how engrossed I was and came over and asked if I knew about the painting and the story behind it. It was a painting of Saint Agnes. He told me her story and how, after rebuffing and rejecting the advances from men, she was dragged down the street naked, put into a brothel and eventually murdered – all because she said no. It stayed with me for a long time and I think Agnes was always in the back of my mind. There was one day in particular where, over coffee, a friend casually asked if I remembered the man who sexually assaulted her at university and then went on to update me about his life as if talking about an old friend. Later that evening I met with another friend who told me on her way to meet me she’d been groped on the bus. Both of these conversations were fleeting comments and so casual in delivery and our responses to this I had a moment of ‘why on earth do we talk about these awful things so casually and then just carry on with our day?’. It made me think of Agnes and how almost 2000 years later, nothing has changed. I wanted to write a story using real life scenarios from myself and my friends and link it to a girl from almost 2000 years ago. It was so important to me that assault was not shown on screen and also that there was no real resolution to these scenarios, because that is real life. As women, we have these awful things happen to us, but we rarely if ever get justice. We have each other and that is how we get through these things.

Your work explores trauma, identity, female friendship and modern womanhood with real sensitivity. What gaps or misrepresentations in the industry are you most conscious of when shaping these stories?
I think authenticity can be lacking and something I was very conscious of. Some external feedback I’d received on a draft was that the dialogue between the two girls was unrealistic, which did make me laugh because everything that happens in the film has actually happened. It’s almost a selection of real conversations I had with friends and family. I feel sometimes there is this idea that these traumatic things happen and there is a huge drama surrounding it and the police are involved and everything is very serious when in actuality, most women are having conversations about their trauma over coffee and nothing ever comes of it, it’s barely even reported to the police. I think with social media too, there is an idea that female friendships can’t be challenging; you can’t fall out or challenge each other because it doesn’t make you a ‘girls girl’. People are scared to write women even as slightly unlikeable, which doesn’t do justice to anyone, not your characters, not your story and not real-life women.

Tell us about the cast and crew, what was it like working with them and what did they bring to the project?
I had an incredible cast and crew. I handpicked every single person on set. I knew I wanted a largely female and queer crew and I told my producer (Hannah Emmett) if the HOD isn’t a woman, I want a woman working with him even if it’s just a shadowing opportunity. Finding a largely female North East crew was actually not very easy, and we had to cast our net a little wider which is when we found Abi Timmins our DOP who is from Halifax. Everyone who worked on the film was so enthusiastic about the story we were telling; in between takes they were sharing their own stories of harassment and assault and it felt like such a safe space free of judgement. Despite the heavy subject matter, we had a lot of fun. My approach to filmmaking is very collaborative. Cast and crew would come up to me with suggestions and ideas and if we had the time I would be more than happy to explore their ideas. We actually had some amazing improv from Eleanor (Avery), Aisha (Lola) and Calum (Dave) which made it into the film.

What do you hope audiences carry with them after watching the film?
I want the film to sit with them afterwards, not loudly, but persistently. I hope it sits with them the way that painting of Saint Agnes still sits with me. I hope for some audience members, they’ll carry a different perspective on trauma and how normal it can look and fit into everyday life. For other audience members, I hope they’ll carry the same resilience that connects Avery and Lola.

The film was developed through Film Hub North’s Script Lab — how did that shape the project and your creative process?
I was incredibly ambitious with the original pitch for the script; I wasn’t really thinking about budget and more of what I saw in my head. The script lab really helped me identify the core imagery and themes of the idea and helped shape it into something more compact but even more impactful. I got to work with Ben Taylor (BFI Network) and producer Kate O’Hara to develop the script, as well as getting feedback from my cohort of incredibly talented and experienced scriptwriters; without their support and nurturing, the project would look completely different. They allowed me space to explore ideas and dialogue and to really find my voice.

What do you think the North East needs to do in order to nurture more authentic voices in film?
The North East needs more funding and opportunities not just for younger filmmakers but filmmakers of all ages. I didn’t truly find my voice until I was 27 and by this time I had aged out of a lot of opportunities. Film Hub North covers the ENTIRETY of the North and sadly, most of these opportunities land in Manchester, which is a three-hour drive or a very expensive train ride away. I think we need a BFI Hub established in the North East. Film Hub North currently has a hub in Manchester and we’re seeing more and more opportunities available for those in Manchester and fewer and fewer in the North East. There also needs to be a major investment of not just money, but support of female voices and talent in the North East too.

What advice would you give to emerging female filmmakers trying to break into the industry?
Reach out to other female filmmakers in your area through Instagram – not everyone will reply, but those who do will be more than happy to help you and point you in the right direction. Look at the BFI Network for your local hub and attend an online workshop or go to a networking event. What you know is great, but a lot of the time opportunities depend on who you know. See if there are any local film clubs in your area; this is a great way to meet people, and in Newcastle they have a collaborative club called Newcastle Film Club who come together and make shorts. Check out female film festivals and female production companies. After I did Film Hub North, I was selected for the Evolve programme with Rianne Pictures where I developed another script, and made amazing connections (I made such great connections, Caris – founder of Rianne Pictures joined Saint Agnes as our Executive Producer and Cat Davidson – a fellow screenwriter on the programme is now a close friend and my flatmate!). Caris once said to me ‘The industry was built for women to be in front of the camera, not behind it. It’ll be challenging, but we deserve to be there.’

What’s next for you — are there any new projects you’re developing?
I’m currently developing two short films, Blood\Water and An Experiment in Pain, and I’m also in the middle of my first draft of a feature script. Funding for short films is a huge obstacle but I’m hoping to shoot at least one of these shorts this year by calling in favours and using a little of my savings. Blood\Water follows two estranged brothers who, after the death of their father, are forced to confront their painful past and the deep resentment stemming from an abandonment that changed both their lives forever and An Experiment in Pain follows a young woman struggling with emotional numbness who becomes increasingly fixated on physical sensation, discovering an unsettling sense of relief through pain after an unexpected encounter with a stranger.

Where can people watch Saint Agnes?
Saint Agnes just started its festival run so it isn’t available online yet. We’re next showing at Sunrise Film Festival on 21st June at 4:00 pm. We have some more festivals waiting to be announced that are currently under embargo, but you can keep up to date with all screening information on our Instagram @saintagnesfilm.