Ali Ray CV
2024/2025
Director/Writer, Exhibition on Screen, Seventh Art Productions
Dawn of Impressionism, Paris 1878
Well-reviewed 90’ feature documentary for cinema marking the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1878. Filmed on location in Washington and Paris. Meticulous historical research of documents from 1878 to write an entire narrative using only the words of the Impressionist artists and their contemporaries. Released March 2025.
2024
Director/Writer Exhibition on Screen, Seventh Art Productions
My National Gallery
Highly acclaimed 90’ feature documentary for cinema and ITV. Produced to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of London’s National Gallery. Location filming and wide selection of interviews including high profile individuals including Claudia Winkleman, Michael Palin, Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Gilliam and Gabrielli Finaldi. .
2023
Director/Writer, Exhibition on Screen, Seventh Art Productions
Klimt & The Kiss
90’ documentary feature for cinema with archive, location filming and interview. Filmed in Vienna.
2022/2023
Director/Writer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton
Mary Cassatt – Painting the Modern Woman
90’ documentary feature for cinema involving archive, location filming and interview. Filmed in Paris, London, Washington, Philadelphia. Released in cinemas worldwide.
2020 /2021 in lockdown
Freelance script writer for Refocus Communications
Creating and writing corporate HR animation projects for the international pharmaceutical company Roche.
Freelance writer, various
Food and travel articles for Camping and Caravanning Club magazine and content for Culture Trip international travel website.
Also, charity work. Founded a community youth food and cooking company, FED, making meals for people in need during lockdown.
2019/2020
Director/Writer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton
Frida Kahlo
This well-received 90' documentary for cinema involved archive, location and interview. Filmed in Mexico, UK and US. Released worldwide. Used local crews in Mexico, conducted interviews via interpreters. Subtitled and original music score.
2008 - 2018
Freelance writer while raising two young children.
My writing focused on travel and outdoor lifestyle, leisure and food.
I wrote a monthly food and travel column in the Camping and Caravanning Club magazine ( 500,000+ monthly readership) for 12 years. The column, Eat Local, featured local and British food producers as well as stories about the UK’s food and farming industry in general.
I also have credits for travel articles in The Guardian and The Telegraph.
2008 - 2019 (cont)
Author of three non-fiction lifestyle books
Pitch Up, Eat Local published by AA Media 2015
500 Camping Recipes published by Quintet Publishing 2017
The Picnic Book published by AA Media 2019
2004 - 2009
Development Producer Touch Productions, Bath
Assisted in widening the company’s core programming areas and raising their profile in lifestyle formats, popular features, and factual entertainment. Writing pitches, pitching to commissioners, secured funding for further development.
2007
Freelance Mentor/Trainer at South West Screen (Now Creative England)
Gave support and advice over a year to four production trainees working for media companies across the region. Devised and delivered four training days on practical and theoretical production and development topics.
2004
Consultant/Producer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton
Judgement Day - Heaven, Hell and Purgatory in Art (3 x 30', Channel 5, UK)
This was a short-term consultancy role giving guidance to a new director, script editing and setting up international shoots,
2004
Producer, Ricochet South, Brighton
Producer 20 Ways ..to Make Money on Your Property & 20 Ways to Lose Money on Your Property (2 x 50', Channel 5, UK)
Prime-time format show. These presenter-led interior design and property programmes included celebrity interviews and quirky spin-off 'features'. I managed a team of AP's and researchers to find contributors, stories and locations and co-wrote the scripts.
April 2002 - March 2003
I spent 11 months touring Australia in my campervan. During my travels, I worked as 1st AD on an award-winning short fiction film. The Boat.
2003
Producer, Ricochet South, Brighton
Selling Houses - series 3 (13 x 24 mins, Channel 4, UK)
As producer on this prime time, factual entertainment format series I led a large team of researchers to find stories and contributors for the show. My role included developing storylines, script writing and producing the content for presenter-led 'information inserts' within each programme. Directed short info-inserts
Associate Producer, Ricochet South, Brighton
Risking it All (5x50'for Channel 4, UK)
Led a team of researchers and cast the stories and contributors for this fly-on-the-wall, prime time format doc following a year in the life of people setting up their first business
2001/2002
Director/Producer, Ricochet South, Brighton, UK
More..Sex Tips for Girls (6 x 24' for Channel 4, UK)
Directed two of six programmes of this series which drew in 4million+ viewers. This hybrid of entertainment and education programming required extremely sensitive handling of the subject to achieve candid revelations from contributors. Role also involved an intensive period of casting.
Director/Writer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
The Great Artists (14 x 23' for Channel 5/International Video market)
These presenter-led art biographies on various artists such as Da Vinci, Vermeer and Van Gogh were shot on location in 10 countries. I led a large production team and film crew, working around a long and complicated schedule and to tight deadlines.
2000/2001
.Edit Producer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
The Venice Biennale 2001 (1x24' for Channel 5, UK and International Broadcasters)
A one-off present-led report on the highlights of the international arts festival.
Director/Producer Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Sweet Tooth (8 x 10' series for Channel 4, UK) This light-hearted cultural history of sweets and chocolate in Britain made use of interview, archive and location filming. This was an autonomous role involving extensive historical research, casting for interview and scouting filming locations.
1999/1998
Director/Producer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
High Five (4 x 23' for Channel 5, UK)
Directed this presenter-led (Tim Marlow) art series featured the top five most popular works of art in the nation's galleries. This was my original idea, I developed the content and co-wrote the scripts.
Writer and Co-Director. Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
The Impressionists (8 x 23' art series for Channel 5 & International Broadcasters) This fine art series, presented by Tim Marlow was highly commended in the ITC report of 1998.
1995 - 2000
Senior Development Producer, Seventh Art Productions
I managed development at Seventh Art during which time I was instrumental in widening the company's key programming areas to include arts programming - now a primary part of the company's output.
In addition to the above I researched and worked on many other Seventh Art series which I have listed in brief below.
Development Researcher The Lost Temple of Java - Timewatch 1 x 50'for BBC1 Researched and wrote proposal that won the commission for this Timewatch programme about the Temple of Borobudur in Java.
Production Assistant Ancient Inventions with Terry Jones - 3 x 50' for Discovery US Quirky ancient history series.
Production Assistant I, Caesar - 6 x 50' for BBC 1 A series of biographies of Roman emperors. Included dramatic reconstructions.
Researcher Dollywood..or Bust 1 x 50' Channel 5 Tim Marlow presents a tour of Dolly Parton's themepark in Tennessee.
Researcher /Production Assistant Soak it Up 8 x 10' Channel 4 A series of entertaining short films about education classes in pubs - for Channel 4's Adult Education Week.
Researcher The Hotel 4 x 25' Meridian Fly-on-the-wall documentary following staff at The Grand Hotel in Brighton
Researcher/Production Assistant 24 Hours ...at The Alex 1 x 25' Meridian Observational documentary on local children's hospital. We won an RTS award for Best Regional Programme
Education
Media and Communications Degree 2:1
Goldsmiths College, University of London
Media in Culture and Community
University of Sussex
Full driving license
PADI Advanced
Based in South West, UK. Easy access to Bristol, Bath, Frome.
Contact:
aliray27@yahoo.co.uk
+447771998373
@alirayartdocs