Morton's other project of 2009 was her directorial debut, the semi-autobiographical Channel 4 drama "The Unloved", which follows an eleven-year-old girl (played by Molly Windsor) growing up in a children's home in the UK's care system, and shown through her perspective. Morton wrote the story in collaboration with Tony Grisoni, and "The Unloved" was first broadcast on 17 May 2009, drawing nearly 2 million viewers. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009. Michael Deacon, for the "Daily Telegraph", praised Morton on creating an "intense" and "vivid" dramatic film. Morton won a BAFTA for her direction in 2010.