Leslie Woodhead - Documentary Filmmaker

From 1961 to 1989, Leslie Woodhead was a staff Director/Producer with Granada TV

of Manchester, England. All his films during this period were made for Granada.

1961-1962: Researched and directed scores of short films including the first film of

THE BEATLES in the Liverpool Cavern Club.

1963: MR LOWRY (Portrait of the celebrated painter) 26 mins

1964-1973: Woodhead directed and produced more than 100 films for Granada’s “WORLD IN ACTION” current affairs series. He was also Series Editor from 1967 to 1969.

Between 1968 and 1984, Woodhead also made a dozen Documentary Specials, including “THE STONES IN THE PARK” (1969) about the Rolling Stones celebrated Free concert in Hyde Park. He also directed filmed Dramas by Arthur Hopcraft and Jim Allen.

Woodhead‘s major work at Granada in the 1970s and 1980s was in pioneering Dramatised Documentaries, and in Anthropological Films for the DISAPPEARING WORLD series.

GRANADA DRAMATISED DOCUMENTARIES

1970 THE MAN WHO WOULDN”T KEEP QUIET (Soviet Dissident) 52 mins
1972 A SUBJECT OF STRUGGLE (Chinese Red Guard Trial) 65 mins
1976 3 DAYS IN SZCZECIN ( Polish Dock strike) 75mins
1978 COLLISION COURSE ( World’s worst air collision) 75 mins
1980 INVASION (Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia)113min
1981 STRIKE (Birth of “Solidarity” in Poland) 100 mins
1991 WHY LOCKERBIE? ( Investigation of Air Disaster) 80 mins

ANTHROPOLOGICAL FILMS:

1974 - 2001 THE MURSI ( 6 films following the lives of Ethiopian nomads) 6x 52/76 mins
1976 THE SHERPAS ( Nepali mountain people) 52 mins
1983 CHILDREN OF REVOLUTION ( Chinese Peasants ) 52 mins
THE NEWEST REVOLUTION ( China’s new economics) 52 mins
1986 THE LAU ( Fishermen in the South Pacific) 52 min
1987 THE BASQUES (Shepherds in the Pyrenees) 52 mins
1988 THE WODAABE ( Nomads in Nigeria) 52 mins

Since 1989 ( as a freelance Producer/Director):

1991 WHY LOCKERBIE? (Dramadoc - as above) 80 mins
1992 THE INCREDIBLE CASE OF COMRADE ROCKSTAR BBC 2 90 mins
1993 THE LAST SOVIET CITIZEN ( Arts and Soviet Space travel)BBC 2 78 mins
1994 RANDY NEWMAN”S AMERICA (The Music & myths of Newman)ITV 60 mins
1994 CHILDREN OF WOODSTOCK (25th anniversary of Festival)-ITV 60 mins
1995 WHO IS VLADIMIR POZNER? ( Soviet journalist)- BBC 2 60 min
1997 TONY BENNETT’S NEW YORK ( Profile of the Singer)-BBC2 80 mins
1998 444 DAYS ( US Hostages and their Iranian captors)-BBC2 104 mins
1999 MISSILEERS (US ICBM Squadron ) BBC2 50mins
1999 ENDURANCE (Ethiopian Olympic Runner)Pressman/ Disney/C4 80 mins
1999 A CRY FROM THE GRAVE (Srebrenica Massacre) - BBC2/PBS 104 mins
2000 THE HOLOCAUST ON TRIAL (Holocaust denier in court) BBC2/PBS 90 mins
2001 ROCKETCHIKI (Russian Missileers) BBC2 /PBS 50mins
2001 FIRE WILL EAT US (Mursi Film 6) C4 76mins
2002 MILOSEVIC: HOW TO BE A DICTATOR - BBC/PBS/FRANCE 2&5 80 mins
2003 STAR WARS DREAMS (BBC4/ARTE FRANCE) 54 mins
2004 MY LIFE AS A SPY : (Personal Cold War) - BBC4 59 mins
2005 SREBRENICA: NEVER AGAIN? (10 th anniversary) (BBC4) 79 mins
2005 CHILDREN OF BESLAN (School Siege)(BBC2/HBO) 59 mins
2006 SAVING JAZZ (New Orleans Music post Katrina) (BBC4/Sundance) 59mins
2007 GODLESS IN AMERICA (US Atheism) (BBC4/Sundance) 59 mins