Joseph Ollman is a BAFTA Cymru-nominated, award-winning Writer/Director and Actor from Wales.
His debut short, Throw Me to the Dogs, an entirely improvised film made with non-professional actors from the community earned widespread acclaim, winning several awards including Best Director at Shuffle Film Festival, judged by Danny Boyle. It went on to screen at BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals across the UK, including Aesthetica, London Short Film Festival, and Cork Film Festival, and was later featured as a Short of the Week, distributed on MUBI, and highlighted as a Vimeo Best of the Month.
His follow-up, Meat on Bones, screened at major qualifying festivals and was nominated for a BAFTA Cymru Award in 2017. The same year, he directed Penelope for the BBC Wales mini-series It’s My Shout, which aired on BBC Two. His next film, Bitter Sky starring Darci Shaw and Richard Harrington and produced with support from BFI Network, Ffilm Cymru, and BBC Wales was selected for multiple BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying festivals, including two separate programmes at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival. It later aired on BBC Two, streamed on iPlayer, and secured distribution with MUBI and BFI Player.
Most recently, his short The Trail, produced under his own company Four Face Films starred Kieran Urquhart and Suzy Whitefield and has screened at BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying festivals such as Aesthetica, Norwich and Exit6. As a writer, Joseph was selected for the BBC Welsh Voices programme with his pilot All Poor Creatures, which went on to win at the Celtic Screen Talent Showcase at Edinburgh International Film Festival. He also directed the #SPYCOPS campaign film for Police Spies Out of Lives, funded by Lush UK.
Alongside his filmmaking, Joseph has built a strong acting career, with screen credits including HBO/BBC’s Industry, Sky/Epix’s Domina, The Tattoo of Auschwitz, Channel 4/Hulu’s Queenie, BBC’s comedy Spent, and the upcoming Welsh thriller The Guest for BBC.
FILM REVIEWS & PRESS
Bitter Sky UK Film Review Bitter Sky Dream Cage Review
BFI Network Interview. Film and TV Now Interview
Indie Shorts Mag Bitter Sky Review The Edge Magazine Interview
Viddy-Well Interview for Bitter Sky Just Celebrity mag Bitter Sky Review
Arts Muse Magazine Bitter Sky Interview Bitter Sky Screen Critix Review
Meat on Bones UK Film review Meat on Bones Review by The Independent Critic
Throw Me to the Dogs UK Film Review Throw Me to the Dogs Short of the Week Review
Interview with UAL about Throw Me to the Dogs Interview with Ritzy Picturehouse Cinema
Meat on Bones TMFF Review Meat on Bones Screen Critix Review