DIRECTORS / TOBY DYE

Toby started his career in documentary, creating critically lauded films for renowned British broadcasters Channel 4 and the BBC, going on to win the UK’s Grierson Award for his starkly original crime film ‘Bodysnatchers of New York’.

A constant innovator, some of Toby’s most exciting work is when he pushes documentary into unexpected territory, from his D&AD winning music video ‘Paradise Circus’ for Massive Attack to trailblazing campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands. His boldly progressive social experiment for Heineken, ‘Worlds Apart’, explored the tensions of our divisive socio-political landscape. With over 50 million views, it sparked a global conversation with heated commentary everywhere from the Washington Post to Good Morning America, Time and The Guardian.

Just as unconventional is his approach to drama. For sci-fi short ‘Phobos’, conceived with Ridley Scott, Toby put his A-list cast of Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterstone, Danny McBride and Billy Krudup, through genuine, emotionally gruelling ‘fear tests’ (basically torturing his cast for real on camera), with the improvised results forming the film’s darkly compelling narrative.

Recently Toby has ventured into the gallery space with his 360-degree film installation, The Corridor, a dazzling ambitious blend of invisibly looping visuals and narrative. The centrepiece for hit art exhibition “Daydreaming with…Stanley Kubrick”, at London’s Somerset House, it has subsequently been exhibited around the World. Described by The Daily Telegraph as “At once mind boggling, funny and mildly disturbing.” it is a fitting summation for the best of Dye’s work.