Film projects
I have always been interested in film. Growing up in an academic household, I was surrounded by books. This was a little overwhelming for me as a child. So I soon developed a keen interest in film, while trying to avoid reading. Ironically, I became an academic myself later on. However, I regularly attended film festivals as a teenager and student. Later, I studied film production networks for my PhD dissertation.
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In 2021, I became more involved in financially supporting film projects, especially documentaries. For example, I have supported various projects on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. I am also getting more involved as an executive / associate producer. In particular I am interested in supporting documentaries and fictional films that tackle important societal issues with emotional gravity. Examples are listed below. In addition, I began studying films as vehicles for social change, focusing on the role of so-called impact producers. This allows me to create synergies between my work as an academic and my work as a filmmaker and supporter of film projects.
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In Spring 2021, I attended a practical documentary filmmaking course at University College London. As part of this course, I developed my own first short documentary "Finding Simon" (see description below). Based on this very positive experience I am planning to develop more films in the future, in addition to my involvements as producer.
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In 2024, I opened my own Youtube Channel to publish my films and to post video essays on various topics.
Finding Simon (2021) [Director]
Sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself. This short documentary is about Brighton-based artist Simon Mclennan. It examines how we connect to our work and to each other, and how our work reflects on who we are. This 12-minutes film was my directorial debut. It has been screened at several film festivals. You can watch the film on my Youtube Channel.
The Boobie Project (2021) [Associate Producer]
This documentary by Viv Li is about China's sex culture, the history of breast binding, genderless communism and modern women's role in society. The plot revolves around the film-maker's own childhood in China where she was raised as a boy and where growing breasts as a teenager meant constant struggle... "two monsters that never get out of my sight". The project links Viv's personal story with women's complicated role in modern China. The 90-minute film will adapt a hybrid form with archive, animation, fiction and documentary elements. More information can be found here.
Source: Project website
Relationships (2021) [Executive Producer]
This documentary by director Mu-Ming Tsai is about modern romantic, family, self, living and tech relationships. It explores cross-cultural differences, and the impact of social and technological changes on modern relationships. This project is an international collaboration of film-makers from US, UK, Japan and Taiwan. For more information on this project please visit the project website as well as the successful campaign on Kickstarter.
Source: Project website
Finding Ubuntu (2022) [Contributing Producer]
This documentary by producer Annette King (Splicer Films) tells the story of a Congolese refugee who emerges as leader advocating for human rights for thousands of refugees while in the midst of his own crisis. It showcases the power of the Ubuntu philosophy - "I am because we are" - in mobilizing people in times of crisis and in making them care for each other like they would for their own family. For more information please visit their official film website.
Source: Project website
