Publications

Film & TV

My career in film and television began with anger—a frustration at the narratives surrounding the London 2012 Olympic Games and the promises being made about their impact on the East End of London. The East End is part of my own heritage; my family comes from this area, and I felt compelled to create a counter-narrative to the dominant story being told about regeneration, community benefit and legacy.While making the film, I realised, being in our early-twenties, none of us knew how to sell a film or how to find an audience. That gap led me into film distribution at Indigo Film and Television, where I began as an intern and quickly progressed to organising international markets including MIPTV and MIPCOM. I sold my first film to Malta, learnt how to read and negotiate contract and gained a deeper understanding of how films move through the industry. I then moved into television production at Tiger Aspect, working primarily in development—taking ideas from early concepts through to production. During this time, I became increasingly interested in the ethics of access, interviewing and the relationship between filmmaker and subject: who gets to tell a story, who is listened to, and how those relationships shape what appears on screen. After almost a decade in television, I returned to documentary filmmaking with About a War, a film exploring the experiences of former fighters from the Lebanese Civil War. The project marked a shift in my practice: from questioning dominant narratives to creating spaces where complex, often conflicting human experiences could be heard with nuance, dignity and care.

Selection:

About a War Iterations Film, Feature Documentary (Director/Producer)

Done Dying Iterations Film,Experimental Short (Director/Producer)

The Olympic Side of London Breakfast Cinema,Feature Documentary (Director/Producer)

Cruising with Jane McDonald Channel 5 Productions (Access & Development Producer)

Dominoes Pizza: A Slice of Life Alaska for Channel 4 (Access & Development Producer)

Carry on Caravanning Alaska for Channel 5 (Development Producer)

Hunting the Doorstep Conmen Tiger Aspect for ITV (Researcher)

Writing

The philosophy of voice has been central to my writing across theatre, film and humanitarian critical analysis, particularly my exploration of interview methodologies and the ways interviews produce, shape and mediate voices. My understanding of voice is rooted in the idea that it is not something that it is relational, polyphonic and co-created—it emerges through encounters between people, shaped by context, power, memory and sturcture or method. This thinking has been influenced by the work of Adriana Cavarero, Emmanuel Levinas and Judith Butler, alongside my own research into documentary practice, performance and humanitarian storytelling. Writing itself has been a personal journey. Coming from a working-class background, academic writing initially felt distant and inaccessible. I grew up without books and without a strong emphasis on educational achievement, and for much of my early life I carried the belief that I didn’t write well. Completing my PhD changed that relationship. Through research, practice and persistence, I developed confidence in my own voice.

Selection:

Books:

Strangers: Women-Led Theatre, Motherhood and Dissent.Broken Sleep Books, Autumn 2026. Ed. Weaver, A; with Rugo, D; and Wardani, F.

PhD Thesis:

Documentary Interview and the Non-Linguistic Voice. University of Surrey. 2023.

Book Chapters:

‘Non-Linguistic Voice in Documentary Interviews.’ In The Oxford Handbook for Media and Vocality. Eds. Coulthard, L., Mongomery, C., and Spring, K. Oxford University Press, Autumn 2026.

‘Words-In-Freedom + Voice-In-Freedom = EF.’In One Hundred Years of Futurism – Aesthetics, Politics and Performance, Bristol, ed by John London, 217-230. Bristol: Intellect, 2018

Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals:

‘Dark Beirut: The (In)Visibility of Electricity.’ Jadaliyya, Arab Studies Institute, March 2017.

Speaking and Talks

From the University of Shanghai to the American University of Beirut, from refugee-serving community centres in Tripoli, Lebanon, to Chatham House, I have shared my films, research and practice across academic, humanitarian and public spaces internationally. My talks have explored voice, interviewing, documentary practice and the complexities of working alongside ex-combatants and communities affected by conflict. I have organised and contributed to academic conferences through panel discussions, presentations and knowledge exchange, while also working directly inside communities and younger audiences. This has included engaging with secondary school students studying the Lebanese Civil War and creating opportunities to explore the lived experiences behind historical narratives during my time in Saida. Whether working within universities, community spaces or public forums, my aim has been to bridge research and practice—making complex ideas accessible while ensuring that the people whose experiences inform this work remain at the centre.