Director's Works
Ronald McDonald House Charities, Family Stays Sara Dunlop
Celebrated for her distinctive visual style and narrative depth, Sara Dunlop is a director with multiple industry awards. Her work spans commercials, television, and film.
Her narrative short Dreamlands was the only UK film in competition at Cannes 2016, later winning Best Narrative Short at Brooklyn. A meticulous storyteller, Sara layers authenticity and performance—from street-casting to script—to craft films rooted in humanity and nuance. Her work explores the personal within the epic, weaving cultural moments with emotional storytelling across all forms of media.
Sara has collaborated with brands including Nike, Apple, Vodafone, Sky, Levi's, Facebook, Expedia and the RAF, showcasing her ability to translate cinematic storytelling into compelling brand narratives. Highlights include the award-winning He's Coming Home for Women's Aid and the poignant McDonald's teen-love spot It Must Be.
Her socially-driven films—for NSPCC, The Havens Crisis Centre, Women's Aid, Barnardo's, The Big Issue and Plan International—have been recognised at D&AD, Creative Circle, the British Arrows Craft Awards, amongst others including Best Director.
Beyond the screen, Sara is a passionate advocate for equitable representation in the creative industries. She served as a UK ambassador for Free The Work and supports emerging talent through Channel 4's 4Skills programme, helping to shape a more inclusive industry from the ground up.
Shooting in a working Ronal McDonald Charity house with real staff and real families that were going through something so difficult and tragic was an incredibly humbling experience.
Casting the right family was incredibly important because there were some very challenging moments, especially for the young girl who is sick in the film. To get her in the right space to be able to do this needed to be achieved with a certain gentle and calming encouragement. She did very, very well!
