About

Sky Neal  (she/her) is the founder and director of Satya Films, and is an award winning, BIFA nominated director, producer and visual ethnographer.

Sky has a first class degree in Anthropology, and  a masters in Visual Anthropology.  She also has a rich background in performing arts having studied at the Hub Theatre School in Cornwall, and spent 10 years working as a professional performer specialising in aerial arts.

Sky’s BFI and Sundance backed, co-directed documentary, Even When I Fall, was theatrically released in 2018 screening in 45 cities nationwide, and is currently distributing  globally. It was nominated for a British Independent Film Award.

In 2018 Sky was a featured filmmaker at the V&A Museum as part of both V&A Lates and their performance festival. Her films  Even When I Fall and Circus now were screened throughout the museum.

As a visual ethnographer, filmmaker and consultant Sky has worked with research agencies, government bodies, charities, NGO’s, educational institutions, museums and businesses globally. She is strongly motivated by human rights and has worked in the areas of modern slavery, child labour and migration for ten years with particular experience in Nepal and India. These issues resonate throughout her films Nepal’s Lost Circus Children (Al Jazeera English), Children at Work (Series for BBC) and Even When I Fall.

Sky worked extensively in Nepal from 2010. In particular she combined her skills in visual research, performance and creative education to support several NGO’s in setting up a performing arts-based rehabilitation programme for survivors of human trafficking, and outreach and engagement programmes for at-risk communities.

Please check out Satya’s portfolio for recent examples of Sky’s films.

She is a voting member of the British Independent Film Awards and is a fellow of BFI Documentary Programme, Sundance Documentary Programme, Sheffield Doc/Fest Future Producer’s School, BRITDOC’s Good Pitch, Chicken and Egg Pics AlumNest.

With her particular flare for crafting observational documentary, Mel (she/her) has been editor extraordiannare at Satya since 2018, working across many of our films. and over the years her role has evolved into research and development producing. She recently produced, directed and edited the Cornwall based walking show UNLOST for best selling author Gail Muller.

Mel has been a freelance editor for over 20 years working on a huge variety of Broadcast Documentaries on Natural History and Human Interest alongside a range of Entertainment and Cookery Shows and commercial projects. She has also worked on numerous live shows both in the UK and worldwide.

Previous editing credits include flagship shows such as BBC Big Cat Week, Springwatch, Big Cat Live, Horizons and The Hotel Inspector amongst others.

Alongside editing and film making she writes and creates content for her blog- Flea Market Economics.

James (he/him)  is Satya’s favourite freelance cinematographer and we work with him whenever we can!

James began his filmmaking career with a focus on fiction and narrative drama, but soon felt drawn towards actuality and the unique moments that can only be captured in real life. Bringing his filmic sensibilities to the unscripted form, he has shot for various institutions and broadcasters, among them BBC, Al Jazeera, National Theatre and Tate. He still has a keen passion for scripted drama, having continued to direct and DOP short films which have been shown at the London Film Festival, LA film festival and others.
He also is uncomfortable operating in the third person but has given it his best shot.

With a background in ethnography and masters in Visual Anthropology Dara (they/them) has worked since 2006 as an independent documentary film and audio maker, co directing Even When I Fall with Sky Neal (2017). They are co founder of Postcode Films, where they produce and edit both independent and commissioned work. Dara is now focusing on their work as a documentary film and audio editor, most recently editing (Fierce Grace) with Satya Films.

Dara’s award-winning work has been supported by Sundance Documentary Film Fund, Chicken and Egg Pictures, Worldview and The British Film Institute. Locations have included Kathmandu, Beijing, LA, New York, Dublin, Helsinki and Patagonia. Collaborators have included anthropologists, musicians, social entrepreneurs, service designers, curators, teachers and students.
As a guest lecturer and workshop facilitator Dara has taught film and ethnographic research at universities, schools and community projects throughout the UK.

Dara is a sensitive and creative editor and it continues to be a pleasure sharing the creative space with them.

Lindsey Dryden (she/her) is  co executive producing Cara Mamma along side Charlie Philips and  is an Emmy® award-winning film producer, director and writer based in Austin TX and the UK. She produced Sundance Special Jury Award-winning UNREST (2017, PBS/Netflix) and Emmy-winning TRANS IN AMERICA (2018, ACLU/CondeNast them). She directed LOST AND SOUND (2012, SXSW), JACKIE KAY: ONE PERSON, TWO NAMES (2017, Tate Queer British Art), and CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT ME (2009, True/False). She executive produced BIFA-nominated short THE FORGOTTEN C (2020, The Uncertain Kingdom), feature doc AHEAD OF THE CURVE (Frameline/Starz, 2020) and short doc TEGAN (2022, Netflix). She is a co-founder of FWD-Doc: Filmmakers with Disabilities, a proud member of QueerDoc, a 2022 Sundance Institute Documentary Producers Lab Fellow, a BFI Vision Awardee 2020, and a full voting member of the film and TV chapter of BAFTA. Lindsey is currently producing three feature documentaries, and directing two new queer films. She founded Little By Little Films, which specialises in brilliant storytelling by LGBTQ+, women’s and D/deaf and disabled voices.

Charlie Philips  (he/him) is co executive producing Cara Mamma along side Lindsey Dryden,  and is a documentary film producer, commissioner, programmer, and consultant. He works with documentary makers from all across the world as producer and consultant on creative and financing strategies. As Head of Stories, he commissions all short documentaries for Lyfta, an immersive learning platform for schools, featuring storyworlds including documentaries about inspiring real human stories. Charlie was previously the Head of Video at The Guardian, overseeing all moving image for the Guardian’s platforms, including its award-winning documentaries, which included the winner of the short documentary Oscar in 2021, and best short at the BAFTAs 2022. He was previously Deputy Director and EP Industry Participation at Sheffield Doc/Fest, and has led training programmes and mentored filmmakers all across the world.

Anson Hartford (he/him)  is a producer/director of documentaries for cinema, broadcast and commercials and is a co-founder of Banyak Films. He has worked with Film 4, BBC Films, Britdoc, BFI, CH4 and Al Jazeera developing award winning character driven films like Alan Bennett’s ‘A World In Photographs’ and Film 4’s ‘Ping Pong’ as well as social issue films like Al Jazeera’s award winning environmental series ‘earthrise’, now in its 9th season. Anson has also produced and directed commercials for The North Face, HSBC and Facebook.

Anson is working with Satya for the next few months in a funded mentoring position- a grant awarded as a Cultivator client. This is a great opportunity for Satya to further develop our documentary slate, and to enrich the development of our branded content.