One Stop Doc Shop

My guest this week is double BIFA winning director Alice Russell. Her first short film, Men Buy Sex, won the SIMA Creative Activism Award and got Vimeo Staff Picks Best of the Month. Her second short film, Agents of Change was selected as a festival focus at Sheffield DocFest whilst her third short film Terra Incognita followed a team of female activist’s scaling the back of reefer ships in the Antarctic.    

In 2022, her debut feature doc, If the Streets Were On Fire had its world premiere at the 66th BFI London Film Festival where it came second in the Audience Award, before going on to scoop up the Best Feature Documentary and the Raindance Maverick Awards at the BIFA’s in 2023.  

Alice and I talk about her passion for telling authentic stories and finding charismatic characters who inspire her, the importance of trusting your gut, as well as the challenges that arise when you juggle projects over many years. As an aside, we also discussed our shared love of icebergs!

My guest this week is the multi award winning director Kathryn Ferguson. After a decade of focusing on short-form work centered on identity, gender politics and community, Kathryn first feature documentary NOTHING COMPARES about the iconic musician Sinéad O’Connor premiered at Sundance in 2022.

The film screened globally and went on to win multiple awards including Best Feature Documentary and Best Debut Director at the BIFA’s, as well as clocking up not one but two Emmy nominations.  
Later that same year, Kathryn was also awarded the BFI & Chanel award for Creative Audacity for a first-time feature director.  

Kathryn and I discuss her journey into the documentary world, navigating the leap from commercial work to long form docs, as well as the kind of films she hopes to make in the future.

My guest this week is BAFTA nominated producer Elhum Shakerifar. Her multi award winning credits include The Reluctant Revolutionary, The Runner, A Syrian Love Story, Even When I Fall, Almost Heaven, Island, Of Love & Law, A Northern Soul and Ayouni. 

In addition, Elhum has received a multitude of accolades as a producer over the years and continues to work innovatively to bridge the gap between UK festival visibility and distribution.   

We talk about her unconventional route into the world of producing, the importance of inclusivity and visibility in storytelling, the myriad challenges facing producers when working in precarious situations, as well as the importance of defining what success means to you as a filmmaker.

My guest this week is multi-platform artist, and BAFTA winning producer and director Professor Victoria Mapplebeck.

For the last two decades, Victoria has experimented with the frontiers of documentary and creative technology, focusing on telling stories in small intimate spaces.

Her first smartphone short 160 Characters won Best Documentary at the 2017 Short of the Week Film Awards. Her follow up doc Missed Call, filmed on an IPhone X, picked up a BAFTA and a Broadcast Digital Award.

In 2019, The Waiting Room - a VR project that captured her experience of breast cancer from diagnosis to recovery won the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling.

During the podcast we discuss the highs and lows of making autobiographical work, finding the perfect editor, and the importance of humility when making documentary films.

We also explore the evolution of texting, the power of voice mails and how best to bring both forms of communication to life on screen.

My guest this week is Simisola Akande, an award winning filmmaker that has to date created intimate and personal films that reflect her unique worldview.

Her breakthrough short Ojumo Ti Mo won the BFI’s Who We Are film competition in 2020. It also picked up Best Documentary and Film of the Year awards at the Watersprite Film Festival whilst her first short, Du Du, took home Best Experimental Film at the BFI Future Film Festival.

During the podcast we discuss the inspiration behind her films, managing the unexpected pressures that come with making personal documentaries, as well as the importance of creating spaces for people from all walks of life to share their stories.

My guest this week is Jayisha Patel, an award winning filmmaker who works at the intersection of cinematic film and VR. In 2020, Jayisha was hailed by Screen Daily as one of the Stars of Tomorrow and her films have premiered at Sundance, the New York Film Festival and the Toronto International Film festival.

Her first short film, A Paradise, was nominated for 37 international awards. Her film Circle was nominated for a student BAFTA, and her first VR experience Notes to My Father, won the UN Women’s Global Voice Award for Best 360 film.

Jayisha seeks to give a platform in particular to women of colour who are fighting stereotypes, in bold and unconventional ways.

We discuss the importance of working with local crews, what it takes to embed as a filmmaker within a different cultural community, and how to make sensitive and thoughtful films in challenging circumstances.

We also discuss power dynamics, and how to work out if you are qualified to tell a particular story or not.

My guest this week is the multi-award winning producer and director Lindsey Dryden. Her producer credits include the Sundance Special Jury Award winning feature documentary - Unrest, which was also made the Oscar shortlist, and the Emmy award winning series - Trans in America.

In addition, Lindsey has also gathered a host of directing accolades for her feature documentary -Lost and Sound, as well as her portfolio of short form films.

A proud founding member of both the Queer Producers Network and FWD-Doc, Lindsey is interested in telling stories that explore unconventional experiences of the body.

We discuss the logistics of working across multiple international projects, how to ensure inclusivity throughout the filmmaking process, as well as the magic of working out the right time to tell your story.

We also chat about the importance of serving non-dominant audiences and the value of developing bespoke distribution strategies.

My guest this week is multi-award winning Syrian activist and filmmaker Waad Al- Kateab. Her first feature length documentary, For Sama, filmed over five years captured her life in Aleppo under the Assad regime.

Released in 2019, the film received a six-minute standing ovation and picked up the best documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2020 it was shortlisted for an Oscar, and made BAFTA history by racking up 4 nominations and scooping up Best Documentary Film Award.

Waad has also received personal multiple recognitions for her work as an activist and filmmaker, including the IDA Courage Under Fire Award.

Waad talks about what it was like learning to film in a hospital, in the midst of a revolution, as well as exploring what compelled her to capture the smaller, more intimate moments of family life with her husband Hamza, and her daughter Sama.

We also discuss how long it takes to edit down 500+ hours of footage, and what fuels her continued desire to raise awareness of the issues in Syria.

My guest this week is artist and documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay. With an eclectic body of work under her belt, Jeanie’s portfolio includes the Emmy nominated feature Games of Thrones: The Last Watch, Bifa winning feature - Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, Bifa nominated feature Seahorse, and Bifa and Grierson nominated feature The Great Hip Hop Hoax.

In addition, Jeanie has also filmed behind the closed bedroom doors of teenagers in Teenland for the BBC, as well as directing feature docs on the last surviving record shop in Teeside and the lowest budget pantomime in Nottingham for BBC Storyville. And last but not least, she also filmed Goths on a cruise ship!

Driven by a passion to tell small stories quietly, Jeanie is interested in shy people and uses her camera as a loudhailer.

Jeanie and I discuss the inspiration behind each of her films, what makes a good story, trusting your instinct, and seeking out life’s unsung heroes.

We also explore the lessons she learnt over the years when it comes to capturing actuality, and her love of creating bespoke cinema experiences for her audience.

A trailer from the interview with award winning documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay.