Jeanie Finlay is a British artist and filmmaker from
Stockton-on-Tees.
Early life
Finlay was born to an English mother and a Scottish father, who worked in life insurance. Her mother encouraged her artistic, creative side. Finlay was prescribed
lithium
Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid ...
following a period of isolation as a teenager, and credits a stay with her grandmother in Winchester during this period as key in her decision to become a filmmaker. Finlay studied art at
Cleveland College of Art and Design and then contemporary arts at
Nottingham Trent University. Her first film, ''Home-Maker,'' grew out of an installation art project as part of her course at Nottingham.
Career
Finlay's work includes a documentary about the making of the final season ''
Game of Thrones'', ''The Last Watch'', along with the
Bifa-winning ''Seahorse'', about trans man
Freddy McConnell's pregnancy.
Her previous films include ''Orion: The Man Who Would Be King'' (about
Jimmy "Orion" Ellis
James Hodges Ellis (born James Hughes Bell, February 26, 1945 – December 12, 1998), who used the stage name Orion at times in his career, was an American singer. His voice was similar to Elvis Presley's, a fact which he and his record company ...
) the man many people believed was
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
back from the grave , ''Panto!'' (a documentary about
Nottingham Arts Theatre's 2012 pantomime production of ''
Puss in Boots
"Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...
''),
the Bifa and
Grierson-nominated ''
The Great Hip Hop Hoax''
and ''Sound it Out'', a documentary about the last record store in
Teesside
Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
which was the official film of
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
.
The latter film was an early successful example of crowdfunding, having been rejected by the BBC.
Awards
* 2016 Sheffield Doc/Fest Inspiration Award Winner at
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest), short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival (SIDF), is an international documentary festival and Marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England.
The Festival includes film sc ...
*2015 The Discovery Award at
The British Independent Film Awards
The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...
for ''Orion: The Man Who Would Be King''
Filmography
As director
Feature films
*2019 ''Seahorse''
*2019 ''
Game of Thrones: The Last Watch''
*2016 ''
Indietracks''
*2015 ''Orion: The Man Who Would be King''
*2014 ''Panto!''
*2013 ''
The Great Hip Hop Hoax''
*2011 ''Sound It Out''
*2008 ''
Goth Cruise''
*2007 ''Teenland''
Shorts
*2010 ''Nottingham Lace''
*2003 ''Love Takes''
References
External links
*
*
Living people
People from Nottingham
People from Stockton-on-Tees
Year of birth missing (living people)
British women film directors
English documentary filmmakers
Scottish documentary filmmakers
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