Chris KirkFilmmaker

Director · Editor · Documentary Filmmaker

Stories are still there.
You only have to look.

Chris Kirk is an award-winning British filmmaker creating warm, research-led documentaries about memory, landscape and the histories hiding in plain sight.

Explore selected work Discuss a project
On locationHeritage railway research

Profile / 01

History told at human scale.

Chris Kirk smiling on location, wearing headphones
Director, writer, self-shooter & editor

Based in West Sussex, Chris has spent a lifetime making, shaping and supporting stories across film, television, theatre and audio.

His route into filmmaking began with teenage productions and continued through Umatic, Betamax, SVHS and DV into contemporary digital production. Along the way came freelance work for the BBC, support for London drama colleges, practical special-effects work and the co-founding of GenesisFX.

Today his practice brings those disciplines together: directing contributors, researching local history, filming on location, restoring archive images and finding the final story in the edit. He is also studying for an MA in Film & Television at Falmouth University.

“I’ve spent a life telling other people’s stories — it turns out, this one was mine all along.”
Read the full filmmaker biography

Selected work / 02

Across screen and sound.

Selected projects and screen credits from an independent filmmaking practice spanning more than three decades.

Chris Kirk examining a surviving railway line in a wooded landscapeCurrent work

2024—present

Tracing the Rails

Creator · Director · Writer · Self-shooter · Editor · Producer

What began as a local film has grown into a feature-documentary series and wider digital archive. Following the lost Steyning Line through Sussex, it combines first-hand testimony, restored photographs, landscape investigation, humour and companionship to preserve histories at risk of disappearing.

The not-for-profit project extends beyond each film through free YouTube releases, an interactive historical map, behind-the-scenes material and a growing network of community knowledge.

Watch on YouTube Official site Explore the map

02

2008

When All Is Said and Done

Editor

Independent screen credit in a career shaped by patient construction, rhythm and the emotional possibilities of the edit.

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03

2004

Griffin

Associate Producer

An early producing credit reflecting a long-standing interest in practical, collaborative filmmaking outside conventional systems.

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04

2001

Seven Swords of Wayland

Editor

An independent production from the digital-video era and part of a wider body of editing and production work.

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05

2000

Successful Searching

Director · GenesisFX

A feature-length VHS documentary about metal detecting, presented by Stephen Cranford and made through GenesisFX.

06

1994

A Mind of Winter

Early independent film

Completed with Mark Jones, this formative project belongs to a lifelong practice of making films with friends, ingenuity and the equipment at hand.

Off screen / Audio

Radio-play productions

Before Tracing the Rails, Chris and Lou Kirk-Partridge ran a radio-play society with blind military veterans—developing collaborative performances, recording productions and helping stories reach radio audiences.

Drama · Direction · Recording · Community

Working method / 03

From clue to final cut.

Research and craft are never separate: each location, voice and piece of archive changes the shape of the story.

01

Direction

A calm, human-centred approach to factual storytelling and performance.

02

Editing

Building narrative, atmosphere and clarity from interviews, archive and observation.

03

Research

Following overlooked clues through local records, landscape and living memory.

04

Self-shooting

Lightweight location filmmaking, shaped around access, trust and discovery.

05

Archive

Restoration and thoughtful integration of photographs, film and documentary evidence.

06

Community

Inviting audiences and contributors into an ongoing act of cultural preservation.

1990s

Independent beginnings

Film, editing, theatre, effects and the habit of learning by making.

2000s

GenesisFX & screen credits

Corporate documentary, production and post-production across independent projects.

Today

Documentary practice

Community-led heritage filmmaking and postgraduate study at Falmouth University.

Recognition / 04

Los Angeles Short Film Awards

Best Director

Tracing the Rails

Recognition for a first-time documentary director and an independently produced, community-driven feature made with a small team and a determined sense of purpose.

Selected experience / 05

A practical life in production.

Broadcast

BBC freelance work

Production experience alongside creative support for London drama colleges.

Production

GenesisFX co-founder

Commercial and factual work including airline safety films and location productions.

Special projects

Doctor Who connections

Filming notable contributors including Tom Baker and Brian Blessed—and an appearance as a Dalek.

Public service

Blind Veterans UK

Creative work with veterans and support for a major Buckingham Palace garden party.

Contact / 06

Have a story worth following?

For directing, documentary, editing, heritage and collaborative project enquiries: