JAMES W. NEWTON Documentary Producer/Director [email protected] | 07759 818082 jamesnewtonfilms.com I shoot films about extraordinary people, and look for tough subjects that I believe should be talked about more. I aspire to make documentaries that look and feel like high-quality drama, with gripping narratives and cinematic visuals. FILMS BBC Two Horizon: My Amazing Twin Filmed, Produced & Directed 1 x 60 mins Executive Producer: Steve Crabtree / BBC Studios Observational documentary following Adam Pearson and his identical twin brother as they investigate the genetic disease which is threatening to destroy their lives. Short Film (Festivals) A Love Worth Giving Filmed, Directed & Edited 1 x 23 mins Highlighting the global shortage of organ donors, this film follows newly-married Luke whose wife is on the waiting-list for a double lung transplant, and the aftermath when they cannot find a donor in time. aloveworthgiving.com Channel 4 The Autistic Gardener Filmed, Produced & Directed 2 x 60 mins Executive Producer: Ian Carrie / Betty TV A groundbreaking format following autistic garden-designer Alan Gardener, as he trains a team of young adults on the autistic spectrum to help reinvent dull gardens. BBC Three Tyger Takes On: The Perfect Body Filmed, Produced & Directed 1 x 60 mins Executive Producer: Dominique Walker, Ash Atalla / Roughcut TV 1hr episode of an experimental new comedy doc series, exploring male body image and how far young men are prepared to go to get the perfect physique. BBC One Survivors: Caught in the Crossfire Produced & Directed 1 x 60 mins / BBC Studios Executive Producer: Joe Mather Blending obs-doc with dramatic reconstructions, the film follows survivors of violent crimes as they share their journeys of recovery. Featuring a young soldier who was ambushed by the Real IRA while unarmed in his own barracks. Feature Film (Festivals and General Release) Janapar: Love on a Bike Produced & Directed 1 x 75 mins Executive Producer: Peter Lowe / James Newton Films Award-winning feature doc following one man’s life-changing journey around the world, and his romance with an Iranian-Armenian girl he stumbles upon along the way. Made from more than 300 hours of footage filmed in 32 countries. Winner Best Adventure Film at 62nd Trento Film Festival 2014 Winner Spirit of Adventure Gold Award Sheffield Adventure Film Festival 2013 janapar.com Channel 5 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Produced & Directed 1 x 60 mins Executive Producer: Natalie Wilkinson National Geographic Ultimate Airport Dubai Produced & Directed Executive Producer: Nick Metcalf ITV London Ambulance Filmed & Directed 6 x 30 mins Executive Producers: Emma Barker, Peter Lowe A six part series about the daily life of London paramedics, filming with HEMS Air Ambulance, Heathrow’s Cycle Response Unit and First Responders. BBC One The Ghana Romance Scam (Crimewatch Special) Filmed & Directed 1 x 20 mins Executive Producer: Alex Loughran I reported and ran an undercover investigation into romance scams coming out of Ghana, as a special feature for Crimewatch UK. This lead to the arrest and conviction of multiple organised criminals in collaboration with the Serious Organised Crime Agency. The film produced a record number of victim callers following TX. BBC One Bang Goes The Theory Produced & Directed 2 x 30 mins Executive Producer: Tina Fletcher. Series Producer: Paul King. Directed opening episode of a new series about fuel. Oversaw filming on an oil platform in the Norwegian Sea, shot from helicopters, produced presenter stunts and public demos including fuel testing on Broadstairs beach. 2009 - 2011 Produced and Directed over 30 VT’s for flagship BBC shows; Crimewatch, Watchdog, Rogue Traders, Lambing Live, The One Show. These films gave me a bedrock of directing and editorial experience, including secret filming, working with actors, presenters, large crews, stunt coordinators and live audiences. 2008 - 2009 I ran my own company for two years making films for corporate clients, including PriceWaterhouseCoopers. 2005 - 2007 Assistant Producer at ITV working on hit documentaries and formats such as: 7/7: A Test of Faith with Rageh Omaar, Britain’s Oldest Mums and Dads, Britain’s Youngest Boozers, House of Horrors, Inside Crime, Trinny & Susannah: Undress the Nation, Reward. ABOUT ME In 2003, with a borrowed camera and without filmmaking experience, I travelled to the Amazon to make my first film. I’d heard about an American nun whose humanitarian campaigning work had provoked death threats, and following my nose, I tracked her down and began to document her work. Dorothy Stang fought illegal loggers who threatened peasant farmers that lived in the forest, but after 35 years her own life was increasingly in danger. A short while after I filmed with her, Dorothy was tragically murdered. I was subsequently approached by Oscar-winning director Daniel Junge, and my footage became the centrepiece to his Emmy nominated HBO documentary about her life. My encounter with Dorothy and the experience of recording her story ignited a passion in me, to make films about extraordinary people and to give the courageous and vulnerable a voice. EDUCATION BA (Hons) Broadcast Production / Ravensbourne Directing drama (Creative Skillset director’s bursary award) / NFTS Developing & Pitching Documentaries / Gavin Humphries / NFTS Developing & Pitching Drama / Peter Ansorge / NFTS Visual Storytelling / Zillah Bowes / NFTS Script Development and Story Structure /John Truby / Raindance Producing Independent Film / Elliot Grove / Raindance Handling Difficult Contacts with Suicide Awareness / Samaritans for Business Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) / Shell/RESQ .