About — JOSEPH DOUGLAS ELMHIRST

Joseph Douglas Elmhirst B. 1998 is a British-Jamaican filmmaker based in New York. His directorial debut MADA (2020) was critically acclaimed, receiving an Honorary Mention for Narrative Short at Slamdance & Deep Focus Film Festival as well as being included in the Jamaican Biennial, screened at The National Gallery of Jamaica and the American Embassy in Jamaica. Additionally, MADA was available for a year on a donation basis, with all proceeds going to the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, an organisation dedicated to aiding young mothers. He later photographed the Pre-Fall 22 Gabriela Hearst fashion campaign, & in 2023, released “LIKE A BAPTISM” a short experimental piece centred around a woman’s prayer. Later that year he premiered “BURNT MILK” a short film based on his mother’s forthcoming novel of the same title at the Venice Biennale in the British Pavilion. He is the first filmmaker to be included in the British Pavilion’s Architecttura history. He is currently at work on his first feature.

PREVIOUS WORKS:

BURNT MILK (2023) — Director, Co-Writer, Co-Producer
Short - 9 mins

Burnt Milk centres around Una (voiced by Tamara Lawrance), an isolated Jamaican woman living in 1985 suburban London, working as a nurse on a maternity ward. As Una takes a moment of solace to make her traditional condensed milk pudding, 'Burnt Milk', she is flooded with spiritual imagery that takes her back to Jamaica.

FILM FESTIVALS

Venice Biennale (2023)

Black Harvest Film Festival (2023)

Urbanworld Film Festival (2023)

Timehri Film Festival (2023)

Skylark Film Festival (2023)

Slamdance Film Festival (2024)

Leeds International Film Festival (2024)

Pan-African Film Festival (2024)

Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (2024)

Third Horizon Film Festival (2024)

Atlanta Film Festival (2024)

Nouveux Regard (2024)

The Windrush Caribbean Film Festival (2024)

Humboldt Int'l Film Fest (2024)

AWARDS

Best Short Film - Black Harvest Film Festival

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS

Dancing Before the Moon - Venice Biennale: Architecttura (2023)

ImageNation X ARRAY Film Series (2023)

Ritual Imaginations - Harvard University (2023)

TOGETHERNESS - Hudson, NY (2023)

Dead Lef: Visions of Contemporary Jamaica - BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) (2023)

LIKE A BAPTISM (2022) — Director, Writer, Co-Producer
Short - 2 Mins

A visual prayer shot on 16mm in Jamaica, subtly exploring the island's history of colonialism and relationship to religion. We follow these women on a journey through the elements in a single day, and their prayer for the future.

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS

COLLECTIVE WORKS - Hudson, NY (2022)

NOWNESS (2022)

George Mason University (2022)

MADA (2020) — Director, Writer, Producer
Short - 15 Mins

MADA follows three days in the life of Faith, her mother Ethel, and Faith's son, Luther living in rural Jamaica. A simmering conflict over Luther’s nature surfaces and we are offered insight into two mother's conflicting notions about love and protection.

FILM FESTIVALS

Leeds International Film Festival(2020)

Festival du film de Paris Cheries Cheris (2020)

Slamdance Film Festival (2021)

Clermont Ferrand (2021)

Pan-African Film Festival (2021)

Madrid Film Awards(2021)

Maryland Film Festival (2021)

Vienna Shorts (2021)

RSF Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (2021)

Sélection Officielle Regard (2021)

Third Horizon Film Festival (2021)