Dan Thorburn is a writer & director from the North of England. Originally a painter, he studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art where he transitioned his practice into film. His short film, Salt Water Town - a harrowing tale of climate change and generational difference starring Owen Teale and Tom Glynn-Carney, played at BFI London Film Festival, Raindance, In The Palace International Film Festival and has gained recognition from festivals world-wide. Dan was part of Screen Yorkshires inaugural FLEX program, is a member of BAFTA Connect and won the Sony Future Filmmaker Award 2023, judged by Justin Chadwick, Nicole Brown (President of TriStar) and Roger Deakins. He is currently based in Manchester where he sits as the HOME (Greater Manchester Art Centre) filmmaker in residence and works as a SONY ambassador. His feature film Lit was developed at Stowe Narrative Lab 2025 and his film Shattered is being produced in partnership with BAFTA winning producer Chris Hees and Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films with Giant and Limbo star Amir El-Masry attached as lead and exec and was developed at the Reykjavik International Film Festival Talent Lab in 2026.
His debut feature film Barfly, a magic realist psycho-drama about intoxication and addiction set to the backdrop of the underground Manchester bar scene, is currently in development with the BFI. The film explores the vanishing sub-cultural spaces in the city and those who cling desperately to them and the lifestyle they support, despite their mental or physical decline. The film picked up Best Pitch Award at Galway Film Market 2023. Alongside this Dan is attached to direct feature film In His Place being written by Anthony Fletcher (Censor). Alongside his drama work he continues to explore artist film. His Art Council funded triptych of contemporary dance films exploring addiction with recovery charity Fallen Angels played at Leeds International Film Festival and was praised across the global dance community.
His work aims to spotlight the ever-changing cultural landscape of the north and push against conventions of cobbled streets and parka coats. By honing in on intimate regional stories with relatable universal themes he draws audiences deep into drama before subverting the ‘grit’ often found in these tales, with magic realism, surprising audiences and giving new perspective to characters and places. Working to support the wealth of northern talent, Dan teaches the post grad directing course at the Met Film School in Leeds and facilitates labs across the region. He founded the HOME Film Lab in Manchester in 2023 for upcoming directors and has taught on Screen Yorkshire’s Beyond Brontës scheme, Film Hub North’s Climate stories and at universities across the country as part of the new educational collaboration between Sony and the British Film Institute. He also works as a development executive for the sports based production company Lucky Sim.
Represented by Rowena Wallace at Common Ground
E: rowena@commongroundent.com | T: +44 (0) 7739 017 321
