Lizzie Gillett
I have spent the last three years making a documentary about oil, climate change and war. Through filming I've witnessed the suffering of the many for the consumption of the few and I've been deeply politicized by the process. I am an informed, committed campaigner, confident with the media, having worked in it for seven years. On an individual level I try to live as sustainably as possible, in the public sphere we are hoping the film will be seen by millions and shift mainstream perceptions.
Lizzie Gillett moved to Dunedin from England when she was 10. She attended Otago Girls High School where she won the leadership award, which could have been due to her first political act – organising a student sit-in protest for the whole 6th form to protest against the ban on formal after-parties.
Achievements
She studied politics at Otago University where she won the award for top performing female student. A chance meeting led to a 6 month stint as a news reporter on Channel 9 TV. She moved on to launch and produce a sports show ‘The Score’, aimed at increasing positive attitudes to sport.
Community involvements
Lizzie volunteered on a helpline for young people in trouble and was given the Volunteer of the Year award along with being elected to the board of trustees. She worked for a year as the sole employee at The Funding Network, a charity that has raised close to £2 million for social change projects around the world. Lizzie initiated and implemented a sponsorship scheme in which Westerners paid the school fees of 131 Iraqi refugee children.
Interests/Hobbies
Since 2002 Lizzie has worked with Franny Armstrong on a number of political documentaries. She was the Assistant Producer on ‘McLibel’ which has now been seen by 35 million people around the world. Lizzie has just finished producing a 3-year documentary about climate change, consumption, oil and war called ‘The Age of Stupid’ which will be released in cinemas around the world later this year.
Additional
In 2001, Lizzie moved to London assuming the BBC would sign her up immediately for a top directing job, and was shocked when her 300 job applications in one year failed to land her a job in the media. During this time she became increasingly political and started volunteering with independent filmmaking legend Franny Armstrong the director of cult hits ‘McLibel’ and ‘Drowned Out’.
Contact
Phone: ++ 44 778 986 2011
Email: lizzie [dot] gillett [at] gmail [dot] com
