Bolton lecturer works on film about UK political powerhouse
Posted on Tuesday 21st August 2012
A documentary edited by University of Bolton lecturer Liza Ryan-Carter about esteemed politician, Tony Benn is premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Will and Testament is a candid look at one of the most interesting and influential careers in British political history. Tony Benn was the longest serving MP in Labour Party history with a parliamentary career that lasted 50 years. He also served as a cabinet minister under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
A 30-minute extract of the feature-length documentary will be shown at a special event in the Assembly Rooms on 21 and 22 August. Tony Benn will be present and answering questions with comedian Mark Thompson.
For Liza, as well as being an exciting project to work on, it is also one close to her heart. She said: ‘It's a labour of love – particularly with the way things are going in the country now, and I've always admired Tony Benn.’
Liza got to meet the famed politician and had the unenviable task of explaining to one of the country’s finest orators how the documentary on his life was going to be made.
She said: ‘I did meet him, yes. I went to his flat. He was very concerned about how the film would portray him, and the director left it to me to explain in great detail what we were trying to achieve.
‘We are trying to make quite a poetic, reflective film – it's about how the events in his life and lifetime have shaped his thinking, and on reflection, what he would like to pass on as his legacy.’
Liza’s editing career spans 15 years and has seen her work on everything from feature length documentaries and independent films to music videos and television work for most major terrestrial and satellite channels.
It was her work on the 2008, feature-length documentary Of Time and the City – shown at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of the New York Film Critics best documentary award – which brought her to the attention of Will and Testament director, Sanjay Kumar.
Liza is a part-time senior lecturer on the University’s Media Writing and Production degree and enjoys sharing her expertise with students. Her aim is to emphasise to students that editing is not just cut and pasting pictures together, but about the narrative as well. She said: ‘It's really good fun. I like the idea of passing on a love of editing and storytelling; it’s not just the about technicalities and button pressing.’