Elhum Shakerifar

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 Melanie Iredale, Deputy Director at Sheffield Doc Fest, one of the UK’s premier documentary film festivals. As part of her remit, Melanie sits on the Doc Fest Programming Team, as well as co-curating the Rhyme & Rhythm strand.Originally from East Yorkshire, Melanie's background is as a Film Curator and Festival Programmer. From 2009-2014, she was Director of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, where she commissioned new, award-wining moving image work that toured festivals and galleries around the world. She is also a BIFA voter for the Documentary Award and regularly participates in international film juries. We talk about what Melanie looks for when selecting films for the festival programme as well as what it takes to get your projects selected for the festivals legendary Meet Market’s one to one pitching sessions. And last but not least, we discuss what makes a great pitching deck.

This week we have not one but three podcast guests joining us to discuss their experiences in the documentary film industry. Kimberley Warner, Head of Production at Ffilm Cymru leads on strategy for talent development in Wales. Jude Lister, Manager for BFI Network Wales, supports filmmakers at the start of their careers, as well as managing an array of talent initiatives. And Allison Dowzell, Managing Director at Screen Alliance Wales, helps grow and support talent and crew in both the film and television industry. Collectively, they talk about the current funding opportunities and support available in Wales for documentary filmmakers.

My guest this week is multi-award winning producer Andee Ryder. Co-founder of Misfits Entertainment, Andee’s feature documentaries have garnered numerous accolades, and have showcased at festivals around the world. Misfit’s first feature documentary McQueen, sensitively explored the rags to riches story of the British fashion industries most tortured genius Alexander McQueen. In 2019, it picked up two BAFTA film nominations for Best Documentary and Best British Film. Her next feature documentary Rising Phoenix, explored the history of the Paralympic games, and scooped up two Emmy awards for Best Sports Documentary and Best Music Direction. We talk about what it takes to make successful archive documentaries, the pressures involved in delivering fast turnaround projects as well as the trials and tribulations of producing during a pandemic. Andee also discusses what qualities she looks for in talent when pairing up on projects, as well as the importance of learning from your mistakes.

My guest this week is multi-award winning producer Rachel Wexler. With over 25 years experience in film and television, her feature documentaries have broadcast around the world and scooped up dozens of awards and nominations include an Emmy, two Peabody’s, as well as a Grierson, BIFA, Cinema Eye and International Documentary Award, to name just a few. In 2004 Rachel and her partner Jez formed Bungalow Town Productions and the company quickly gained a strong track record in making highly individual documentaries with some of the best directing talent around. We talk about what qualities she looks for in a director, what makes a project desirable and what attributes you need to have to be a successful producer. Rachel also discusses the highs and lows of secure funding, how to cope with rejection but most importantly recognising and celebrating the joy in the filmmaking process.

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.