"The great thing about Sean's films is that he champions the characters in his documentaries, he always takes a loser and makes them a winner." - D A Pennebaker
Sean McAllister
The Heavy Price Of Freedom And Whiskey
So just what is it that makes us feel so free I think to myself as we race through the desert. I am leaving Damascus to renew my visa in Beirut. “It is the Paris of The Middle East, famous for all kinds of things” Roula says with a naughty smile. As we cross the [...]
The Dentists Chair And The Veil
Whilst dentist Rima was checking my teeth I was quizzing her about the recent news that the Syrian government had banned the veil at Damascus University. “Is it an attempt to appeal to the West?” I ask her provocatively knowing she is religious and partly veiled herself. “If it is to appeal to the West, [...]
Sean McAllister's blog is at www.seanmcallister.com/blog
After leaving school at 16 Sean worked in and out of factories before finding a camera and filming his way into the National Film School. He graduated in 1996. Since 1996 Sean McAllister has made films for both the BBC and Channel 4; working in the UK, Israel, Iraq, and most recently Japan.
Sean McAllister wins at Sundance
His films are intimate portraits of people from different parts of the world who are survivors; caught up in political and personal conflict struggling to make sense of the world we live in.
From Working for the Enemy in 1997 to Japan: A Story of Love and Hate in 2008 his absorbing films have received prestigious nominations and awards - including from the Grierson Trust, the Sundance Film Festival, the Florence Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). Sean McAllister's filmmaking success is a triumph for anti-apathy - a triumph for himself and for the people he puts on screen.
Nominations for McAllister's films include the Directors Guild of America and Royal Television Society Awards.
External video links:
⇒ Shadowing Sean - Film of Sean McAllister discussing his philosophy as a filmmaker during the Shadow Festival, Amsterdam, 2002.
⇒ Sean McAllister filmed discussing his attitude to film making at *Hull Glimmer in 2009.
*Note This film is also available to watch on Sean's Introduction page.)
"I made the first film to escape from the factory. I had got the story there. I sent it to Bournemouth cinema school. They admitted me on the spot and wanted to make the film. They offered a whole crew with cranks and all. I refused. They insisted. I left and went back to the factory with a camera in my bag. I would film whenever the supervisor was out of sight. I would get my camera out. The supervisor would clock me and shout. I once shot him as he was screaming at me, it was then that I understood what makes drama." - Sean McAllister
You can contact Sean directly by visiting his contact/feedback page
Japan: A Story of Love and Hate | The Liberace of Baghdad | Hull's Angel | Settlers | The Minders | Working for the Enemy
