BIO
William Armstrong is a writer/director and producer from Gaborone, Botswana, based in Copenhagen.
He began by making short, personal films. His first commercial won a Young Director Award at Cannes Lions, and thirteen years of commercial directing followed — more than thirty campaigns across Mexico, Kazakhstan, China and South Africa for Mercedes, BMW, Adidas, Samsung and Sony, along with Best New Director at Kinsale Sharks and the One Screen Emerging Director Award in New York. That work is where he learned to direct actors and build image and sound at scale.
His first documentary short, Unspoken, world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021 and played more than fifty festivals worldwide, five of them Oscar-qualifying. It won Best Documentary Short at Sedona, was optioned by The New Yorker Documentary Channel, and was exhibited at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.
Ghost Stone, his first narrative fiction short, was shot on location in Namibia in 2026 and enters the festival circuit in 2027. Set in 1907 at the opening of the diamond extraction economy, it is told from inside the community that economy displaced — bilingual in Oshiherero and English, led by a Herero elder in his first acting role. William wrote, raised finance independently, produced and directed.
Through his Copenhagen company, WAS (William Armstrong Studio), he is developing Forever, a ten-hour period series on the origins of the diamond business.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Young Director Award - Cannes Lions
World Premiere - Tribeca Film Festival, USA
Best Choreography - Cannes World Film Festival, FR
Judges Choice Award - Boulder Film Festival, USA
Best Documentary - Vesuvius Film Festival, Italy
Honourable Mention - Loudsoul Film Festival, Serbia
Silver - Cresta Moving Image Awards
Best Documentary Short - Sedona International Film Festival, USA
Emerging Director Award - One Screen Film Festival, USA
Best New Director - Kinsale Shark Awards
Best Film (Budget Category) - Ciclope Africa Craft Awards
Silver Bell (TV Cinema) - Institute of Creative Advertising and Design
Silver Bell (Branded Content) - Institute of Creative Advertising and Design
Silver Effie Award - Effectiveness in Marketing
2x Staff Picks - Vimeo Awards
Shortlist in Entertainment & Music - Cannes Lions
Shortlist Branded Entertainment - Webby Awards
Nominated - Ciclope International Craft Awards
Nominated - 1.4 Awards London
Nominated Best Cinematography - Kinsale Shark Awards
