Alexandra McGuinness named one of 10 Brits to Watch by Variety

The London-based actress-turned-director made a splash earlier this year with “Lotus Eaters,” her directorial debut that she shot in black and white (“as it's a mood piece, and to reference those great sixties London films”) for just $450,000. The film, starring McGuiness' old friend Antonia Campbell-Hughes and rocker/actor Johnny Flynn, casts an unsparing eye on the jaded jet set lifestyle of moneyed and vapid young Londoners, and managed to cram in over 50 locations, several car crashes and an inordinate amount of music – two dozen songs and live performances by cutting-edge bands A Hundred Lovers and Vengeance and the Panther Queen - all in under 80 minutes.

McGuinness' love of music is in her DNA, says the daughter of longtime U2 manager Paul McGuinness. She cut her teeth “shooting fashion shorts and lots of musicvideos” after graduating from the London Film School in 2009. “But clearing all the music was more work than anything – a real labor of love,” says the 28-year-old, who had to pull in “loads of favors” and who promises music will take “more of a back seat” in future projects. Those include “Imperfect,” a thriller set in Berlin, and a script she's writing, “about a honeymoon from hell set in Texas.”

--Iain Blair