Draft:Ben Anthony

Ben Anthony (Born 20 May, 1965) is an acclaimed documentary and drama director known for compelling storytelling and a sensitive, intelligent approach to powerful human stories. His work has won many awards including Grierson and Royal Television Society in the UK as well as five BAFTA awards with a further three BAFTA nominations for directing and cinematography. His work has been shown at film festivals in the UK, US and Europe and he has made films for UK and US Television.

Career

Ben began self-shooting observational documentaries in the early 2000s, featuring those on the margins of society. Subjects included, a doomsday religious cult in New Mexico, a drug addicted shoplifter in London, psychiatric patients in hospital and the workings of Al Jazeera’s newsroom in Qatar during the 2003 Gulf War. Building relationships and securing access with people not often given a voice has been a hallmark of Ben’s work.

In more recent years, Ben’s focus has been on feature length films on big themes and events. ‘7/7: One Day in London’ (2012) for BBC2 brought together testimony from dozens of people affected by the 2005 terror attacks on London’s transport network and won the BAFTA, Grierson, Royal Television Society and Broadcast award for Best Single Documentary. ‘Ben Anthony’s documentary...,’ wrote The Times, ‘... is a masterpiece of overwhelming power’

‘Life and Death Row: Execution’ (2015) filmed in Texas for BBC3, was described by The Telegraph as ‘deeply affecting’ and ‘beautifully constructed; a compelling and provocative documentary’ and reflected the complex issues around capital punishment. The film led to a series that won both the Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards for Best Documentary Series and began the hugely popular returning ‘Life and Death Row’ series.

Ben’s drama debut ‘Don’t Take My Baby’, (2017) for the BBC was penned by Jack Thorne and won the BAFTA Best Single Drama award for its fact-based story of a disabled couple trying to convince the authorities that they can care for their baby. The Observer called it, ‘a work of sheer heartrending brilliance’. The film won a BAFTA nomination for lead actress, Ruth Madeley.

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, Ben headed up a team that captured unfolding events on the ground. ‘Grenfell’ (2018) for BBC2, included powerful master interviews with many of those profoundly affected and earned Ben a Best Factual Director BAFTA Award, as well as RTS and Grierson nominations. The Times described the film as, ‘extraordinary... a terrible story, beautifully told'

A Year of British Murder (2019) for Channel 4 was a collection of powerful vignettes, with people whose lives had been affected by murder during the 2017 calendar year. The Independent called it, 'A searing, important film... I'd be surprised if there’s a more humane programme on televison this year’. The Times called it, 'Profound and quietly devastating'

In a departure from his usual subject matter, Ben’s 2019 film ‘Keith Haring: Street Art Boy’ for the BBC Arena strand and PBS in the US chartedv the life and work of iconic 80s artist Keith Haring. Keith’s story is told in his own words using previously unheard interviews recorded shortly before his death from AIDS in 1990 with The Times calling it ‘tender and insightful’. The film also received an EMMY nomiantion as part of PBS’ ‘American Masters’ series.

‘Hijacked: Flight 73’ (2022) for Sky Documentaries told the story of the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan by the Abu Nidal Organisation. The feature-length film, described as ‘gripping’ by The Guardian, featured the dramatic reconstruction of the hijacking of the Pan Am 747 and was among Sky Documentaries most watched films of the year.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Miners’ Strike, ‘Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story (BBC2) used testimony and archive to recall the bitter 12 months of strike action of Britain’s coal miners in the face of the closure of their pits and the subsequent decimation of their communities. The Guardian described it as ‘Storytelling so vivid that 40 years melt away in an instant’

Ben has also directed branded content for brands including Land Rover, Famous Grouse Whiskey, Vodaphone and Virgin Trains.

He also works as an Executive Producer and Story Consultancy including for Netflix, whose EMMY nominated film ‘The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Cave’ was directed by Pailin Wedel.

Ben has been a Trustee of The Grierson Trust since 2018

Selected Filmography

CORRESPONDENT: AL JAZEERA EXCLUSIVE

THE ARTWORLD DODGER

CHELSEA GIRL

BNP WIVES

THE END OF THE WORLD CULT

SECTIONED

7/7: ONE DAY IN LONDON

LIFE AND DEATH ROW: EXECUTION

DONT TAKE MY BABY

GRENFELL

A YEAR OF BRITISH MURDER

KEITH HARING: STREET ART BOY

HIJACKED: FLIGHT 73

MINERS STRIKE: A FRONTLINE STORY

References

"2013 Television Single Documentary | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.

"2019 Television Craft Director: Factual | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.