Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh is renowned for a unique improvisational method where actors spend months researching and developing their characters without a script. They build the characters' lives from birth, exploring their relationships through extensive workshops. Leigh then weaves these improvised interactions into a structured screenplay.

Yes, Mike Leigh wrote and directed *Secrets & Lies* (1996), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Brenda Blethyn as a working-class woman who meets the black daughter she gave up for adoption. It was a massive critical success and earned several Academy Award nominations.

Mike Leigh won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for *Secrets & Lies* and the Best Director prize at Cannes for *Naked* (1993). He has also been nominated for seven Academy Awards throughout his career, including several for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2015.

*Naked* (1993) is a dark, bleak black comedy about an unemployed, intellectual drifter named Johnny, played by David Thewlis, who flees Manchester for London. The film follows his misanthropic encounters with various people over a few days. It is famous for its sharp, rapid-fire dialogue and pessimistic worldview.