Cambridge Edition August 2022 - Web

FROM THE SMALL TO BIG SCREEN, HERE ARE AUGUST’S ON-SCREEN ESSENTIALS ON THE BOX

SCREEN TIME

READY, SET, ACTION What Matters

MIRIAM BALANESCU SPEAKS TO ANGLIA RUSKIN’S RESIDENT DOCUMENTARY CREATOR AND FILM ACADEMIC DR LISA LIN

shining a light on the continent’s more eerie past. “Documentaries are a creative treatment of the reality,” Lisa explains. “It’s become a way for me to discover the world, explore issues surrounding society and find my authentic self. “There’s a lot of storytelling potential. As a producer-director, you are the one working from the beginning, pitching ideas, developing a concept, doing archive

harting China’s production culture, the rise to fame of Hong Kongese pop star GEM and fake news in

the age of Donald Trump, the career of Anglia Ruskin media scholar Dr Lisa Lin has been kaleidoscopic. Her work as a documentary producer spans ten years, but Lisa’s passion took root after dabbling in photography as a child and being swept up in French New Wave cinema. Knowing film was

research and composing the story structure. The director only comes on board close to the filming process.” More recently, however, Lisa has tried her hand at directing. Last Breath (2017) journeyed to Qian’an,

for her, Lisa studied television production as an undergraduate, making her first ever documentary Matter Patterns in 2014, presented by academic Lawrence Drever. “That was my early

A creative treatment of the reality

High-octane drama ensues in this Charles Officer film, fronted by the multitalented Saul Williams (who worked on its score with Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja), unpicking the scars left by Jamaican gang culture. Where to Watch: Select cinemas When: 26 August AKILLA’S ESCAPE

where Beijing’s economic expansion has had devastating consequences for those missing out on the capital’s wealth, but living nearby. “I enjoy uncovering under-represented human stories, which cannot be seen in mainstream media. I have been following social injustice behind air and water pollution since 2015, when I travelled to China for my PhD research and lived in the so-called smog city. You couldn’t see beyond five metres. It was a violation of human rights – the right to breathe.” Experiencing the commercial constraints on creativity in US media, as well as censorship in China, Lisa sought another outlet for her filmic interest. Taking an anthropological approach, she headed to China. “I was like a fly on the wall, observing the day-to-day practice, meetings and productions of three TV stations.” She now specialises in digital streaming aesthetics and convergent media – but what she loves most is teaching the next generation of filmmakers. Lisa says: “When I go to see my student graduation films, I feel it’s somehow more meaningful than making a film myself.”

connection with Cambridge,” Lisa laughs. “It was a very good team. We used high-end cameras, and post-production work was completed in Soho. Plus, we did mixing with Warner Bros Studios.” From there, during her graduation trip around south-east Asia, the production company behind National Geographic Channel Asia called her in to work on I Wouldn’t Go in There , a documentary series

With truly chilling performances from Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun, Jordan Peele’s subversive summer movie may be a welcome relief from the heat. Where to Watch: Light Cinema, Vue When: 12 August NOPE

STAYING BUSY Dr Lisa Lin has worked with the likes of National Geographic Asia, Channel 4 and the BBC

24 AUGUST 2022 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK

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