For this episode we’re bringing you a recording of an event we hosted in 2020 with Anthea Harvey. 

Anthea is an experienced freelance documentary and drama editor who works in TV and film and specialises in narrative, characters and long form. 

The discussion should be of interest to other film editors or anyone thinking about editing as a career, plus anyone who might find themselves collaborating with an editor.

Anthea discussed some of the challenges of working from home and what it’s like collaborating remotely, as well as some of the technical and physical aspects of film editing. She also offered some organisational and communication tips.

Anthea was in discussion with SDI’s director, Noe Mendelle.

026: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Anthea Harvey on editing

This event expanded on DocSociety’s New COVID-19 Risk Assessment for Independent Filmmakers, focusing on the challenges of producing documentary films during and after lockdown, the ethics of working with people in vulnerable situations and the responsibility towards the crew, the protagonists and the audience.

Elhum Shakerifar is a BAFTA nominated producer, winner of the 2017 Women in Film & TV’s BBC Factual Award, and one of Screen International’s 2018 #Brit50 Producers on the Rise.

027: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Ethics in Documentary Filmmaking with Elhum Shakerifar

What does it mean to be a Black content producer in Scotland?

For this Zoom event, Carmen Thompson was in conversation with Vanessa Kanbi and Stewart Kyasimire as we heard about their experiences and consider what can be done to increase opportunities for Black filmmakers.

Vanessa Kanbi is a Scottish Ghanaian filmmaker, podcaster and presenter who has a passion to shine a light on untold stories. Vanessa has grown her YouTube channel to 40,000+ subscribers and over 4.5 million views. Vanessa has appeared in the likes of BBC Scotland’s documentary Black and Scottish and The Peoples News in 2019. She has created content for CNN and the BBC. Vanessa is often a contributor on several BBC Radio shows and also has a successful podcast called Magnificent Mothers in which she interviews mums about their life story’s and experiences.

Stewart Kyasimire is an experienced BAME-led director who recently directed the BBC Black and Scottish documentary and a Lloyds Banking Group film. He also advises the Scottish Government on better ways of working with the BAME community and in the process of setting up a Scottish BAME talent agency.

As part of the event we’ll discuss our New Voices mentoring programme for women and non-binary filmmakers, and the next Bridging the Gap programme for emerging filmmakers.

We’re committed to diversity within both of these programmes and welcome and strongly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and non binary filmmakers.

Watch the video of the event: https://www.scottishdocinstitute.com/masterclasses/black-voices-in-documentary/

028: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Black voices in Scottish documentary

Alan Berliner & Victor Kossakovsky in Conversation at the 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival. 

Journalist Ian Haydn Smith and Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute Noe Mendelle asking questions.

Podcast hosted by Duncan Cowles

001 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Alan Berliner & Victor Kossakovsky

Highlights from a masterclass with artist/filmmaker Jeremy Weller held at Edinburgh College of Art late 2013. 

Video - scotdoc.com/jeremy

Podcast hosted by Duncan Cowles

002 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Jeremy Weller

An interview with filmmaker Mark Cousins about filmmaking and his new feature Here Be Dragons.  

2012 Masterclass with Mark available - scotdoc.com/mcmark

Podcast and interview by Duncan Cowles

003 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Mark Cousins

Audio highlights from a 2008 masterclass with film-maker Nick Broomfield held at Edinburgh College of Art by the Scottish Documentary Institute. 

Podcast edited & hosted by Duncan Cowles

004 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Nick Broomfield

Highlights from a 2012 Masterclass with producer Bart Simpson talking about his award winning documentary 'The Corporation'.

Video highlights - scotdoc.com/mcbart

Podcast hosted by Duncan Cowles

005 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Bart Simpson

A masterclass with filmmaker Boris Mitić held in 2013 by the Scottish Documentary Institute. 

Boris talks about film festival strategy and how to get the attention of commissioning editors. 

Video highlights - scotdoc.com/mcboris

Podcast hosted by Duncan Cowles

006 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Boris Mitić

An interview with filmmaker Jessica Oreck, held at the Scottish Documentary Institute, Feb 2014. 

Video highlights: http://scotdoc.com/mcjessica

Interviewed by Duncan Cowles.

007 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Jessica Oreck

Highlights from a 2010 masterclass with filmmaker Peter Liechti, talking about his film 'The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy.'

Video Highlights: http://scotdoc.com/mcpeter

Hosted and edited by Duncan Cowles

008 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Peter Liechti

Highlights from a 2012 masterclass with filmmaker and artist Michel Wenzer, talking about his film 'At Night I fly'

Available on www.atnightifly.com

Video Highlights: scotdoc.com/MCWenzer

Podcast hosted and edited by Duncan Cowles

009 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Michel Wenzer

Highlights from 2013 Scottish Documentary Institute masterclass with Victor Kossakovsky, held as part of the Edinburgh Int. Film Festival.

Video Highlights: http://scotdoc.com/MCvictor

Podcast hosted by Duncan Cowles, interview held by Noe Mendelle.

010 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Victor Kossakovsky

A special tribute podcast in honor of the late Austrian filmmaker Michael Glawogger. Featuring highlights from a 2008 masterclass with Glawogger and an interview with the Artistic Director of Dokufest Kosovo Veton Nurkollari.

Podcast edited and presented by Duncan Cowles.


011 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Michael Glawogger

 A podcast featuring highlights from a 2013 masterclass with filmmaker/producer Tracie Holder from the organisation Women Make Movies (WMM). 

Video highlights: http://scotdoc.com/MCHolder

Podcast edited and produced by Duncan Cowles

012 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Tracie Holder

Highlights from a 2013 masterclass with filmmaker Alan Berliner. 

Podcast edited and presented by Duncan Cowles.

More info: http://scotdoc.com/berliner

013 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Alan Berliner

Filmed: January 2014

Emma is a documentary filmmaker and Programme Director of Film & TV at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. For the film I Am Breathing, she won the 2013 British Academy Scotland Award for Best Director together with co-director Morag McKinnon.

Here Emma is talking about her work, I am Breathing in a masterclass/Q&A held back in January 2014.

014 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Emma Davie

Emma is a documentary filmmaker and Programme Director of Film & TV at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh.

Podcast edited and presented by Duncan Cowles.
Recorded: September 2015

More info: http://scotdoc.com/applyBTG

015 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Treatments & Proposals

Join us as renowned Danish filmmaker, Jørgen Leth, talks about the making of his iconic short film "The Perfect Human". He also briefly touches upon the thinking behind his project, "The Five Obstructions".

Audio taken from his masterclass. Interviewed by Emma Davie.

016 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Jørgen Leth

Founder and Director of Aubin Pictures, Catherine Gund is an Emmy-nominated producer, director, writer, and activist. Her work focuses on sustainable social transformation, sexuality and gender, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and other social justice issues. She works actively with numerous organisations to this end and co-founded Third Wave Foundation, which supports young women and transgender youth, and DIVA TV, an affinity group of ACT UP/NY. She was founding director of BENT TV, a video workshop for LGBT youth.

In this podcast, Catherine explores her approach to making powerful, character-centred films, from shorts to features, and her commitment to stories about LGBTQI communities. Audio taken from her masterclass.

017 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Catherine Gund

018 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Bridging the Gap: Inspiration Workshop w/Noe Mendelle

Ryley’s documentary The Shore Break (2014) follows a long-running standoff between corrupt pro-mining forces and the Pondo South African coastal community. Featuring arresting cinematography, beautiful original music, and breathtaking sand animation, it delivers both a visually and emotionally exciting fight to the end.

The Shore Break has won multiple international awards, including the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award at Durban International Film Festival (2015). Ryley has also worked as a cinematographer and camera operator on the award winning science-ficton film District 9 (2009) and feature documentary drama The Dawn of a New Day (2011).

In this Masterclass, Ryley will discuss The Shore Break, her wider career to date, and what motivates her as a filmmaker.

021 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - Ryley Grunenwald

George Amponsah and Dionne Walker, director and producer of acclaimed British film The Hard Stop take us through their process when making this cinematic hybrid documentary.

The Hard Stop explores the complicated intersections of race and class that underpin the still-unresolved killing of Mark Duggan in 2011. The pair won a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer (2017), and the Screen Nation Award for Achievement in Film Production (2016).

020 - Scottish Documentary Podcast - George Amponsah & Dionne Walker

We were delighted to host a Masterclass with the Managing Editor of All 4, Charlie Palmer.

Charlie Palmer oversees All 4’s content budget, covering original commissions, acquisitions and TV program extras and extensions. Charlie is responsible for adapting All 4’s editorial proposition across different platforms – and create cross-platform promotion and joined up commissioning opportunities.

In this Masterclass, Charlie focuses on film branding and marketing, and tells us how to prepare a film for online distribution.

019 - Scottish Documentary Institute - Charlie Palmer

FUTURE MY LOVE is a unique love story challenging our collective and personal utopias in search of freedom. Maja Borg's thought-provoking experimental documentary explores the theme that "economy is a human relationship". This Q&A session with Maja was recorded after an exclusive preview screening of the film at the RSA in London on 12/12/12. The host is Hugh Knowles, Principal Sustainability Advisor with the Forum for the Future.

Q&A with Maja Borg after FUTURE MY LOVE screening at the RSA, London

For this Zoom Coffee Morning we were joined by freelance editorial and programming consultant, Lynn Nwokorie, who offered advice on applying for film grants.

Starting out in production for feature film, commercials and museum projects in both the US and UK, Lynn has since worked across exhibition and distribution for various national festivals and organisations including the BFI London Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, the British Film Institute and the Independent Cinema Office.

For three years at Doc Society, Lynn focused on cultivating socially impactful documentary filmmaking at the London and New York-based Doc Society Foundation. Formerly Fund Officer for the BFI Doc Society Fund – the UK’s national fund documentary filmmaking – Lynn now focuses on developing and supporting filmmakers and content creators globally (Doc Society, London Film Festival, Sundance and IFP to name a few) as well as continuing programming for festivals and special events.

022 - Scottish Documentary Institute podcasts - Lynn Nwokorie

This is the first episode focusing on our series of films developed for broadcast on BBC Scotland in association with Screen Scotland as part of the Right Here initiative.

Right Here explores the rich diversity of Scottish identity through character-driven stories and beautiful imagery, and this episode we’re discussing Parisa Urquhart and Ling Lee’s 30 minute film, Long Live Livi, which is available now on BBC iPlayer. 

While there, you can also watch the other two films in the series, Our Fathers and Time to Fly.

Long Live Live tells of three ambitious skate girls known as “The Snagglerats”, who formed the group to inspire more girls to skate. They’re on a mission to save Livingston skatepark.

In this interview recorded on Zoom, co-directors Parisa and Ling discuss the process of bringing their idea to TV screens and what might be next for the Snagglerats. 

You can also watch a video of the discussion on our website at scottishdocinstitute.com/masterclasses.

First up you’ll hear the Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle, discussing Right Here.

Photo credit: Hannah Bailey

023: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Right Here: Making Long Live Livi

This is the second episode focusing on our series of films developed for broadcast on BBC Scotland in association with Screen Scotland as part of the Right Here initiative.

Right Here explores the rich diversity of Scottish identity through character-driven stories and beautiful imagery, and this episode we’re discussing Zoe Hunter Gordon and Kieran Hennigan’s 30 minute film, Our Fathers, which is available now on BBC iPlayer. 

While there, you can also watch the other two films in the series, Long Live Livi and Time to Fly.

Our Fathers introduces viewers to Father Max and Father James, who have been sent on a mission to Scotland by the Bishop of Aba, Nigeria due to a shortage of priests in the Scottish Highlands. Will their humour and songs keep these remote communities alive?

In this interview recorded on Zoom, Zoe and Kieran discuss the process of bringing their idea to TV screens and collaborating as co-directors. You can also watch a video of the discussion on our website at scottishdocinstitute.com/masterclasses.

024: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Right Here: Making Our Fathers

This is the third and final episode focusing on our series of films developed for broadcast on BBC Scotland in association with Screen Scotland as part of the Right Here initiative.

Right Here explores the rich diversity of Scottish identity through character-driven stories and beautiful imagery, and this episode we’re discussing Lindsay Brown’s 30 minute film, Time to Fly, which is available now on BBC iPlayer. 

Time to Fly is an emotional documentary about a mother, Sami, navigating through care options  for her autistic daughter, April, as she leaves residential school and transitions to adult accommodation.

We met up with Sami and Lindsay earlier this year, following a screening of the Right Here films at Glasgow Film Festival. We discussed the development of Time to Fly and how it’s a follow up to Lindsay’s 2016 short, Swan, a film that will be available to watch on our website from the start of July.

025: Scottish Documentary Podcast - Right Here: Making Time To Fly

A podcast that brings you documentary masterclasses and interviews held by the Scottish Documentary Institute at Edinburgh College of Art.

Popular tracks by ScotDoc