Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in filmmaking? What inspired you to pursue a career in the film industry?
I am an editor with experience in a range of genres, but now focused on drama and documentaries. I was a musician first, with dreams of pop stardom, and a keen interest in sound, and then got into making scratch videos at college, which sparked my interest technically. I began my career as a BBC TV post-production trainee and soon discovered I really enjoyed the editing side of things. You find a lot of editors have music backgrounds, I can only assume it's to do with rhythm and general creativity. As time went on I met so many inspiring people working in the industry and realised that I am able to tell stories I feel a connection too, often involving music in some shape or form, and I love doing just that.
What does being part of Berlinale Talents mean to you? Is there something about the city that resonates with your creative process?
It's such an honour to be invited to be part of Berlinale Talents. The opportunity to meet, share knowledge and potentially collaborate with artists from all over the world is such a privilege. The intensity of one week surrounded by others who are passionate about their craft at Berlinale really excites me. So many of my respected peers have links to either Berlinale Talents or the festival itself, and I am looking forward to becoming part of that meeting of creative minds!
How do you balance expressing your unique voice and creating something that can be recognised globally?
Even though I'm often expected to find a story from my own perspective, I tend to move about the world trying to recognise the viewpoints of others. I believe that trying to meet where those perspectives collide and documenting them for what they are allows for interesting conversations and collaborations with the director and the contributors to the film, and naturally those human elements resonate with wider audiences. This has proved to be a successful and rewarding process for me.
How does this year’s theme, "Common Tongues: Speaking Out in the Language of Cinema", resonate with your work and creative process?
So much of my work revolves around Identity, in various forms, and how that becomes a method of communication. Whether that identity is found or expressed through music, history, family, culture, fashion, or anything else, there are often specific ways of expression, either a recognised or misunderstood language, within each category and those conversations are a huge inspiration for me. This communication has to be understood through the film to reach the audience, so it's a constant process to make sure that happens.