Hindley confirmed as lead commissioner for Storyville

Emma Hindley has been appointed as Lead Commissioning Editor, Storyville, the BBC’s international documentary strand.

She will report to Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted and has been acting in the role since September, following the departure of Philippa Kowarsky, and has started with immediate effect.

Hindley has worked in documentaries for 25 years as a film editor, director, executive producer and for the last five years has been Creative Director at Brook Lapping. Her work has been regularly nominated for and won awards from BAFTA, Grierson and the RTS.

Hindley is recognised as an advocate of diversity and has worked on subjects including women’s history (with the BAFTA award winning Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley), Mental Health (BAFTA and RTS nominated David Harewood: Psychosis and Me) and LGBT stories (Tom Daly: Illegal To Be Me) that has seen her pioneer the recruitment of fully representative crews and contributors.

Emma Hindley says: “I have always been a huge Storyville fan and the four months I have spent as interim lead commissioning editor have made me even more excited and passionate about its importance and potential, so I’m really delighted to be joining the team on a permanent basis.

“Storyville has always worked with the best filmmakers on the most interesting international stories and continues to offer a unique, rich and varied viewing experience to BBC viewers. Storyville has an incredible legacy to continue at a time when maintaining the BBC’s role in the UK’s cultural landscape is more crucial than ever and I am excited to be engaging with the most diverse range of producers and directors possible.

“We have a lot to look forward to and I’m honoured to support emerging and existing global talent through the Storyville lens.”

Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted, says: “Emma has a proven track record of delivering award-winning, high impact films both domestically and internationally and I’m delighted that she has accepted this role.

“She is highly regarded in the industry as a champion of diversity and as an experienced and valued mentor who brings a combination of craft, humanity, quality and expertise to everything she does. I’m really looking forward to working with her and know that under her leadership Storyville has a bright future ahead.”