James Jones (documentary maker)

Jones receiving a News and Documentary Emmy in New York in September 2015

James Jones is a British director who makes documentary films for international television and theatrical release.

Career

James Jones' films have been broadcast on the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, HBO, Apple TV+ and PBS Frontline.[1][2][3]

Jones has tackled subjects including suicide in the military and homelessness. He has also made films in North Korea and Saudi Arabia. His film Children of the Gaza War was broadcast on the BBC in July 2015 on the first anniversary of the 2014 Gaza war.[4] In 2016 he made a feature-length documentary Unarmed Black Male about the murder trial of a police officer in Portsmouth, Virginia. In 2017 he co-directed Mosul with Olivier Sarbil.[citation needed]

In 2019 he released a feature documentary on the drug war in the Philippines, On The President's Orders for Frontline PBS, Arte France, BBC Storyville and Bertha Doc Society.[5][6] It played at the Sheffield DocFest[7] and Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York.

In 2022 his film Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes was broadcast on Sky Documentaries. It told the story of the Chernobyl disaster using personal interviews with people who were there and newly discovered, dramatic footage filmed at the nuclear plant The film was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Documentary and won a BAFTA for Best Editing.[8]

In 2023 his series Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn was released on Apple TV+.[9]

Filmography

Year Title Awards and Nominations
2022 Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes[10][11]
2019 On The President's Orders
2017 Mosul
2016 Unarmed Black Male[12]
2016 Saudi Arabia Uncovered[13]
2015 Children of the Gaza War
2014 Battle for Ukraine
2014 Syria's Second Front
2013 Secret State of North Korea/North Korea: Life Inside the Secret State
2013 Broken by Battle
2013 Britain's Hidden Housing Crisis
2012 Interviews Before Execution
2011 Vlad's Army
2011 Landlords from Hell
2011 Sex, Lies and Black Magic
2010 Secret Iraq

References

  1. ^ "What's It Like to Make a Film About Life Under Kim Jong-un?". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. ^ Hale, Mike (2014-01-13). "PBS 'Frontline' Looks Inside a Notoriously Closed Country". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
  3. ^ "NOMINEES FOR THE 36th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED". emmyonline.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  4. ^ "BBC Two - Children of the Gaza War". BBC.
  5. ^ Lodge, Guy (2019-05-02). "Hot Docs Film Review: 'On the President's Orders'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  6. ^ Gorber, Jason (2019-04-28). "Review: 'On the President's Orders'". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. ^ Garner, Bianca. "Shef Doc Fest Exclusive: On The President's Orders". Filmotomy. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Television". Bafta. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  9. ^ "Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn - Apple TV+ Press". Apple TV+ Press (United Kingdom). Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  10. ^ Heritage, Stuart. "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – stunning TV that is suddenly unmissable". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes". Sky Documentaries. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  12. ^ "BBC Two - This World, Unarmed Black Male".
  13. ^ "How James Jones Uncovered a Rarely Seen Side of Saudi Arabia".