Olivia Hird

about

Olivia is a nonfiction filmmaker exploring the symbiotic relationship between place, personhood, and impermanence. Informed by methodologies of visual anthropology and phenomenology, her work emphasises lived experience, sensory immersion, and embodiment. Alongside filmmaking, Olivia is a mental health support worker. This perspective underpins her approach to contributor ethics and relationships.

Olivia has worked as a researcher, editor, cameraperson and production assistant across feature films, shorts, television and charity films. Experience includes work with RSA Films, Dartmouth Films, Whalebone Films, BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 and Save the Children.

Beyond film production, Olivia has worked as Production Manager for Open City Documentary Festival (UCL), co-facilitated participatory visual storytelling workshops with Yarrow Films and participated in the HOME Artist Film Lab (2022) and HOME Artist Lab (2024).

In her client work as a director/producer, Olivia has made films with the Samaritans, NHS, Age UK and Cambridge University.

She has a BA in Film Studies from King’s College London and an MA in Visual Anthropology from the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester.