HALAL signs director Fiona Jane Burgess

One of Amsterdam & Berlin’s leading production companies for commercials, film and photography, HALAL, has added exciting, new British talent Fiona Jane Burgess to its roster of internationally renowned directors. 

UK-based film director Burgess specialises in music videos, commercials, documentaries and fashion films, and owes much of her career success to having to face a number of challenges. Burgess found herself obliged to rethink her career path aged 28, a time when she was also facing the realities of motherhood and the breakup of her band, Woman’s Hour. Fortunately, her natural flair as a director, which she exercised when shooting her own music videos, determined her career segue into film direction. Since delving into the film industry, Burgess has worked on a wide range of campaigns including music videos and personal projects, as well as the UK’s No.1 baby feeding brand, Tommee Tippee. Alongside that, she has directed spots for some of fashion’s most recognized names, including Gucci, Burberry, Nike and adidas. 

A proud feminist, Burgess is attracted to projects that empower women and provoke debate, amongst many other themes and subjects. COVID-19 highlighted the economic constraints faced by women in the workplace and their predicament of being expected to sacrifice their own economic viability to provide care at home. Burgess recently posted on Instagram around the need to empower working mothers  and is an advocate for greater mental health awareness.

“We need to make a conscious effort to empower mothers in this industry, whether it means accommodating infants on set or in our workplaces, whether we commission more work about the reality of motherhood, or if it means creating forums that are designed for new and expectant mothers to engage and support one another. I hope that if I was starting out again today that I would feel like there was a seat for me at the table, and perhaps also a high chair.”

In her short career, Burgess’ rise has been rapid. She received a Silver Screen at the Young Director Award in Cannes in 2019 and was named Campaign’s ‘Pick of the Week’ for her first ever commercial with Mother London. She picked up three nominations at this year's Aesthetica Short Film Festival in November, won the Commercials and Branded content award for the Tommee Tippee global campaign The Boob Life at Berlin Commercial, and had a further four films and seven nominations at that event. Alongside that, The Boob Life picked up Branded Content of the Year + The Chair’s Award at the Drum Magazine awards.

The Boob Life, Burgess’ playful, raw and insightful campaign for Tommee Tippee has gathered a raft of awards, and a collection of her work is currently exhibiting at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Burgess’ work for Gucci, alongside Sisterhood for Nowness x AGL and Hope Blooms for Jo Malone, all demonstrate her combination of craft and originality, as well as being shot through with a caring and humane touch.