ANTONIA Bird, one of Britain's leading female film and TV directors, has died aged 54.
She was known for 1990s' films including Priest, Face and Ravenous, all starring actor Robert Carlyle.
Bird's TV credits included Spooks, Cracker, EastEnders and this year's BBC One drama The Village.
Originally from London, she began her career at the Royal Court Theatre before switching to TV in the mid-1980s.
Carlyle, writing on Twitter, said: "Such a sad day today. RIP Antonia Bird. Farewell my beautiful friend."
Novelist Irvine Walsh, who was a partner with Bird in the British film production company 4 Ways alongside Carlyle and film maker Mark Cousins, paid tribute to "our top Bird" and said she made "amazing films".
Bird won best single drama awards at the TV Baftas for 1993's Safe, a BBC Two drama about homeless teenagers, and 2000's Care, which focused on sexual abuse in children's homes.
She also won a Bafta Children's Award in 2009 for poetry documentary Off By Heart.
Actor Nico Mirallegro, who worked alongside Bird on The Village, wrote: "I'm so pleased that I got the chance to learn from and work with such an inspirational person. Loved everything about her."
Cousins commented: "So touching to see all the tributes to director Antonia Bird. The thing now is to make her work available and get it seen."
