Documentary

BritCon is excited to presenting a special screening of the new documentary Doctor Who Am I, centered around Matthew Jacobs, the writer of the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie.

After the screening, there will be a panel featuring the directors of the film- Matthew Jacobs and Vanessa Yuille, and cast members, including Paul McGann.

About the Documentary

Documentary filmmaker Vanessa Yuille (in her debut feature) follows friend and co-director Matthew Jacobs (British writer of the 1996 TV movie Doctor Who) as he is reluctantly pulled back into the fandom that rejected his work 25 years earlier. The journey not only becomes hilarious and emotionally perilous for the duo, but also reveals a touching and quirky face-off between the American Doctor Who fans and Matthew himself. As they explore the fandom, Matthew unexpectedly finds himself a kindred part of this close-knit, yet vast, family of fans. The documentary deals with the desire to belong to a community, and how people can become nourished and enriched by the experience.

About the Directors

MATTHEW JACOBS has been a filmmaker since graduating the UK’s National Film & Television School in 1981, prior to that he was a child actor and trained as a theatre director at Hull University under the tutorship of Anthony Minghella. His screenwriting credits include THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, the 1996 DOCTOR WHO, the 1994 LASSIE for Lorne Michaels, and YOUNG INDIANA JONES for George Lucas. His writer-director credits include award-winning TV feature films for the BBC: MOTHERTIME and HALLELUJAH ANYHOW, and also American feature films YOUR GOOD FRIEND (2014) and BAR AMERICA (2015). Acting credits include co-lead in BOXING DAY (2012), which played in competition at the Venice Film Festival. He appeared in his first small American role as Antonin Scalia in VICE (2018) directed by Adam McKay. Most recently Matthew has a leading role in Bernard Rose’s TRAVELING LIGHT (2021). Originally from London, Matt is currently living in Los Angeles.

VANESSA YUILLE has regenerated a few times. Having first earned her bachelor’s in Astronomy from Barnard College, she then went on to manage a successful independent record label in NYC before earning her MFA in film from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her thesis documentary film AN AMERICAN CONTRADICTION was screened at international film festivals and continues to be an educational resource today. DOCTOR WHO AM I is her feature film directorial and editorial debut, and it’s her fourth collaboration with Matthew after BAR AMERICA (co-producer/assistant director) and YOUR GOOD FRIEND ( assistant director/ supporting actress), and most recently co-starring alongside Matthew in Bernard Rose’s latest feature TRAVELING LIGHT (2021). Vanessa lives in Los Angeles and is a freelance filmmaker and editor. Besides editing Doctor Who Am I, she’s edited commercials for several major brands including Nike, Volkswagen, and Sonos.