Toby Dye Joins Asymetric Roster
Coming to the Asymetric roster with a wealth of filmmaking experience, is acclaimed director Toby Dye. He brings with him a unique approach, and an impressive catalogue of work for some of world’s biggest brands, including Heineken, Ford, and Netflix, as well as music videos, documentaries and a Stanley Kubrick inspired art installation.
Born and raised in rural Derbyshire, England, his interest in film was first sparked as a teenager, working as a projectionist at the local arthouse cinema. After moving to London, he began his career in documentary filmmaking, which continues to inform his unique approach to storytelling that is at once innovatively attention-grabbing, whilst capturing authentic, emotional performances for work that is imbued with a powerful honesty.
For his international campaign for Heineken, Toby orchestrated a bold social experiment with a simple premise - bring together people whose world views are in such conflict that there should be no way for them to connect, and yet lead them to a place of understanding, on-camera. His experience in documentary filmmaking and commitment to integrity, made for an honest and powerful example of two people accepting difference and creating a conversation around climate change, gender, and politics. The result was astounding. Its unexpected results struck audiences worldwide with global media coverage everywhere from Good Morning America, to Time and The Guardian.
Diverging from his documentary style, Toby dared to pick up where Stanley Kubrick left off. Before his death, Kubrick agreed to direct a video for a track on UNKLE’s seminal 1998 album 'Psyence Fiction'. Made with the endorsement of Kubrick’s estate, 'The Corridor' is that missing video, created as the centrepiece of Somerset House’s hit exhibition 'Daydreaming with… Stanley Kubrick'. Directed by Toby, and starring Joanna Lumley and Aidan Gillen, the 360- degree installation features four distinct films in which four narratives bleed into one another, crossing through claustrophobic corridors, weaving together a disorientating story of control, violence, and power in true Kubrickian style.
Perhaps the most physically challenging project of his career is his work for the Ford Ranger ‘Black Edition’, which was shot in one of the most inhospitable places on earth: Longyearbyen, Svalbard - the word’s northernmost town. For 110 days of the year, this Artic community lives and works in complete darkness in temperatures of -20º. Enlisting real townsfolk, Toby followed three of these hardy souls through their daily life in one of the harshest environments on earth, behind the wheel of a car a black as their surroundings.
Toby collaborated with Ridley Scott, to direct the viral short 'Phobos: an Alien Covenant Story' starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterstone, Billy Krudup and Danny McBride. Set before the events of 'Alien: Covenant', the film is a dark and twisted psychological drama, that was entirely improvised. The cast were directed to stay in character, as they experienced a genuine fear test.
Throughout his career, Toby has won multiple Cannes Lions, CLIO Awards, Epica Awards, Effies, British Arrows amongst many more. Inventive and bold, he’s become known for pushing the boundaries in film and storytelling, developing a fresh visual style that captivates audiences thanks to a heartfelt authenticity.
Asymetric represent Toby in Canada.
