Uprising: Abel Rubinstein’s Character-Led Naturalistic Work

British writer-director repped by Bullion, Abel Rubinstein, grew up threading the line between his two personalities. Originally from North London, at first Abel was a shy child – being the youngest of three – and always preferred to stay home and watch a film over going to school. His quiet demeanour, though, was hiding a curious, observant mind. 

When he came out at age 14, suddenly Abel felt forced into the spotlight – it was when the shy kid from North London had to take a step back for somebody else. “The drama of it all pushed me to find my community and identity very quickly,” he says. Today, he has reconciled both of these sides:

“Now that I’m older, it feels like I’ve reconnected with my past self, melding the confident queer teen (classic defence mechanism) and the quiet, shy, observing kid.”

It was his observation that led Abel to the film industry, even though at the start he had no idea how one starts working in film at all. “All I knew was that I hated school and couldn’t sit still,” he jokes. After his first media studies class he went down the well-known route of making one or two “terrible” music videos, and the result was as expected – “I was instantly hooked!”

Abel got accepted into the BFI Film Academy, recommended to him by his teacher, which ended up opening the door to the film world. “We made a funny horror short film and even took it to some student film festivals,” Abel remembers.

“The BFI had guest speakers. After one session, I found the producer’s email address online and managed to get on set as a runner. I started skipping college to do it more and more. I never looked back.”

Only a few years after skipping college for running on set, some significant milestones in Abel's career include screenings at LFF, Tribeca, Tampere, Flare, and over 70 more film festivals globally. His work has garnered attention from Evening Standard, Vice, and Attitude, with NME praising him for his immersive world-building.

Abel’s inspirations range from films like ‘We Are The Best!’ by Lookas Moodysson to ‘Victoria’ by Sebastian Schipper – it was through these inspirations that he saw his own style and approach to storytelling emerge, especially in regards to his earlier short films. 

“My short film ‘Dungarees’ shifted my career trajectory,” he shares. “After screening at the London Film Festival, I got my agent, Ellen Gallagher, at Casarotto Ramsay. The short film really encapsulates my directorial vision of naturalistic performances full of love and authentic connection.”

In pursuit of these naturalistic performances, Abel finds it paramount to connect to and work with actors on a deeper level. This also happens to be his favourite part of the production process. “Creating a safe space for [the talent] on set is crucial to bringing their charisma to the screen,” he adds.

It is this approach that got Abel known for his character-driven storytelling and commitment to authenticity. His recent projects include ‘Life In Love’, a captivating mini-series on ITV Hub, offering an intimate portrayal of modern relationships, and ‘Mars’, a BIFA-longlisted short starring Yasmin Finney written by Chris Bush and story by Yungblud, which paints a vibrant picture of self-discovery and queer friendship.

His inspiration and love of narrative shine through his commercial work as well, including in his latest work for Silver Spoon’s Victoria Sponge advert, ‘Life is What You Bake it’. The film follows the life of a girl from childhood, baking with her mum, to her entering motherhood herself and sharing the love of baking with her own children. Focused on the personal narrative, the film pays tribute to Silver Spoon’s heritage as a brand, while keeping audiences engaged in a sweet story they can relate to.

Abel admits he loves playing with characters, especially well-written ones. He points to ‘Concrete Jungle’ for Amazon Prime as the best ad he has recently seen. “I found the simplicity of the storytelling mixed with the vibrant, obsessive personalities, comedic and joyful. I’ve seen too many adverts that attempt to use flashy transitions and technical flare in place of engaging storytelling.”

Outside of work, Abel’s curiosity is insatiable, so he ends up picking up a new hobby every few months – “Gardening has the current number one spot,” he admits, “With Lime bikes at a very close second. I’m obsessed. I will try to scrap public transport altogether for their monthly passes.”

But, this director’s true passion, “which will always win,” is film. “I love that it can make me cry, escape, feel, laugh, and learn. My latest favourites include ‘Kneecap’ and ‘Didi’, but in the past year, ‘Eight Mountains’ was to die for, and ‘Rotting In The Sun’. Cinema is my drive and motivation. Trends come and go, but the impact of rich stories will never go out of fashion.”

Now, Abel is working towards his debut feature, inspired by the careers of directors like Lukas Dhont, Mike Mills and Sean Baker. Making adverts, however, remains a joy, and a chance to create and execute storytelling and characters and bring technically beautiful work to the screen. “Coming from a film perspective allows me to stay fresh, and my advert work helps me stay well-practised and innovative.”