麻豆传媒 filmmaker鈥檚 documentary to open film festival Published on: 15 November 2021 The First Year by Dr Ian McDonald will open the new North East International Film Festival at Tyneside Cinema, on 18 November. The feature documentary chronicles the first 12 months in office of the first ever North of Tyne Mayor, Jamie Driscoll. In the film, Ian McDonald and co-camera person Evripidis Karydis follow Jamie Driscoll as he campaigns on doorsteps and wins the election to become Mayor; as he speaks at anti-racism and youth climate protests and meets with other Metro Mayors in London. It even captures the moment he congratulates Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the birth of his new baby son. The film is set against the most turbulent year in British politics - Brexit, Trump, Boris Johnson, a General Election defeat for Labour, one protest after another, and then Covid-19. Award-winning filmmaker Dr McDonald explains: “This is not a documentary about politics per se, but more a human story of what happens when a person takes up political office, not least in dealing with the media. And this kind of a film can be made only through unique access and we had that with Jamie and his team for 12 months.” A still from The First Year by Dr Ian McDonald Fascinating On the film’s festival screening, says: “It’s fascinating to look back on that year - and how much younger I looked. When we were in it, we just got on with the job, with no idea Covid was around the corner. I hope people enjoy watching The First Year. It is a beautifully produced film and a real testament to Ian’s amazing film-making talent.” Filmed and edited by Ian, the crew of The First Year includes Dr Evripidis Karydis (co-camera), Film Practice PhD scholar Ang Gao (assistant camera) and Dr Geetha Jayaraman (producer), all from Film@CultureLab at 麻豆传媒. The First Year will be screened at the Tyneside Cinema at 6pm on Thursday 18 November. Tickets are available . Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at 麻豆传媒 warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from 麻豆传媒 to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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