Biography
Justin Edgar is an award-winning independent writer and director, known for four internationally acclaimed feature films supported by backers such as Film4, Creative England, and Pathe. His most recent film, The Marker, starring John Hannah and Golden Globe nominee Cathy Tyson, was acquired by Netflix.
Graduating from Portsmouth University in 1996 with a first-class degree in Film, Justin began his career writing and directing for BBC1's Doctors and for Anne Wood of Ragdoll Television, creator of Teletubbies. In 2001, at just 26 years old, he became the youngest director to helm a major UK feature film. His debut film, Large, backed by Film4, debuted at number one on the UK video charts and was sold to over twenty countries worldwide.
His second feature, Special People, premiered at the 2007 TriBeCa Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it competed for the Michael Powell Award. The film won best film awards at the Berlin Britspotting and Moscow Perspektiva film festivals, received a Royal Television Society award, and was acquired by BBC3. Praised by The Guardian as "a milestone in mainstream cinema" for its use of a disabled cast, it holds a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. His third film, the semi-autobiographical anti-teen movie We Are the Freaks, also acquired by Netflix, gained a cult following with acclaim from outlets such as Den of Geek.
Hard of hearing himself, since 2004 Justin has operated his own training and production company, 104 Films, specializing in disability and film. He contributed to the BAFTA-nominated Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll starring Andy Serkis. 104 Films co-produced the feature documentary Notes on Blindness, which premiered at Sundance, won best documentary at the British Independent Film Awards, and received three BAFTA nominations including Best British Film. Justin also served as associate producer on the feature documentary Unrest, which premiered in the main competitions at Sundance and SXSW 2017 and was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar in 2018.
He has served on the jury for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Justin has collaborated with BBC Drama, Channel 4, Netflix, and Sky to develop new disability codes of practice, and he is deputy chair of the British Film Institute (BFI) Disability Screen Advisory Group. An advocate for improved representation of disabled people behind the camera, he has written extensively for The Guardian and appeared on BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4 News. He is a visiting lecturer at the National Film and Television School, and his films, including Special People, have been archived by the BFI as culturally significant works.
