Who?
I’m a UK-based screenwriter with an interest in historical fiction, absurdist comedy, and blended genres. I’m particularly drawn to working-class stories, underdog characters, and history with a purpose. I want nothing more than to make people feel a little less lonely through my work.
I grew up in Bramley, Leeds - the armpit of the North. After dabbling in poetry, prose, and plays, I tried my hand at academia and graduated with a B.A in History from Churchill College, Cambridge (2016). Instead of reading ancient tomes for the rest of my life, I finished M.A in Screenwriting at the National Film & Television School (2020).
Fast facts: I’ve been a bouncer, despite my Napoleonic height. I once shared gummy bears with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I was interrogated by the FBI over declassified Vietnam War documents. I make grand Yorkshire puddings.
Below is a selection of my projects: short films, games, and audio/plays.
Short Films
Stratum Deep (2020)
Robert, a young coal miner, is severely injured but forced to rescue his father in the accidental collapse of their coal mine. Historical fiction set in the aftermath of the miners strike.
Director: Lian Rose
Producer: James Bowsher
Screenwriter: Nathan Hardisty
(Story by Nathan Hardisty and Lian Rose)
(Silver Prize at Camerimage 2020)
(Nominated for Postgraduate Scripted at the Royal Television Society Student Awards 2021)
Something Borrowed (2020)
Pen to paper, a sweet old woman can’t find the right words. When she lends her pen to a hopeless young chap, something else eludes her.
Director and Animator: Micky Wozny
Producer: Andrew St Maur
Screenwriter: Nathan Hardisty
(Story by Micky Wozny, Nathan Hardisty, and Liam Hall)
(2020 New Designers Screening Award)
(Best Animated Short, Norwich Film Festival)
(Best International Short Film at the Irish Animation Awards 2021)
(Audience Award for Best Short Film at Rome IFF 2020)
(Screenplay nominated for Postgraduate Writing at the Royal Television Society Student Awards 2021)
(Shortlisted, 2020 GSA BAFTA Student Film Awards)
Boo (2019)
Charlie, a 9-year-old girl, is confronted with death for the first time in her life when her grandfather dies. As her family grieves, Charlie copes by wearing a Halloween costume - becoming the ghost that haunts her family.
Director: Tammes Bernstein
Producer: James Bowsher
Screenwriter: Nathan Hardisty
(Story by Tammes Bernstein and Nathan Hardisty)
Featured on Beyond the Shorts.
Games
Last Days of Snow
A narrative adventure puzzler with an open world that players can explore at will. Set the remote retrofuturistic town of Barvik in 2050 Norway, you play as 12-year old Oskar on his path on self-discovery.
Players will explore atmospheric environments marked by the darkness of polar nights - and hack into electronics to posses machines and uncover secrets. All to solve puzzles and piece together the truth behind Oskar’s origins…
Co-writing the screenplay with game director Jonathan Nielssen. In development with Loeding Inc. Release TBC.
Audio/Plays
Audio
Drifting (2018)
A short audio drama I directed and wrote as part of a module during my time at NFTS. It follows an astronaut sent off-course during a spacewalk, and the danger she faces.
Writer and Director: Nathan Hardisty
Editor: Gareth Pugh
Sound Designer: Ruth Knight
Composer: Ethan Jeffrey
Plays
Watermelon (Monologue, OutStageUs 2021, Hope Mill, Manchester).
The Battle of Orgreave (Short Play, Soho Theatre, London, CANCELLED DUE TO COVID)
Fledge (Anthology, Courtyard Theatre, London, 2019)
terms & conditions apply (Short Play, Soho Theatre, London 2018)
Losing My Religion (Papercuts Play, ADC Cambridge, 2016)
Trimalchio (Papercuts Play, ADC, Cambridge, 2016)