About The Filmmaker

With his first few short films James Lees quickly established himself as one of the UK's brightest new filmmaking talents, picking up a string of prestigious international awards and being nominated for a European Film Academy Award. His films have been selected for the world's biggest independent film festival, the Sundance Film Festival, at festivals all over Europe and the States and as far afield as Mexico and Australia.

Off the back of these shorts James set up The Hobo Film Company and was signed by Warp Films. His first TV commercial garnered equal acclaim and controversy as it shocked the television viewing public up and down the nation and shook people’s stuffy perceptions of the BBC. He now regularly directs commercials and music videos and is working on various short and feature length projects.

Summary

Feeling guilty? The film is based around the creation of a real-life 'apology line' where members of the public can anonymously confess to absolutely anything, over the telephone. The apologies of people from all over the UK are blended with beautiful visuals picking out moments that might otherwise pass us by, given new meaning by the apologies, which are sometimes funny, sometimes haunting, but always fascinating.

Questionaire

What do you think this film did in terms of helping your career?

Before The Apology Line I was working on this-and-that, various production and post roles. When Screen WM got behind the film and gave me the chance to make it, it was the start of getting back to what I really wanted to do and just going for it. Making the film is tough enough but you have to hit the festivals hard and really push yourself. Luckily the film went down really well and got a lot of exposure and festival success which in turn got me in front of the necessary people and in the necessary places.

What was the biggest lesson you learnt making the film?

To be confident and strong in your ideas and to trust in your gut feeling as it is your vision. But also to surround yourself with trustworthy and skilled collaborators who are able to understand and share that vision. The whole Apology Line project was something I worked closely with colleague William Bridges on and I was very determined to ensure I got a great cinematographer and editor on board. You absolutely need these people to make it happen and you have to ensure they are the best you can find. Some things you learn to compromise on, others you learn to never compromise on.

Did you use the short as an experimental platform (either in technique or content) – in what ways?

In many ways I did. With The Apology Line it was not about making a film that fitted into a certain form or genre. It was about making the film the project itself dictated. The images and structure gradually grew out of the audio material that was coming in to the Line and it was important to be open to this and create a form of audio and visual art that worked seamlessly together.

What are you doing now?

After my third short I got signed to Warp Films and am now directing music videos and commercials. I really enjoy working in both those areas and to be represented by one of my favourite film companies is a real privilege. I am still very focused on the shorts and features however and have shorts scripts and a feature in development. On the documentary side of things I am now developing a few very different longer form projects.