Simon McMahon | Film Editor

Simon McMahon | Film Editor

Simon was obsessed with directors such as Coppola, Kubrick, Lynch and Scorsese but it wasn’t until he discovered the work of Walter Murch that he realised that editing was this slightly hidden art form that most people don’t know much about but which is crucial to the narrative of a film - that’s when he started to understand that this could be a career.

His interest has always been in telling intimate, true stories, seeking out some particularly delicate and difficult topics, not usually seen on screen. Simon views his work on My Son the Jihadi as a very relevant and intimate portrait of a mother, rather than a documentary about Islamist fundamentalism, which was cut in a very short amount of time in the hallway in his flat with director Peter Beard and which earned him a BAFTA. His next project, BAFTA nominated Kids on the Edge, was his first time taking on a whole series.

The critically acclaimed For Sama however, is where Simon feels as though he has really progressed in his career. A real aspiration of his would be to work on more feature documentaries that get a cinema release, moving away from the small screen into a slightly different world. He is also keen to use the support and backing of BAFTA to break into other spheres, such as drama.