C.V.

RAINA HAIG

writer/director

Education:

Raina Haig was born and brought up in Scotland. She graduated from Oxford University with a BA Honours degree in Sanskrit.

FILM / TELEVISION

BLIND SENSATIONS Writer/director

A series of 3 impressionist films inspired by the experience of blindness and partial sight:

Duration: 3 X 3 minutes

Shooting format: S16mm/S8mm film

Production Company: Maverick TV

Television TX: Channel 4, 16-18 July 2001

GETTIN OFF Director

While Jono is in prison for drug dealing, girlfriend Nazzy is left in charge of business…

Duration: 23 mins. 35 secs.

Shooting format: DV Cam

Production Company: Ideal World

Television TX: Channel 4's Dogma TV series, December 2000

'…very cheap, very nasty and very good. It turned its shoestring production

values to its advantage, creating a piece that was as raw and unrelenting as only really inspired low budget work can be and shot with a passion

and immediacy lacking from more polished TV drama.'

The Scotsman, 4 Dec, 2000

'It's awesome! And for me is easily the best to date in the series. I honestly rate it as one of the best pieces of TV drama I've seen served up this year.'

Selina Cunningham, Channel 4 Drama Department.

DRIVE Director

Raina's graduation film from the Northern School of Film and Television.

FORMAT: S16mm film

DURATION: 22 minutes

PRODUCTION: Northern School of Film and Television

'In my opinion, her graduation film DRIVE was the most accomplished in her year group and demonstrates the certain vision which Raina possesses. She clearly has great command of dramatic material and is able to harness cinematic qualities to enhance this material… I have every expectation that given opportunities, Raina will continue to develop and will produce work of outstanding quality.'

Erik Knudsen, Head of Production, Northern School of Film and Television

AUDIO-DESCRIPTION

An Audio Description soundtrack, creating access for visually impaired audiences, was created at the production stage - a world first. This version of the film was premiered at the Opening Gala of the Birmingham International Film Festival (1997). DRIVE has also been screened at film festivals in Leeds, Torino, London and Helsinki.

PREVIOUS TELEVISION EXPERIENCE

Raina's TV experience began in 1990, when she joined BBC TV as an Assistant Producer, directing news stories, short documentaries and music videos, for 'One In Four', a current affairs magazine programme on disability issues. Among the first-ever intake of disabled programme-makers, Raina was involved in the forefront of disability programming and played a role in the setting up of the broadcast world's first Disability Programmes Unit. Whilst with BBC TV, she also produced and directed a corporate training film, INTO ACTION.

A director of great potential, Raina Haig has brought a great deal of commitment, diligence and creativity to her work. Resilient - she stuck to her guns to see through her ideas.

THEATRE

Raina has written two produced stage plays: FOOL'S PARADISE and THOMAS CHATTERTON. The latter had several Royal National Theatre platform performances and was subsequently commissioned for BBC Radio 3.

Raina has also worked as a director, performer and stand-up comedian. She has devised and directed performance workshops for a number of disability arts projects, including the Light Opera in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Free For All at Chats Palace, London. She has collaborated with Extant, a group of visually impaired theatre performers.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Raina has attracted financial backing from the London Production Fund, Arts Council of England, London Arts Board, WAVES (Women's Audio-Visual Education Service) and the British Film Institute. Committees she has served on include the British Film Institute's Disability Committee.