Randall Wright graduated from UCL London to train at the BBC as a film editor and producer. He has directed and produced more than fifty television films, two cinema documentaries, and a number of short campaigning films, one of which opened the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2010. His films have won many awards, including Grierson, RTS and FIFA, as well as BAFTA, Emmy, Prix Italia and Banff nominations.
At his primary school in Leicester, enlightened local education authorities placed physically handicapped students in regular classes. One of those pioneers became a lifelong friend and introduced him to the realities of life with disabilities. His film, Summer in the Forest, tells the story of Jean Vanier, and the first communities for people with intellectual disabilities and will release in America March 23 2018.
His first cinema documentary, Hockney was premiered at the London Film Festival and released in the US, UK, France, Italy, and Australia. It was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Prix Italia, RTS and won the FIFA award. His previous work includes Lucian Freud: A Painted Life, which won an RTS award for best documentary of the year and a Grierson and Emmy nomination, and BAFTA Robert Flaherty nomination; and many films on sub-Saharan African subjects including an acclaimed three-part series for Channel 4, Africa Unmasked.
Randall’s recent documentary, Gary Numan: Resurrection, charted the life of synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan and his emotional return performance to Wembley Arena some 40 years after his final concert at the venue – for the comeback of a lifetime. With unprecedented access to Gary, his family and friends, it tells the moving story of a young man struggling to cope with the pressure cooker of fame, and unable to believe in his own immense talent. With the amazing help and support of his wife Gemma, Gary found strategies to regain confidence, focus the ‘superpower’ of undiagnosed Asperger’s and return, finally, to Wembley – now a deeply respected original artist and a stronger, happier fulfilled person.
Randall Wright lives in London, with his wife Anne Elletson, a documentary executive producer and founder of the Kew Literary Festival, and two children.
