introducing:
sarah nocquet
Meet Sarah Nocquet, the French-American writer, director and assistant director, with over 100 credits to her name
29 Aug 2025
Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience as a filmmaker.
I'm Sarah Nocquet, a French-American screenwriter and director based in London since 2023. My work centres around protagonists who are searching for how to define themselves, often taking the form of psychological drama/thrillers about paranoid women in transitional spaces.
As a screenwriter, my focus is on indie, character-led features, with two historical films written on commission and seven specs, including my debut Tantrum (in development). I've also accumulated 50 credits as a 1st Assistant Director across a range of productions.
Having previously spent seven years based in NYC before moving to the UK, I have found the London independent film world to be incredibly supportive, community-focused, and ready to share resources. The network I've developed here is full of filmmakers who prioritise building creative relationships, with a basis in trust and genuine passion for the craft.
What’s your latest project?
I recently directed my short film, Decoy, which follows an ageing celebrity having a moment alone in a toilet stall after winning an award at a ceremony. A young fan outside her stall door strikes up a conversation with her, having seen the award she left by the sink. A back-and-forth ensues that makes her reckon with what her success means to her, as we stay glued to the celebrity in a single, long shot without ever seeing the woman outside the stall.
We shot in one day in London with an all-women crew whose talent, kindness and ability to stay calm under pressure have made them some of my most trusted collaborators. It was a great privilege to work with Lia Williams, renowned stage and screen actress, who was so trusting and generous to believe in me and my vision for the film.
Decoy has launched its festival life with Beeston Film Festival and Kino London, and has an exciting upcoming North American premiere.
Which film would you say got you to where you are now?
I’d say that film is Speed Queen 51 that I wrote and directed. It’s a short psychological thriller about two strangers alone in a laundromat at night. I wrote the roles specifically for Rory Culkin and Jane Purnell, two actors I’d worked with before and who knew I could rely on creatively.
Our world premiere at Palm Springs Shortest (with a nomination for Best Live-Action Short) definitely had a huge impact on my career. Off the back of that screening, the film was acquired by Kinogo Pictures for distribution, with anticipated release on streaming platforms in 2026. We went on to screen at Seattle International Film Festival and were nominated for Best Short Film, Norwich Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, and we’ll be taking part in a very prestigious festival in France in early 2026 (details soon to come!).
How do you differentiate your career as a screenwriter from that as a director?
As a screenwriter, I’ve mainly worked on projects I’ve been commissioned for. I wrote a memoir adaptation for Intrinsic Value Films (USA) in 2022, and an interview-based historical film for Kaiwo Studio (France) in 2023-2024. Both screenplays involved about a year of feedback rounds with the producers and frequent returns to the research. I also have a ‘story by’ credit on upcoming coming-of-age crime drama These Men Die Young, which has been optioned and is slated for production in NYC in 2026.
Although I love the challenge of marrying my personal vision with a given assignment, I also make sure to hone my writer-director voice through spec features, with a mind to one day take them into production. One of my most treasured ongoing endeavours is my annual 'first draft' writers retreat with a close group of screenwriter friends, which has made it possible for me to write seven feature film scripts on spec over the past seven years: Tickseed, Jack's Attractions, Motherland, Second Nature, Kindling, Tantrum (my directorial feature debut), and Utopia.
This year's edition – its second iteration in the UK – will host Iris Breward, Dan Daniel, Milla Lewis, and myself, all UK-based writer-directors finding their voices in feature filmmaking following a run of successful shorts. We’ll start with two months of weekly outline meetings, after which we'll each write a feature film first draft in two weeks, averaging 10 pages a day for 12 days.
How does your work as assistant director contribute to your writing and directing?
I got into assistant directing so I could watch directors up close. Over the years, ADing has taught me how to keep a level head when making difficult last-minute decisions, that every problem has a solution, no matter how off-course it may seem. I’ve also noted just how important it is to connect with your cast and crew on an interpersonal level.
I’ve worked on a wide mix of projects, including features, shorts, music videos, and commercials. The first feature film I assistant directed was Verde, shot in 2019 in the Dominican Republic; I worked in Spanish and English and also directed second unit. I was a 2nd AD on The Last Thing Mary Saw (currently streaming on Shudder and Apple TV) and 1st AD on Worry Time, shot in the UK last year and anticipating a premiere in 2026. On the short form side, I’ve worked with actors such as Sebastian Stan and Paul Walter Hauser, and musical artists such as Frances Forever and Montell Fish.
You were based in New York for seven years before moving to London. What are the differences between independent filmmaking in the USA and the UK?
The biggest difference is where funding comes from. In the US, there are no public funding bodies, so as an emerging filmmaker, you’re forced to find money in the private sector, either through fundraising, your own savings, or a connection to someone with funds. In the UK, there’s more of a fair shot – anyone can apply to the BFI, or to the development routes offered by Film4 or the BBC. It’s competitive, but it also encourages you to consider the process in terms of gradual milestones, in contrast to the American mindset which focuses on leaping ahead; that anyone at any time could meet the right person, get handed the right opportunity, and suddenly be soaring.
I’ve found in London a faith in the process that eluded me in New York. For that, I can only thank the people I’ve met here. The network I’ve developed in the UK over the last two years is full of filmmakers who support each other’s endeavours and prioritise building strong professional relationships. I’ve AD’d for many directors who in turn have read my scripts, helped out on my shoots, and plotted long-term projects with me. I’ve met filmmakers who tag-team development with me as we push our films into production in tandem. I have a deep conviction that we’ll all come up together and elevate each other’s work for the shared benefit of this new generation of indie filmmakers.
What are you directing next?
I’m currently in development on my directorial feature debut, Tantrum, which I plan to shoot in the UK in 2026. It’s a psychological thriller around two women in a house – I’m keeping it very logistically simple so I can focus on script and performance. I aim to shoot this film on a very low budget, with a small, carefully chosen crew of trusted creatives. I was inspired by a microbudget production I worked on as 1st AD called Worry Time, a feature film produced by Penny4, which accomplished incredible feats with limited resources. Witnessing the Worry Time crew work so diligently despite time pressures, both in prep and on set, with such faith in the film’s success, has made me a big believer that a great team can make anything possible
As of now, I’m still in the script development process. I wrote the first draft in November 2024, and planned to spend all of 2025 rewriting. The script is the one thing I can be demanding of without spending any money! I’m currently on my third draft and happy to keep drafting until I land on a version that I feel confident defending in every aspect. I’m excited to build my team and start pitching it out, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying getting to know my story and characters so that the creative decisions I make on set feel as intuitive as possible.
Any advice for emerging filmmakers?
In this vein of low-budget filmmaking and sharing resources, I really recommend learning a set skill, so you can gain experience on shoots and have something to offer in return for favors done for your own productions. When I shot Decoy in London, I did a skills-swap with my 1st AD and with my producer, who both directed films which I AD’d later that same year. It’s also very fun and insightful to work with core collaborators in different roles as you get to see different sides of each other and learn about how to best work together.
Another piece of advice is to make community-building a big part of your practice, and to not be afraid to say yes. If you’re offered something different from what you usually do, or a chance to work with new people, as long as you can afford to do it, you’ll always get something out of it! There will be a time when you have to be choosier with projects; take advantage of the fact that time hasn’t come yet.
Finally, notice what you’re drawn to. What bothers you? What beliefs do you hold about yourself and the world? What are the formative relationships in your life that you find yourself examining over and over? Spend time learning who you are, and that knowledge will translate into a confident storytelling voice!
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