Main programme credits as Producer/Director/Editor

DRAWING BREATH

2023 17 minutes
A film that brings together the life long experience of breathing with Art, Science and the rhythms of the world. Jane Thorburn and Artist Jo Lewis collaborated to create visual interpretations and ephemeral ink drawings inspired by how breathing is experienced and used by an American Neurobiologist, a Japanese Free Diver, an English Singing coach and an Artist born in Nigeria.

PSYCHE ABANDONED

2023 17 minutes
Written, filmed and edited by Jane Thorburn. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Through a mixture of fact and fiction the film tells the story of how a moment in the life of a young woman called Psyche was captured in marble and travelled through time and space to sit in the same park overlooking South London for the last 170 years while world wars, fires, explosions, royalty, music events, funfairs and circuses have rushed past her in endless succession.

FREUD'S LOST LECTURE

2019 6 minutes
Written by Deborah Levy. Directed by Jane Thorburn. Levy imagines a lost lecture written by Sigmund Freud. It investigates a hysterical woman dancing through time, snow leopards lapping milk in the kitchen of Freud’s last house and a journey under the ground on a ghost train.

JOY, IT'S NINA

24 minutes
A mixed genre documentary made in collaboration with the actor Joy Elias-Rilwan featuring telephone message recordings left on her answer phone by Nina Simone.

NOLLYWOOD 2 Doing it right

2009/10 25 minutes
Follow up documentary on the crisis in the Nigerian film & video industry caused by the lack of a distribution structure and by rampant piracy. HiTV. OHTV. Festivals.
LOCAL GO(I)NG GLOBAL Updated article reflecting the international success of Araromire.
To be published by the University of Ibadan. Nigeria 2012

THE FAMILY LEGACY

2008
24 minute drama about a Nigerian Family living in London. Commissioned by the NHS Sickle Cell Screening Programme. Transmitted Community Channel. HiTV. International. OHTV

NOLLYWOOD Just doing it

2008
30 minute documentary about the Nigeria's vibrant multi-billion-naira independent movie industry. screened at BOB TV Nigeria & New Research Exhibition. Westminster University.

EL SABOR DEL SOLAR

2004 5 x 25 minutes
Dance documentary set in social housing in Havana Cuba. Shown Latin American Film Festival London. Black history month. London. New York film & Video Festival. Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latino Americano. Habana, Cuba. FICCU Munich 2007

LA FAMILIA ASPIRINA

2004. 10 minutes
Music documentary about an influential extended family of artists & performers in Cuba. Shown Black history Month. London. FICCU Munich 2007

GOD IS GREAT. But what can I make of my life?

25 minutes
Documentary about the plight of very young girls and women in rural northern Nigeria who develop Fistulas. largely as result of prolonged obstructed labour. The Community Channel. HiTV Nigeria

THE LIFT

Dance for Camera
Commissioned by BBC2 & The Arts Council. Devised with choreographer Carol Brown TX BBC2 & BBC Knowledge

S.O.S. SONGS OF SEDUCTION

Sound on Film
Music/drama from a short story written by Jane Thorburn. Composed by Jenni Roditi for BBC2 & the Arts Council.

PULL a sculptural dance

Dance for Camera
Part of the 'Dance for Camera' series. Commissioned by BBC2 & the Arts Council. With Bruce McLean, Ashley Page and Dave Stewart. TX Feb ‘98

ALAGBA a Water Spirit Masquerade

45 minute documentary
Shot in Southern Nigeria. Screened at Museum of Mankind and British Museum. Smithsonian Institute, Washington. Museum of Natural History New York. Presented in 2010 as part of the 'Kingdom of Ife' exhibition at the British Museum, London

DISNEY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

1 Hour Children's drama
Director for children's drama shot 4 times in 4 different languages Produced by Absolutely Productions.

THE SCORE

10 x 50 minute programmes
Series Editor. Classical Music Magazine Programme for BBC 2.

CHIEF CHIEF

46 minute documentary
Made with the sculptor Sokari Douglas Camp Shot by J. Thorburn in the Delta region of Nigeria. The Discovery Channel. The British Museum.

THE EMPRESS OF NEWFOUNDLAND

52 minute contemporary opera/drama
Composed by Orlando Gough and designed by the artist Bruce McLean. Ch 4.

THE JAZZ PACKAGE

10 x half hour programmes
Featuring the best of American Archive big band, jazz and dance films from th 30's and 40's. Ch 4.

THE DAZZLING IMAGE

24 x one hour programmes
Two series of 12 one hour programmes featuring the best of new films and videos commissioned by the BFI the Arts Council and Channel 4 (series edited by J. Thorburn)

CAMERA

A contemporary 52 minute music/drama/opera
Written and composed for Channel 4 TV. Featuring the singer Dagmar Krause

LES BALLETS AFRICAINS

52 minute programme
Featuring the National dance company of Guinea screened on Channel 4 - July 1991

TALES OF FAITH AND FOXES

50 minute programme
Two short operas written by STRAVINSKI and SATIE. narrated by Tilda swinton. Text by John Wells

GRAN GRAN FIESTA!

90 minute programme
Featuring the stars of Latin American dance, music and carnival.

ARTRAGE

6 x 15 minute programmes
A humorous, hard hitting series of 6 programmes about burning Art Issues. Written & Presented by Malcolm Bennett.

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

one hour programme
Featuring the phenomenum of 'New Circus' from around the world. This featured 6 different circuses including the now infamous French Circus ARCHAOS. This programme was Channel 4’s 1989 nomination for the Golden Rose of Montreaux.

ALTER IMAGE

30 x half hour programmes
Three series of 10 programmes each featuring Art and Artists from all over the world. This was considered a ground breaking series and included fine Artists, dancers, musicians, designers and short stories presented with the collaboration of the artists themselves.

MAP OF DREAMS

Four part 12 minute series
Images to music by Bill Nelson based on dreams and astrology. Commissioned by Channel 4

POOKIESNACKENBURGER IN...

5 half hour comedy musicals
Adopting different musical styles for each programme. TX Ch 4

• Restoration Comics aka The Draughtsman’s P45
• School for Cool
• River of Love
• Pop Go the Asteroids
• Hellbent

ANDREW LOGAN’S ALTERNATIVE MISS WORLD

One hour programme
One hour programme of the spectacular event hosted by sculptor Andrew Logan. TX Channel 4