Alice Waddington

Alice Waddington is a Spanish film director, writer, photographer, and costume designer known for her work in contemporary genre cinema. Her directing style is rooted in heightened genre filmmaking, combining visceral action, psychological horror, and dark humor within stylized, character-driven worlds. Before establishing herself in narrative filmmaking, Waddington studied advertising at the University of the Basque Country and began taking stills and directing fashion films for publications including the Spanish edition of Harper's Bazaar. She also worked as an advertising creative, producer, and video editor at Leo Burnett Iberia and Social Noise, and as a storyboard artist.

Waddington transitioned to narrative filmmaking with her first short film, "Disco Inferno," which she wrote and directed with executive producer Yadira Ávalos. The 11-minute film received nominations at more than 60 international film festivals, including Palm Springs International ShortFest, Fantasia, Sitges, and Fantastic Fest, where it won Best Director and the Silver Feature Film Project Award at the festival's film market, leading to the development of her debut feature. The short film toured Japan, China, the United States, and Canada with "Best of the Fest" showcases.

Her debut feature, "Paradise Hills," brought Waddington international recognition. Written by Brian DeLeeuw and Nacho Vigalondo, the science-fiction thriller starred Emma Roberts, Awkwafina, Eiza González, Danielle Macdonald, Milla Jovovich, and Jeremy Irvine. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, becoming the second Spanish debut feature selected by the festival, and screened at more than 20 international genre festivals, including Fantasia, Sitges, and Mórbido. "Paradise Hills" received nominations for Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards and Best New Director at the Goya Awards. The project was developed with the support of Guillermo del Toro and Spanish producers Nostromo Pictures.

Following "Paradise Hills," Waddington expanded her work across film and television. She premiered her first television episode at the Sitges Film Festival as part of Amazon Prime Video Spain's revival of "Historias para no Dormir," with her episode, "La Pesadilla," co-written with Spanish showrunner Rocío Martínez Llano as a remake of a 1967 story by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador. Waddington was also announced as director of the Netflix adaptation of the Dark Horse Entertainment comic series "Dept. H," with a script by screenwriter T.S. Nowlin, known for "The Maze Runner" film series and "Pacific Rim: Uprising." Additionally, she and the Benson sisters sold an adaptation of the fantasy novel series "The Witchlands" to a major U.S. studio, with Waddington attached to direct. She is also a co-writer and director on the segment "Red Shoes" for the feature-length horror anthology film "Tales from the Woods," produced by Wayward Entertainment.

Waddington is an advocate for greater inclusion in the film industry. She has spoken about the need for more female-led and diversely cast films worldwide and encourages young women to enroll in filmmaking programs. Waddington has also addressed the importance of film studios hiring more women, with an emphasis on women of color. She emerged in Madrid alongside the New Wave of Spanish genre directors such as Nacho Vigalondo, Eugenio Mira, and Paco Plaza, a group known for their long-standing collaborations. Waddington continues to contribute to genre filmmaking, feminist storytelling, and international cinema.