Louisa Connolly-Burnham is an award-winning writer, director, and actress from Birmingham, and the founder of Thimble Films. A bold new voice in British cinema, she is known for her emotionally charged, darkly sensual, female-led storytelling, and her compelling presence both behind and in front of the camera.

She wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the breakout short film Sister Wives, alongside BAFTA-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce (How To Have Sex). The film was long-listed for the Oscars, BAFTAs, and BIFAs, and was later acquired by Film4 and Channel 4. Sister Wives went on to win over 50 awards at more than 100 international festivals, including 'Best Director' at The British Short Film Awards, HollyShorts, Sunrise Film Festival, The Shark Awards, One Fluid Night, and Brighton Rocks. It also took home Best British Short, Best Actress, and the Audience Award at The Iris Prize, sponsored by Pinewood Studios. The film was featured in Letterboxd's Year in Review, ranking as the #3 Highest Rated Live Action Short Film globally.

Louisa’s directorial debut, The Call Centre, also earned acclaim on the festival circuit with nominations at Oscar-qualifying Foyle Film Festival and BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica and Underwire, where it received a Best Producer nomination. It won Audience Awards at ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival and Sunday Shorts. The film has garnered over 2 million views on Omeleto, making it one of the platform’s most successful shorts to date.

Her second short, The Track, continued her momentum with selections at the Oscar-qualifying Durban International Film Festival and multiple BAFTA-qualifying festivals. It won Best Director at the World Indie Film Awards and is available on Omeleto and Minute Shorts.

Her third short, The Ceiling, which explores themes of consent and arousal non-concordance, screened at Exit 6, Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, and San Diego Short Film Festival, and was featured on Director’s Notes.

Her fourth film, Fleeting, set during Ireland’s Repeal the 8th referendum, was selected by IFTA-qualifying festivals Fastnet, Catalyst, and Disappear Here, and is available on Minute Shorts.

In recognition of her creative achievements, Louisa was awarded a BFI scholarship to the Female Film Club and served as a juror for the BAFTA x Rocliffe New Writing Competition. She is currently serving on the juries of Raindance Film Festival, Sunrise Film Festival, and Stamford International Film Festival.

Louisa also teaches at drama school LAMDA, where she directs on the master’s course, helping to develop the next generation of performers and filmmakers.

A passionate advocate for underrepresented voices in film, Louisa is the founder of Kulty, a safe and inclusive space for women, non-binary, and gender-queer filmmakers. She is also an active member of Directors UK, Women in Film & TV (WFTV), and Cinesisters.

Her work has been featured in Variety, BBC News, Glamour, Collider, Deadline, Film Stories, British Cinematographer, Attitude, Diva, Pink News, Yahoo, Awards Daily, and more.