WILLIAM MAGER, Director

William is an emerging directing talent currently making waves in the film industry outside of his day job as a Producer/Director for the BBC.

William graduated from Durham University in 2000 with a BA in English Literature and went on to be mentored by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Bridget Jones' Diary) during his Masters in Writing for Film and Television. William started his working life as a web editor and film reviewer on the BBC Films Website (check out his controversial review of Santa Claus: The Movie), then moved to Top of the Pops, BBC News and CBBC before becoming a freelance director for Maverick Television's VEE-TV for Channel 4.

William then returned to the BBC as a director on Watchdog where his investigative films into major companies made front page news.

He has written and directed several short films which have been screened in London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, New York and most notably in Chicago, where he was awarded the "Rising Star" award for most promising new filmmaker by the Chicago Institute of the Moving Image.

William has two further short films in the pipeline, and is currently working closely with the BBC Writer's Room with the support of the New Producers' Alliance and Skillset to develop a feature length film script.

William's long-term ambition is to develop feature films in the genres of action, thriller, and suspense, taking inspiration from a variety of directors including Alfred Hitchcock, The Coen Brothers, Paul Greengrass and John Huston.

Of making Stiletto, William said "The shoot took place over three days in South London, with a highly dedicated team. The filming was a very physical and intense experience, and very close to the experience of making a feature film with the quality of talent on board. Everyone involved worked for expenses only - and they all gave their best. The end result was a film that is incredibly polished, professional, and has a little bit of magic about it. You couldn't tell that it had been made on a tiny budget. We were also very lucky to get Director of Photography, Erik Alexander Wilson on board - his extensive experience gave us the look and feel that were after.""

William also gave thanks to his 1st AD, Patrick Cadell, a man with decades of Hollywood experience behind him. "The man was a safe pair of hands, and had this very calming effect on everyone - myself included - over the three days of filming. I learned a lot from working with him. We've already said we'd love to work together again... perhaps on something a bit longer!"