Biography

I'm an award winning documentary filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in Filmmaking with a PhD in cinema of migration from the University of Oxford. My documentary work is centered around the representation of otherness: indigenous cultures in North Thailand, Nepal and India; men as warriors in Basha Miao Village (China); women and babies in prison and the migrant identity. My most recent work—shot in India—has won several awards including the 'Urban Award' at Still Awards 2020 (Ireland) and 'Best International Documentary Photograph' at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, 2019. My documentaries have been screened at international film events across the world including Africa, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Mexico, India and the United States.

Other Credits

Babies Behind Bars Short-film View
Description Year
Set in a female prison unit in the city of Rome, Babies Behind Bars tells the story of newborns and toddlers kept in the care of their imprisoned mothers. Forced to spend the first years of their lives behind prison bars, children are separated from their inmate mothers soon after their birthday. To gladden children's hearts, a generous group of volunteers takes the babies out of prison every weekend for a day saturday of freedom. Filmed from the POV of the inmates and the volunteers, the film portraits the natural desire of freedom against the vital need for motherly love. Due to distribution agreements, Babies Behind Bars ​is not available online. 2007
Voiceless Reel Short-film View
Description Year
Veteran projectionist Graham Lee recalls his experiences of the hidden world of cinema in a documentary produced by Valentina Ippolito. He recounts his cinematic experiences as part of Voiceless Reel, a documentary about 3D projection technology. The film encapsulates Graham’s passion for the cinema as he talks about its history and how technology has affected the way in which we receive, consume or engage with films. Hypnotic shots of rotating reels unfold the busy workday of Graham - a 3D cinema projectionist who works at the state-of-the-art Giant Screen at Millennium Point, Birmingham 2010
Ladies Room Short-film View
Description Year
The director spends three months filming in the toilet of a crowded Oxford pub, trying to find out whether women are tyrannies or victims when it comes to men. The film reveals its true mood by personally engaging with the women interviewed, some of which show degrees of disenchantment, bitterness and irony. ​Through the symbolic presence of the mirror, women’s personal voices play an active part in the narrative, while men represent the absent subject under scrutiny. 2007
Paths Short-film View
Description Year
Based on a true story, Paths holds 72 years of love in a 90 second experimental video which pushes the boundaries of traditional cinema. This romantic super short-video tells the story of Edward, a 92 year old man who has lost the love of his life to cancer. On board of breathtaking vehicles made by the hundred-year old British car manufacturer- Morgan Motor Company, the film takes you on a metaphorical journey through the paths of life, reliving memories of a beautiful love that will last forever. 2011
Lucile Short-film View
Description Year
In a series of self-narrated vignettes, gay poet-librarian Lucile ushers us into the vibrant instability of her world, where, as a sufferer from manic depression, she struggles with the effects her medications have on her ability to create art and find love. 2014
Voiceless Reel Goes Digital Short-film View
Description Year
Since the release of Voiceless Reel in 2010, many things have changed in the realm of projection technology. The equipment featured in the film has been scrapped and replaced by two digital projectors and hard drives. Despite drastic changes in technology, Graham still works at Millennium Point. In Voiceless Reel Goes Digital, Graham discusses how his job as film projectionist has changed over the course of his 54 year career. 2012
Romanians of New York Short-film View
Description Year
​A documentary on the lives of Romanian migrants in the US at the dawn of the Trump era. The film turns the lens on marginalized immigrant communities in New York at a time of unprecedented global movement of peoples and contention surrounding migration. ​Interviews with Romanian immigrants reveal their reasons for migrating, their views of the welcome they have received after Trump and the challenges they have faced. The research project was sponsored by London Middlesex University, Pembroke College (Oxford University) and the Sandrew Travel Fund. 2017

Awards

Skills

  • Arts
  • Lecturing
  • Self-shooting
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