Documentary
Sikhs of Smethwick (BBC4, 2016), which liquifies the visual history of my hometown community, emerged from my artist film Year Zero: Black Country. My quest to present sourced footage inspired the multi-part series on BBC4 “A Very British History” about the travelling community, blacks of Birmingham and Jews of Leeds, among others, which for two seasons.
My latest documentary film, a feature titled Green Lions, was inspired by a trip to Cameroon in 2016. It broadcast on BBC4 in Nov 2022.
Green Lions
Feature documentary broadcast on BBC & worldwide Nov 2022. It tells the story of the astonishing achievements of Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup.
Sikhs Of Smethwick
Authored single film on BBC4 about migration, marriage and assimilation among the Punjabi community in Smethwick.
“Dosanjh argued that Smethwick’s 60s racism has its echo today. I wanted more from him to clinch that point. Instead, we got something lovelier – beguiling footage from the intervening half century chronicling the lives of the Sikhs of Smethwick - Punjabi wrestling tournaments, wedding videos, booze-ups and dancing.” Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian
Siberia's Next Supermodels
Channel 4, Unreported World
Two country shoot in Siberia and China exploring the growing demand for European looking models in China
Critics pick of the week in Guardian and Times and viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube.
Missing: The Claudia Lawrence Story
Debut TV film about a father's search for missing daughter Claudia Lawrence.
The documentary had a three page spread in the Radio Times, and rated 4 stars in Time Out. Sunday Times described it as a “haunting documentary… a brave attempt to capture what happens when someone falls out of range”
A Very British Holiday
Self-shot observational work on the Isle of Wight for film on highly regarded BBC documentary strand Wonderland.
Generation Football
Unreported World about football-mad Cameroon and how unscrupulous agents are preying on young footballers desperate to make a career playing for teams in Europe and the Middle East.
Beauty Queen (excerpt) (2006)
The story of the Lozells riots in October 2005, which sparked the largest investigation ever launched by West Midlands Police, yet was largely ignored by the national press .
I gave away 500 copies of the film, to all tranches of power in Birmingham, including judges, police detectives, journalists, councillors, doctors and local business people, to generate debate. It screened in front of local communities and internationally as part of drives to explore racial division, including at Colombia University, Belfast UVF community centres, and various universities in England.
Britain in a Day
RSA commission for online advertising of "Britain in a Day", the most expensive single documentary in the history of the BBC, where I worked as the assistant producer, tasked with producing story threads.
© 2022. All images and films on this site belong to Billy Dosanjh. All work is protected by copyright.