John and Ken met at the Ballet Rambert when they were both dancers, having previously completed their national service. They have lived together since then, in their quirky terraced house in Camden, and got married the first day they legally could – the same day as Elton John and David Furnish.

John talks about their approach to life, what they have learned about life through dance, and with his description we have a tour of their house – packed with treasures from their travels and work.

https://vimeo.com/57914767

The epitome of a life well-lived, Jean is a natural storyteller and and allows us glimpses into her life from her apartment in Cheltenham where she now lives, still working for the Elsamere Trust (Joy Adamson’s organisation) as chairman of the trustees while well into her nineties.

She is very well travelled – as the wife of a colonial officer she lived and worked for much of her life in Africa – one of the only colonial wives to be officially employed in her time. She reflects on her life with great humour and sparkle, describing how she has overcome the inevitable hurdles and pain, as well as painting a colourful picture of life in Africa over half a century ago.

https://vimeo.com/432960122

Leslie Lonsdale Cooper is living history: not only has she been responsible for the translation of all the Tintin books from French into English, with her publishing companion Michael Turner, she was also present at the Nuremberg trials where she was one of the secretaries recording the atrocities of the holocaust in the court at the end of the war.

With a wry eye towards storytelling and humour, Leslie allows us a glimpse into a Britain gone by, and a precious insight into the work she did bringing Hergé’s inimitable illustrations and stories to English speaking readers.

IN PRODUCTION

My first experience of recording Life Tales was with my four grandparents.

All of them now gone, I'm often reminded of the importance of filmed interviews and collations of family archive into a story form that is accessible and interesting to watch.

We cannot understand who we are, and where we’re going unless we understand where we’ve come from. Lions Tail Films is pioneering this film format in Life Tales. You receive the entire filmed archive as well as a filmic portrait of around 40 minutes of your family member.

The Sultanate of Oman is brimming with fascinating tales. This film is part of Heart2Heart a series produced Moe Kahdra, where he interviews Omanis, listens to and shares their life stories on social media platforms.

People have not been able to meet up as much during the Covid 19 Pandemic but through this medium, people are discovering more about their country-folk than even before. Here Malik al Hinai reflects on his rich and varied life both inside and outside of the Sultanate and talks about his rich blend of roots from the Arab World, Africa and Germany.

The interview was filmed by me and edited by Bechara Yaacoub.

https://vimeo.com/542083193