London-based, self-taught director Fenn O’Meally began making short films during her time at university, as part of a student placement with the BBC. “I’d sit in the edit suite for hours and watch the editors piece together bits of footage,” she says. “Seeing these stories come together was so fascinating to me. I quickly learnt that it was now on me to create a connection between myself and the world I was so desperate to be a part of.” 

Now, having shot the likes of Spike Lee, as well as Dazed 100 alumns Stormzy and Jorja Smith, and currently working on a global Nike campaign for Air Max, O’Meally is realising her dream. The young filmmaker creates visuals that are founded on authentic storytelling, enabling a sense of intimacy between audience and subject – no matter what the project or brief may be.

“Far too often the subject feels inhuman,” she explains. “I want the audience to come away feeling like, for those few minutes, they’ve been lost in a conversation with a friend.” With a feature film currently in the pipeline, exploring her mixed-race heritage, O’Meally’s career is set to soar. 

What issues or causes are you passionate about and why? 

Fenn O’Meally: Mental health is a huge one for me, and an area I hope to be brave enough to talk about more in the next year. I have been through my own personal experiences with mental health, and feel the time to share my story is just around the corner. 

How do you want to influence the future? 

Fenn O’Meally: I hope to be a role model for other women in film and media. I hope to be able to influence and inspire global conversations through my work. I hope that one day my name carries value for the fact it is attached to work that is of quality, substance, and charisma. I want to be a provider of authentic, engaging and important stories. Stories that give the audience a new nugget of information that they too can share and be inspired by. 

“I want to be a provider of authentic, engaging and important stories” – Fenn O’Meally

What creative or philanthropic project would you work on with a grant from the Dazed 100 Ideas Fund?

Fenn O’Meally: This year I am writing my first feature film, inspired by my mother (a white woman) and father (a black man). I want to look at and communicate a story of an interracial relationship based in the 1960s. With so many black stories focused on black trauma, I want this film to tell the story of black triumph. I am still at the early stages of research and concept but I know I want the audience to come away feeling a sense of hope and joy, whilst also having learnt about a part of black history at the same time.