About

Dan Poole is an award-winning Director and Producer.

Dan’s recent work, The Space – Theatre of Survival (feature documentary), premiered on SKY ARTS in 2021. The film is currently available via ON-DEMAND through SKY Arts and available in South Africa via MNET. The documentary follows its founder Brian Astbury, and his return to present day South Africa, and tracks the history of the small theatre in Cape Town during the violently divided apartheid struggle of the 1970’s.

It’s the extraordinary story of an ethnically diverse company formed when integration was illegal and dangerous, that dared to fight back against the state. It’s voiced by Oscar winning actor, James Earl Jones and features a host of extraordinary artists including, John Kani, Athol Fugard, Fatima Dike and Richard E. Grant. A complex story to bring to life with so many story elements to work through.

Completed over seven years, with acquired footage and inherited footage, the film serves as a collage to the truth and struggle of that time in South Africa. Sadly, our protagonist and friend, Brian Astbury, died shortly after the film premiered in 2020. The Space was the first feature-documentary to be mixed in Dolby Atmos, by Oscar winning Paul Massey.

[The film was supported by the BERTHA Foundation and philanthropist Nic Fyne.]

Dan’s previous documentary, the award winning, Muse of Fire- A Shakespearean Odyssey, was commissioned by Clare Paterson for the BBC, Richard Bradley at Lion TV and sold worldwide by Céire Clark for All3Media. It features the most renowned actors in the world exploring what Shakespeare means today. The film is currently available on DVD and Streaming/On-demand services via; Broadway World HD, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, it is distributed by Illuminations.

Produced by Timebomb Pictures and New Debate, Dan is currently working on completing Section 1591, a feature documentary that reveals the truth about the Sex Trafficking epidemic in the US. Filming began in 2018 and is scheduled to complete in 2022. He has further productions currently in development.

As an actor and director with over 20 years’ experience in front and behind the camera, Dan creates work that can affect and change and is more often influenced by elements of the social condition. Dan has worked with the greatest actors, directors, and post-houses in the world, and therefore has a refined understanding of people, pre-production, production, and post-production workflows, and in managing them.

Dan has directed and produced short films, music videos and commercials, along with shooting for many high-profile brands. He continues to write and develop his own content whilst Directing.

It’s all about the story

Without stories we are nothing. We grow up listening and reading stories that shape and change us. Therefore, the responsibility in telling an honest story, and in finding truth in a post-truth age, becomes ever more important. People learn from the work we create ,and therefore we have an absolute responsibility to portray truth, elucidate and educate while entertaining our audience. The role of the artist is to help others see the world differently, stories make us happier people, so we must choose our stories thoughtfully.

“Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Unknown