Debbie Ballin - School of Digital Arts (SODA) – Manchester Metropolitan University

I teach across both undergraduate and post graduate course in Filmmaking at SODA and am Unit Lead for the Level 5 core unit Film and Storytelling where students explore creative responses to personal narratives. My teaching practice encompasses traditional, experimental, and immersive documentary and autobiographical filmmaking practices.

I have over ten years’ experience of working in the UK independent film sector and making films for broadcast and cinematic exhibition. My work has encompassed producing, directing and new talent development and has been BAFTA nominated, broadcast in Europe, Canada and the US, and exhibited internationally.

Research

Projects

My research practice draws on oral history and archive to create compelling authentic narratives that explore the spaces where history, memory and identity are intertwined.

Recent research projects include BATTLEDRESS with Dr Rachel Genn at Manchester Writing School, UNDER AN ARTIFICIAL SUN which examined historic childhood hospitalisation and isolation due to tuberculosis and ECHOES of PROTEST with Professor Esther Johnson at SHU which explored the experience of children whose parents were protestors. Details of these and accompanying publications, talks and events can be found here.

Exhibitions

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2016. A share of a pensioner's Christmas 'bonus' (Wakefield), National Coal Mining Museum for England, Wakefield, UK, 12/11/2016 - 18/1/2017.

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2015. A share of a pensioner's Christmas 'bonus' (Manchester), People's History Museum, Manchester, 5/12/2015 - 18/1/2016.

Artefacts

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2016. 'The People's Echo: Memories of the 1984 -85 Miners' Strike Christmas 2016', National Coal Mining Museum for England, Wakefield, UK.

Book Chapters

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2017. 'Voices from the strike'. In Allsop, D., Stephenson, C., Wray, D. (eds.) Justice Denied: Friends, Foes & the Miners' Strike, Merlin Press.

Journal Articles

Ballin, D., Genn, R., 2023. 'BATTLEDRESS: using immersive documentary methods to aerate working class women's oral history', Brazilian Creative Industries Journal, 3 (2), pp. 21-40.

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2017. 'Echoes of protest: untold stories of the 1984-1985 UK Miners' Strike', Oral History, 45 (1), pp. 100-110.

Non-Peer Reviewed Articles

Ballin, D., 2019. 'Under an Artificial Sun', Oral History, 47 (Spring 2019), pp. 15-16.

Conference Papers

Ballin, D., Johnson, E., 2018. 'Echoes of Protest', International Oral History Conference (IOHA) Memory and Narration, Jyvaskla, Finland, 18/6/2018 - 21/6/2018.