Jay Bedwani

My guest today is filmmaker Jay Bedwani. Specialising in character led documentaries, Jay’s first film, My Mother, was awarded Best UK Short at the Iris Prize Film Festival, whilst his second film, Stretch went on to win the Best Short Documentary Award at the Wales International Documentary Festival.

In July 2022 Jay’s first feature documentary Donna premiered at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco as part of the Frameline Film Festival and showcased legendary trans activist and lip-sync performer Donna Personna as she embraces all that life has to offer in her twilight years. Driven by a desire to capture the nuance of human relationships, Jay often focuses on exploring stories concerning the LGBTQ+ community.

Jay and I discuss the inspiration behind his films, as well as the challenges that arise when you endeavour to capture complex, unfolding narratives on camera.