Something Glamorous, Something Awkward
A short documentary commissioned and developed by Bethlem Gallery in collaboration with Mr X and Josip Lizatovic.
Made and co-written by Director, Leanne Dimant and Producer, Lucy Owen.
About the film
Mr X has been in state care all of his life. He builds extraordinary structures out of found objects. These structures tell the story of his life experience. When he was confined to the ward he built a coffin to signify the death of his freedom.
Now, Mr X is preparing to leave the hospital, his objects become space vehicles to travel across societyʼs boundaries and engage with the people he meets along the way. These acts of exploration are crucial to understanding what life outside an institution means. He builds for us a vision of his new life.
Contributors
Mr X
Mr X is an artist living in London. Over decades he has been making structures out of cardboard and found materials. The works are often mobile and usually large enough to inhabit, creating alternative spaces that resist institutional constraints. Mr Xʼs work has been exhibited widely in venues including Southwark Park Gallery, Manchester Contemporary and the Southbank Centre.
Josip Lizatovic
Josip Lizatovic is Croatian born visual artist living in London. He has studied at School of Applied Arts and Academy of Fine Arts (Zagreb) and City of London Polytechnic, Sir John Cass (London). Since 2008 he has dedicated significant time to collaborating with the Bethlem Gallery, actively fostering art practice and nurturing emerging artists within a hospital environment. From early this year he almost exclusively devotes his time to painting and sculpture making.
Key Crew Biographies
Lucy Owen
Producer and Co-Writer
Lucy Owen is a freelance producer. She specialises in initialising, developing and producing projects with a wide range of artists from those that are part of the establishment to those that are marginalised. She has over twenty yearsʼ experience working across creative disciplines in film, theatre, publishing and live events.
Film credits: RIP SENI (2021) Commissioner, Exec Producer, Sheffield Doc Fest: Short Documentary UK Competition, Montreal Black International Film Festival: Prix Choix du Jury Mention Spéciale Special mention at the juryʼs choice award for Best short doc) Ceres (2022) Exec Producer, screened at festivals worldwide. Narrative short film starring Juliet Stevenson and Hannah Morrish. Something Glamorous, Something Awkward (2024) Commissioner, Producer, Co-Writer.
Leanne Dimant
Director and Co-Writer
Leanne is a film director raised in Canada, now based in Wales. She has created content for organisations such as the British Red Cross, Glastonbury Festival and the V&A Museum. Recently she was awarded the Voices With Impact Grant, 2024 (USA/Canada) to make a film about serious mental illness.
Leanne has studied at the NFTS and the London Film School and was selected for the renowned ‘Filmonomics Training Programme’ run by Oscar-winning Producer Mia Bays. Leanne gained a BA in Politics at SOAS, University of London, and an MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She then worked as a Refugee Caseworker and made educational films about asylum seekers for the Red Cross and other NGOs before moving into independent film.
Emma Dalesman
Director of Photography
Emma Dalesman is a respected cinematographer working across film, TV, documentaries, art films, and commercials. Her work has screened at major festivals, including Krakow, Rotterdam, and BFI London Film Festival. In film, she shot feature The Buckingham Murders, starring Kareena Kapoor, which premiered at LFF 2023, and her short filmJitterbug, directed by Ayo Akingbade, premiered at Directorsʼ Fortnight, Cannes 2022. Her television credits include Institute for the BBC and Good Grief, directed by Natalie Abrahami. In commercials, Emma has worked with brands such as Sony, Fujitsu, Curzon Cinemas, and FDA, while her promo for Mountainside –Beardyman won a UKMVA. Her documentary Still Loved was released in UK cinemas to critical acclaim, earning a four-star review in The Guardian. She also collaborates with artists, with work shown at the Venice Biennale and nominated for the Turner Prize.