Leanne Pooley

Leanne Pooley was born and raised in Winnipeg (Canada) she immigrated to New Zealand in the mid-1980s and began working in the New Zealand television industry.

In 1992 she moved to England where she made documentaries for Britain's major broadcasters including BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 as well as PBS in America.

In 1997 Pooley established the independent production company Spacific Films based in New Zealand. Recent documentaries include, "The Man Who Has Everything" for the American Discovery Network, "Kiwi Buddha" as seen on National Geographic and "Haunting Douglas", described by "Variety" Magazine as an "Expertly crafted video portrait of modern dancer/choreographer Douglas Wright," [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117923189.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=%22leanne+pooley%22] . "Haunting Douglas" is a feature length documentary that has received accolades at film festivals around the world and earned Pooley the “Best Director” award at the 2005 New Zealand Screen Awards.

Pooley made "The Promise" about the life of euthanasia advocate, Leslie Martin, winning the “Best Documentary” award at the 2006 New Zealand Screen Awards. Her latest documentary "Try Revolution", explores how rugby was used to help end apartheid in South Africa and featured among others Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Leanne serves as a judge for The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; EMMY Awards. She has taught documentary at the University of Auckland’s School for Creative and Performing Arts and is on the executive of the New Zealand Director’s Guild. Leanne lives in Auckland with her husband and two children.

Filmography

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "TRY REVOLUTION" – Spacific Films - 2006
Television New Zealand / M-Net (South Africa) / SBS (Australia)
How rugby helped to bring down Apartheid in South Africa featuring Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "THE PROMISE" – Spacific Films -2005
Television New Zealand / CBC (Canada) / LINK (USA) / TPS (Taiwan)
Feature length documentary following the incredible journey of Leslie Martin, the euthanasia advocate who was convicted of attempting to murder her mother.
Winner “Best Documentary” and “Best Camera” 2006 NZ Screen Awards.
Winner “Special Mention” Feature Length Documentary DocNZ 2005.
Screened “Input 2006” (Taiwan) selected “Best Of Input” (Brazil).

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "HAUNTING DOUGLAS" – Spacific Films - 2003Television New Zealand / ABC (Australia) / YLE (Finland)Feature length documentary about the life and work of Douglas Wright, one of the world’s greatest dancer/choreographers. Screened NZ Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival (finalist Golden Gate Awards), Sydney Film Festival, Dance on Camera Festival-New York, Reel Dance Festival-Sydney, Vancouver Film Festival, Commonwealth Film Festival – Manchester, Cinedans- Amsterdam, IMZ – Brighton, Golden Prague, Reel Affirmations - Washington, Festival de Cine de Granada. Winner “Best Director” and “Best Editor” 2005 NZ Screen Awards.Winner “Best Documentary” Reel Dance Awards 2004 Sydney

PRODUCER: "THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING" - NHNZ - 2001Discovery Health (International)A ground breaking docudrama about men’s health issues.

PRODUCER: "KIWI BUDDHA" - Spacific Films - 2000National Geographic (International) / TV3 (New Zealand / Danish Public Broadcasting / RTÉ (Ireland) / Israel / Korea / FranceThe story of Rinpoche, the Southern Hemisphere’s first Buddhist High Lama

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "RELATIVE GUILT" - Spacific Films - 1999TV3 (New Zealand)Guilt by association, the family of a murderer. Winner “Best Documentary” 1999 Qantas Media Awards.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "EVERYMAN - “PAPABILE”" – BBC Manchester - 1997BBC / ( over 50 Territories) A docudrama examining the ancient process of Papal elections.

DIRECTOR: "MODERN TIMES-“RELATIVE STRANGERS”" – Mosaic Films - 1997BBC (UK)Exploring the complicated nature of our relationship with in-laws.

DIRECTOR: "EYEWITNESS - “Pond & River “" - Café Productions –1996BBC / OPB (PBS America) / (over 80 territories)Part of the Emmy Award winning series combing history, science, and mythology with nature.

DIRECTOR: "EVERYMAN “The Silent Export”" - BBC Manchester- 1995BBC (UK)A docudrama exploring the experiences of Irish Women who travel to England for abortions.

DIRECTOR: "BIG SCIENCE" (X4) -Wall to Wall Productions – 1994BBC (UK)A weekly series exploring the moral, ethical and philosophical implications of modern science.

DIRECTOR: "DEADLINE" (X6) - Real Life Productions – 1994Channel 4 (UK)A 6 part behind the scenes look at the sometimes bizarre world of a regional news channel.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: "EVERYMAN -“GODS CANDIDATES”" – BBC Manchester - 1994 BBC (World wide) various territoriesA documentary about Vatican politics.

DIRECTOR: "BRAVE NEW WORLD" – Open Media – 1994Channel 4 (UK)A science film investigating the implications of genetic research on reproductive technology.

DIRECTOR/CAMERA: "40 MINUTES-“WILL THEY RING”" - MOSAIC PICTURES – 1993BBC (World wide) various territoriesA documentary about the problems faced by patients waiting for organ transplants.

DIRECTOR/CAMERA: "40 MINUTES - “A Change of Heart”" –Mosaic Pictures - 1993 BBC (World wide) various territoriesA look at the issues surrounding the use of pig’s organs for human transplantation. DIRECTOR/CAMERA: "INSIDE TRACK ON PARENTING" - LWT – 1993ITV (UK)An informative magazine programme about the trials of parenting.

DIRECTOR/CAMERA: "FIRST HAND" – First Hand Productions - 1990-92Television New Zealand A series documenting the lives of extra-ordinary New Zealanders.

Industry associations

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – Judge “The Emmy Awards”

The Screen Director’s Guild of New Zealand – Executive Board Member [http://www.sdgnz.co.nz/docs/Board_Biographies_Final.pdf]

Further reading

* [http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3460/features/6924/leanne_pooley.html;jsessionid=90DF6392F345E406B4F5FFA85BA8A86B Upfront: Leanne Pooley] , New Zealand Listener
* [http://danz.org.nz/sidestep.php?article_id=130&type_id=2 Haunting Douglas: A pound of Douglas's flesh] , New Zealand Listener
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117923189.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=%22leanne+pooley%22 Dance on Camera: Haunting Douglas] , Variety Magazine

External links

* [http://www.spacific.co.nz/ Spacific Films Website]