Toby Dye

Toby Dye has directed an acclaimed catalogue of highly distinctive work, recognised by major international awards for both his long-form narrative films and short-form pieces. He works across multiple disciplines, encompassing cinema, television, commercials and music videos as well as having exhibited in galleries from London to Hong Kong.

He came to prominence in documentaries, the genre in which he started his career with lauded early work for Channel 4 in the UK, along with films for the BBC, Discovery, NBC Universal, HBO and Film4. With a knack for gaining access to hitherto hidden worlds Dye has led audiences to a coven of free-love heavy-metal witches in France, the front room of a clinically-psychotic cannibal in Japan and deep inside New York State’s maximum-security prison. That last film, ‘Bodysnatchers of New York’, was hailed by Time Out as “Toby Dye’s truly terrific film”, and went on to be honoured with a win at the 2011 Grierson Awards, the UK’s highly prestigious documentary awards.   

Whatever the subject matter, his non-fiction films are characterised by a mischievous wit coupled with an ability to capture revealingly intimate, unguarded and un-judgemental portraits of real people with a highly stylized, cinematic flair more akin to fiction filmmaking than traditional documentary.      

He has taken these skills and applied them in a fresh and innovative way to the field of commercials and music videos at Ridley Scott Associates and sister company Black Dog Films. Dye’s first production for the company, and his first music video, ‘Paradise Circus’ for Massive Attack, was awarded ‘Best in Book’ by the Creative Review Annual, along with a nomination for ‘Best Music Video’ at the D&AD Awards and for ‘Best Dance Video’ at the Music Video Awards. He has gone on direct commercial campaigns for major multi-national brands such as American Express, Lurpak, McDonalds, Sky, KFC and Pizza Hut, along with music videos for artists such as U.N.K.L.E.   

He continues to work across these many and varied fields of filmmaking and enjoys it all immensely. Even pack shots. 

He is not currently developing a feature film but if he was he wouldn’t tell you anyway.