Roxy is a British filmmaker of Iranian-Malaysian-Chinese descent, born and raised in Brent, London, who has been working in film and video production for almost ten years. Her work aims to expand people’s perception of British identity, particularly as a someone of mixed immigrant parentage, and to bring marginalised narratives to the mainstream.
She was recognised by The Dots as a Creative Trailblazer of 2018, as the featured director in It’s Nice That’s Creative Review of 2018, and was on the cover of Broadcast’ Magazine’s ‘Hot Shots’ 2018 issue as a director.
Her short, ‘Little Pyongyang’, won Best Documentary at The Smalls Film Festival, Best Director at UnderWire Festival, Best Cinematography at the Social Impact In Media awards, and premiered in competition at CPH: Dox Festival, and played at Oscar qualifying Sheffield Doc/Fest, Hawaii International Film Festival, Aesthetica and LSFF. It has gone on tour at further festivals and film events in Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and was featured on BBC World News, and named by Wired UK as one of the best films streaming online.
Her second short film, ‘Wifi Rider’, for which she was awarded a One World Media fellowship, is about a teenage Palestinian fashion designer in Jordan. It was a prize winner at the Torino Short Film market, screened at the London Palestine Film Festival and Aesthetica, and was selected by Academy award winner Roger Ross Williams for his series One Story Up, streaming on Topic. It was programmed as part of the Film London Artists Moving Image Network’s “Selected 11’ tour of UK galleries, and chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Roxy has just completed two scripted shorts, ’Honesty’ commissioned by BBC Film and the BFI, which premiered at the London Film Festival 2021, and ’Photo Booth’ commissioned by the Brent Borough of Culture fund.
Her TV work includes gaining access on stories from human rights abuses in China, to underground tattoo artists in Japan, to the poaching of endangered species in Cyprus, to homeless youth in Jamaica. She worked on both seasons of the Emmy award-nominated series ‘Gaycation’ with Elliot Page, developing the pilot episode under the guidance of Exec Producer Spike Jonze, one of several VICELAND TV series she field produced. She also worked on the AFI award-winning film ‘Lost and Found’ with Grain Media, UKMVA award-nominated digital feature documentary, ‘Hip Hop in the Holy Land’, the Realscreen award-winning show ‘Black Market’ with Michael K Williams, the Broadcast digital award-nominated show ‘Needles and Pins’, and the winner of the New York Newswomen’s Club Front Page Award for TV Special Reporting, ‘States of Undress’ - a documentary series about the politics of fashion.
Most recently, she has expanded her experience into drama TV, working as a shadow director for Sid Gentle on their latest series ‘Ragdoll’, and HeyDay Films on the second series of ‘The Capture’ as a second unit director.
She’s been commissioned to make films for the Barbican, Tate and Victoria Miro galleries and her work has been broadcast on BBC4, BBC3, Channel 4, VICE.
She has been a speaker at Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, The Museum of Tolerance, the IFC Center, Nicer Tuesdays, General Assembly, Underwire Film Festival, The Smalls Film Festival, Soho House, and chaired panels for Women on Docs.
Work enquiries:
Jack Gilchrist @ Casarotto
jack@casarotto.co.uk
casarotto.co.uk/clients/roxy-rezvany
Projects
- Faded‘Faded’ is an escapist music video about a young Iranian immigrant living in 1970s London, who becomes lost in the world of a romantic relationship to avoid confronting the realities of her day to day life and loneliness. The video indulges the tropes of the 1970s but within the context of Britain’s immigrant stories. The narrative highlights the bittersweet nature of the track’s emotional journey, which conveys the slow fade of a relationship that the protagonist seems to be in denial about - t
- Little PyongyangThis stylised documentary, with exclusive access to a community of North Korean defectors living in the London suburb of New Malden, unveils the depths of loss, longing and legacy in the unexpected memories of their homeland. World Premiere: CPH: Dox (2018) in competition for the Next: Wave award UK Premiere: Sheffield Doc/Fest (2018)
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Projects credited in
- Little PyongyangA tale of one North Korean’s struggle to leave behind the homeland, Joong-wha Choi, a former soldier in the DPRK, lives today with his wife and kids in a sleepy London suburb. Despite enjoying the new found comforts of his British life, and being emancipated from the pressures of the North Korean state, his dilemma lies in a desire to return to the land that betrayed him, but is undoubtedly his true home. The film tracks his reflections on both why he left North Korea and the state of his day t
- Little Pyongyang BTSJoong-wha Choi, a former soldier in North Korea, lives today with his wife and children in New Malden - the south London suburb that is home to Europe's biggest North Korean population. Despite enjoying the new-found comforts of his British life, he would like to return to his homeland. Joong-wha reflects on both why he left North Korea and the state of his day-to-day life over the course of several months, in a portrait of loss, longing, and the complexities of healing from trauma. Joong-wha’s
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Awards
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Next: Wave Award (in competition)CPH:DOX
Little Pyongyang (2018) premiered at the CPH: Dox festival in Copenhagen in competition for the Next: Wave award.S
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Future Producers 2017Sheffield Documentary Festival
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