Bio:
Pauline Blanchet is an award-winning film director and producer whose work examines sports, nationalism, and identity. Her first short documentary ‘Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me’ has been recognised at international levels. She has been part of emerging talent programmes at CPH:DOX, Sheffield Doc Fest, Ateliers Médicis, Future of Film, was a scholarship recipient for the Sundance Co//ab Documentary Course, and has pitched in Dok Leipzig’s Short ‘n’ Sweet. More recently, she has started working in XR storytelling addressing environmental issues, notably in the Arctic, in partnership with New Images Festival and Garage Stories. Her current project ‘Big in Gazi Baba’ picked up the Vanessa Redgrave Award in PriFest for the best pitch in September 2023.
Her filmmaking has also been mirrored in her academic work, with a focus on collaborative filmmaking for research and was part of the Open City’s Multisensory Experimental Filmmaking Cohort. Academically, Pauline holds a BA Hons in Linguistics and Development Studies from SOAS, an MA in Urban History & Culture from ULIP with distinction, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Advanced Study.
Meanwhile, she also produces for HERProductions where she manages international tours for immersive theatre productions, and heads the communication for European Short Pitch. She has also produced a wide range of podcasts and was Senior Producer at World Radio Paris.
Notable Awards:
Prague, Czech Republic: East Doc Forum Docs Ireland Award, Big in Gazi Baba, March 2024
Pristina, Kosovo: PriFest Vanessa Redgrave Award, Big in Gazi Baba, September 2023
Best Pitch for Garage Stories #arcticstoriesResidency with Tvibit in Tromsø, March 2023
Best Experimental Film Award Winner: United Artist International Film Festival, Mumbai, India, January 2023, for 'Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me'
Best Student Podcast Nomination: The Publishers Podcast Awards, UK, April 2022
Transat Grant Winner and Film Residency with Ateliers Médicis , France, July 2021
Sundance Co//ab Course in Documentary Filmmaking Scholarship Grantee, September 2021
Nathan, Quinn and Esmond Scholarship Recipient: MA in Urban History and Culture, September 2020
Platforma 5 Art for Social Change Residency Invitation, October 2019
Student Development Fund Winner, SOAS, University of London, June 2019
Nominated for Social Activist of the Year, SOAS, University of London, March 2019
SLiice Grant Winner, SOAS, University of London, February 2018
Two 02 Think Big Grants Winner, 02 Think Big, February 2018
Lens in Development Photography Award Shortlisted, February 2018
London Photo Show Competition Shortlisted, February 2017
Screenings, Talks, Publications, & Exhibitions:
2024:
Offenburg, Germany: SHORTS, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, April 2024 (Official Selection)
Honolulu, Hawaii: Association of American Geographers, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, April 2024 (Official Selection)
Prague, Czech Republic: East Doc Forum, Big in Gazi Baba, March 2024 (Pitching)
London, UK: London Short Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, January 2024 (Official Selection)
2023:
Geneva, Switzerland: Geneva Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, November 2023 (Official Selection)
Barcelona, Spain: SUNCINE International Environmental Film Festival, Through Her Eyes, November 2023 (Official Selection)
Rijeka, Croatia: Student International Film Festival, Skopje 2014 According to ChatGPT, November 2023 (Official Selection)
Berlin, Germany: East Meets West Screening Studio Hannibal, Skopje 2014 according to ChatGPT, October 2023 (Group exhibition)
Leipzig, Germany: Dok Leipzig Short n Sweet Pitching, 2 or Words About the Cite 4000, October 2023 (Pitching)
Pristina, Kosovo: PriFest Forum, Big in Gazi Baba, September 2023 (Pitching)
London, UK: Future of Film Incubator, Naia the Narwhal, August 2023 (Incubator)
Barcelona, Spain: Sónar+D Festival, Naia the Narwhal, June 2023 (Talk)
Sheffield, UK: Banijay UK Acceleration Bursary for Up-and-Coming Talent at Sheffield Documentary Festival, June 2023 (Bursary)
Tromso, Norway: FRAMM Centre Presentation, Naia the Narwhal, June 2023 (Talk)
Tromso, Norway: TVIBIT Arctic Residency, Naia the Narwhal, June 2023 (Residency)
NY, USA: SWIFF 2023, Through Her Eyes, June 2023 (Finalist)
Tirana, Albania: Travel Up Film Festival, Through Her Eyes, July 2023 (Official Selection)
Tranås, Sweden: TRANÅS AT THE FRINGE, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, July 2023 (Official Selection)
Ljutomer, Slovenia: Student Cuts, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, May 2023 (Official Selection)
Nevada, USA: Sci-On!, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, May 2023 (Honorable Mention)
Olomouc, Czech Republic: Academia Film Olomouc, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, May 2023 (Official Selection)
Toronto, Canada: Images Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, April 2023 (Official Selection)
Paris, France: Immix Gallery, Alchimies Numeriques, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, April 2023 (Group Exhibition)
Trondheim, Norway: Galleri KiT, MANIFEST/O, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, April 2023 (Group Exhibition)
Stockholm, Sweden: City Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, March 2023 (Finalist)
Copenhagen, Denmark: CPH DOX, March 2023 (F:ACT Academy Participant)
Falmouth, UK: Bewnow Film Festival @ Falmouth Art Gallery, Through Her Eyes, March 2023 (Official Selection & Speaker)
New York, USA: 21 Islands International Short Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, January 2023 (Official Selection)
Mumbai, India: United Artist International Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, January 2023 (Official Selection)
2022:
Lamentin, Guadeloupe: CineVision Sud Film Festival, Like a Fish Out of Water, December 2022 (Official Selection)
Paris, France: Megacities-Shortdocs Festival 8th Edition, Imprisoned Schools, December 2022 (Official Selection)
Kalamata, Greece: Kalamata Monthly International Short Documentary Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, November 2022 (Semi-Finalist)
Warsaw, Poland: 16th Ethnographic Films Review Eyes and Lenses Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, November 2022 (Official Selection)
New York, USA: Student World Impact Film Festival, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, November 2022 (Official Selection & Honorable Mention)
Naples, Italy: DISACCORDI - International Short Film Festival, Through Her Eyes, November 2022 (Official Selection)
Bologna, Italy: Urban Visions, Imprisoned Schools, November 2022 (Official Selection)
Charlotte, USA: Experimental Film Fest, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, October 2022 (Official Selection)
London, UK: Theatre Deli Delivision, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, October 2022 (10-day Solo Exhibited Screening)
Piešťany, Slovakia: Dox in Vitro Development Workshop, Champion of the Periphery, September 2022 (Workshop)
Cambridge, UK: Breaking the Frame, Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me, September 2022 (Official Selection)
Paris, France: Upgreen.TV, Imprisoned Schools, July 2022 (Distribution)
Krakow, Poland: Krakow Film Festival CEDOC Market Selection, Beyond the Red Light, June 2022 (Meet Market)
Paris, France: Journée du Green Documentaire, Imprisoned Schools, June 2022 (Official Selection)
Ajmen, UAE: URBAN VISIONS, Architecture and the Future of Cities, Like a Fish Out of Water, March 2022 (Official Selection)
London, UK: Candid Arts Trust Film Night, Like a Fish Out of Water, March 2022 (Official Selection)
London, UK: Hive Conference, Through Her Eyes, March 2022 (Live Speaker)
Boden, Sweden: Boden International Film Festival, Kings of Our Own Right, August 2022 (Official Selection)
Kalamata, Greece: Kalamata Short Docs, Kings of Our Own Right, August 2022 (Semi-Finalist)
London, UK: Sunday Shorts Film Festival, Kings of Our Own Right, July 2022 (Semi-Finalist)
2021:
Eden Project's Festival of Discovery: Stories from the Stage, Through Her Eyes, November 2021 (Live Speaker)
Reporting Earth Summit: Through Her Eyes, September 2021 (Live Speaker)
Asfar e-Journal: From Alat to Aktau on the Caspian Sea, August 2021 (Text)
Voices of Nature: Aral Sea Productions - Disrupting the Film Industry, July 2021 (Podcast Interview)
2020:
Site Writing: Station F, October 2020 (Text)
World Literature Today: Almaty's Changing Musical Rule Book, October 2020 (Photography)
Beyond The Chameleon: Ep 05 Interview with Aral Sea Productions, October 2020 (Podcast Interview)
Ours to Save: The Green Aral Sea, October 2020 (Podcast Interview)
F Word: Beyond the Red Light, September 2020 (Text)
Generation Tribe: Diversity in Film - Why I Set Up My Own Production Company, by Charlotte Harding, July 2020 (Interview)
Unography Magazine: Being a Lunatic, June 2020 (Producer, Photographer)
2019:
Aral Sea Productions, Ceausescu's Orphans 30 years later, November 2019 (Producer)
Caña Magazine , Ales and Dissent in Kyrgyzstan, September 2019 (Photography)
Equilibrium Magazine, Speak Up!, August 2019 (Text)
The Oxford Student, Bibimbap In Bloomsbury: Seoul Bakery, January 2019 (Photography)
2018:
Brent & Kilburn Times, Brent student wins grant to help teenagers with mental health issues, By Nathalie Raffray, March 8, 2018 (Press)
SOAS Spirit, Humans of SOAS: Agony Aunt, October 2018 (Text)
ULAB, London, UK. 11th-13th of April 2019; “A Bilingual in Marseille: Regional Aspects and Adolescent Speech” (Conference)
Maker Faire, Berlin, Germany. 17th of May 2019; “Graphic Narratives: Representations of Refugee-Hood in the Form of Illustration” (Conference)
Migration Conference, Bari, Italy. 18th-20th of June 2019; “Graphic Narratives: Representations of Refugee-Hood in the Form of Illustration” (Conference)
Equilibrium Magazine, Speak Up!, October 2019 (Text)