Nina Conti's Debut Film 'Her Master's Voice' Nominated by BAFTA

Nina Conti's self-funded labour of love, 'Her Master's Voice' has proved that BAFTA nominated documentaries don't have to blow the budget. Her nomination for the film about her pilgrimage to Kentucky following the death of her ventriloquist mentor Ken Campbell is a triumphant end to its three year journey from conception to completion.

Written, produced and directed by Conti, this original documentary explores the personal and professional challenges faced by its maker through the medium of ventriloquist dummies, which allow her to access her own inner psyche and wrestle the emotional ghosts resulting from Campbell's death. On her quest to refuel her passion for puppets, Conti explores new ventriloquism techniques to confront the crossroads in her ten year career as a hugely talented ventriloquist at a monumental moment in her private life.

The bold and unusual style of the piece sets it apart from other documentaries, and is down to the small but committed production team who shared Conti's creative vision and worked for nominal fees in between other professional commitments to make it happen.

Nina sold the film to BBC4 and it aired in June 2012. It was well received by the public and critics alike, with the film heralded by Sunday Times' AA Gill as "Wonderfully odd, unpredictable, funny and occasionally desperately touching", and holding its place in BBC iPlayer's 'most popular programmes' section for the week that followed.

To post a comment, you must register and login.