Karl Francis

Karl Francis (born 1 April 1942) is a Welsh film and television director, producer and screenwriter, associated with left-wing political causes. His work is inspired by the likes of Chris Marker and Ken Loach and has included output in both the English and Welsh languages.

Francis was born in Bedwas in South Wales. He won a scholarship which allowed him to study at Manchester University where he gained his BA in 1964. He then attended Hornsey College of Art to study for a post-graduate diploma on Film in Education. He began his media career in television in 1971, first as an independent investigator, before taking a production post with ITV, working on Weekend World for London Weekend Television. In 1973 he switched to the BBC and produced programmes such as 2nd House.

In 1977 he wrote, produced and directed the docu-drama Above us the Earth. The film, shot in the spring and summer of 1975, records the closure of the Ogilvie colliery in the Rhymney Valley and the effect on the miners and the larger community. The film uses professional and amateur actors to show the relationships between workers, unions and the National Coal Board, along with footage of the political leaders of the day. The film is seen as an important film in its social commentary and is now part of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. In 2010 the BBC Wales art site, selected Above us the Earth as one of the ten greatest films about Wales. In 2012, the BFI/UK Film Council selected Above Us The Earth as the best independent film ever made in Wales.

In 1995 he was appointed the Head of Drama at BBC Wales, a role he held until 1997.

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