Mhairi Fox

As a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent individual, film and television have been some of the primary ways I have tried to understand and connect with myself, others, and the world. Unfortunately, for people from marginalised groups, media portrayals are frequently distorted or simply absent. The desire to challenge this situation has been my main motivation for becoming a filmmaker as a mature student, earning both a BA in Film and Television Production and an MA in Media Production from York St John. Before that I did a bunch of wildly differing things, from working at the College of Piping in Glasgow, to running a B&B on the Isle of Skye.

Through this Practice-based Media Production PhD, supervised by Professor Steve Rawle and Professor Helen Minors, I will create a series of short fiction films, using genre as a frame to explore neurodivergent and queer narratives. Taking an autoethnographic approach to understanding and reflecting on my practice as research, I want to connect with other creators in marginalised groups to form collaborative partnerships: explore ways to create films outside the established industry that can still prove successful; consider how to effect change in an industry/industrial model that systematically disadvantages those who aren't cis-het, neurotypical, middle class white men; and to create a set of recommendations for how film practice can become more intersectional and inclusive.