Whilst studying Fine Art at Edinburgh University, Lola Blanche wrote and directed Grout Pray (2016), a short film that was twice nominated for the Scottish BAFTA New Talent Awards and commended by MoMa.co.uk. Since then, she wrote and directed The Egg and the Thieving Pie (2018), a short film exploring the sentience of animals, including Olivier Award-winning Noma Dumezweni, BAFTA Award-winning Anna Maxwell Martin, and Gemma Jones. The film was supported by the Women in Film LA Finishing Fund and enjoyed an international festival circuit including Edinburgh International Film Festival. Lola is a two-time recipient of the BAFTA LA Scholarship (2018 & 2019) and has recently finished her M.F.A. in Directing at the American Film Institute. In 2019 she was awarded with the BAFTA GSA commissioning grant for her upcoming short film, Kissy and the Shark, and is currently in development on the feature.

Kissy and the Shark — Kissy’s mother is dying. When a beached shark offers its liver to save her, Kissy’s attempt to buy her mother precious extra time brings terrifying consequences.