Cheryl Robson

Cheryl studied at University of Bristol (B.A Hons), University of Birmingham (M.A.) and Middlesex University (P.G.C.E.) She worked for the BBC for several years starting in film editing and then moving into producing and directing. She left and taught film-making to undergrads and co-founded The Women's Theatre Workshop to produce plays by international women playwrights introducing the work of Ireland's Marina Carr, Egypt's Nawal el saadawi and Italy's Dacia Maraini to UK audiences, among many others. She continued with filmmaking and her feature documentary called 'Rock n Roll Island' is shown on BBC4. She is working on 2 other feature documentaries. Cheryl has won awards in different art forms and genres: ITV National Diversity Awards (shortlist), Winner Gold Remi Documentary Film award, Houston USA, Best Short Film, Raindance (nomination), London, Winner, International Playwriting Festival, Croydon, Winner Raymond Williams' Publishing Prize, Arts Council England, Winner WIP Pandora Prize, Gourmand Special Jury Prize For Peace, Gourmand Best Innovative Foodbook UK, Gourmand Best Sustainable Foodbook UK, People's Book Prize (Shortlist), Marsh Award For Children's Literature (Shortlist), Raymond Williams' Publishing Prize (Shortlist), Roger Leach Memorial Prize (Shortlist), Bruntwood Playwriting Award (longlist), IPG Diversity Award UK (shortlist). She also founded Aurora Metro Books and has published over 200 writers, many of them international, initiating The Virginia Prize for Fiction in 2009. Her books on film - 'Celluloid Ceiling: women directors breaking through' (with Gabrielle Kelly) and 'Silent Women: pioneers of cinema' (with Melody Bridges) have been highly praised and are studied on courses in film schools.