NATHAN THEYS
DIRECTOR | PRODUCER | EDITOR
BLOOD ORANGE - 5MIN
Directed by N. Theys
Cinematography by N. Theys - Music Only
Colour: Black and Red
Ratio: 2.35
Format : Digital
Festivals: Corto Formo Valencia Spain
A child mirrors the struggles of adults, who grapple daily with the relentless demands of an unyielding, faceless system. My Blood Orange is a searing meditation on violence, its cyclical nature, and the fragility of innocence. Through the poignant metaphor of an orange—an unassuming symbol of vitality and natural beauty—I’ve tried to draw a visceral connection between purity and brutality. The transformation of something so wholesome into a vessel for blood and violence captures the unsettling truth of how human emotions can decay into destructive impulses.
Set against the sun-dappled backdrop of Castellón, Spain, a village nestled in Valencia's orange-growing heartland, the setting itself becomes a character. The lush groves and tranquil scenery belie the underlying tension, amplifying the film's thematic contrasts. Here, the oranges are more than fruit; they are a canvas, stained with the story of how innocence is ruptured, leaving behind the red residue of humanity's darker instincts.
I would like to think that my lens captures not only the beauty of the region but also the latent unease, transforming the idyllic landscape into a stage where history, violence, and nature intersect. A child’s journey through this landscape mirrors the dissonance between adult struggles and the yearning for simplicity, making their experiences a prism through which the harsh realities of human existence are refracted. It's a work that lingers, asking us to reflect not just on the cycles of violence we perpetuate, but also on the delicate, fleeting moments of purity we too often destroy.
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SEE HOW THEY RUN - 8MIN
Directed by N. Theys
Cinematography by N. Theys - Silent
Colour: Black and White
Ratio: 4:3
Format : VHS
Festivals: Officially Selection Festival Silhouette Le Court Metrage
"See How They Run" is an evocative exploration of society's complexities, framed through the unblinking gaze of a CCTV camera. This lens becomes a powerful metaphor for "blindness"—both literal and figurative—as it scrutinizes human behavior with an unfeeling clarity. The piece unfolds through the jarring spectacle of a kidnapping, weaving together layered themes: the blind leading the blind, the recklessness of being blind drunk, the vulnerability of being blindly in love, and the willful ignorance of turning a blind eye. It’s a thought-provoking narrative that challenges the audience to confront the dissonance between observation and understanding, visibility and insight.
iFUTURE MY FUTURE - 30 MIN SHORT FILM
Directed by N. Theys
Cinematography by Oliver Nice
Colour: Colour
Ratio: 2:35
Format : Digital Arri (4K)
Festivals: Officially Anti-Bullying film 2017
iFuture My Future' the 2013 Official Anti-bullying film created in association with the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Children's Bureau. The film follows Harry, an aspiring young filmmaker who gets bullied in school shattering his self esteem and crushing his aspirations of making anything. During this time Harry strikes up an interesting friendship with Mia who helps him become the filmmaker he wants to be. The film also features Max the magician, who poses as Harry's conscience, and follows Harry around as he contemplates his next move. Does Harry use his skills and the technology he has to tell his unfortunate story of being bullied, so to alter his future, or does he ignore his situation?
MAD HOUSE MY HOUSE - ART THEATRE PROJECT
Inspired by a refusal to be silent, and a history of being ignored, 5 learning disabled artists take us on a wondrous adventure underground.
A goddess, a baby, a bird, an eater and an escapist guide us through a maze-like institution, growling to be heard, and waiting for the revolution that is forever promised.
As they tear back the walls to their lives, past and present spin together in a powerful expression of what it feels like to have a learning disability in today's world.
Over two years, MADHOUSE re:exit has built on the legacy of Mabel Cooper, a resident of a long-stay hospital for people with learning disabilities, who pressed the button that blew up one of the last of these institutions in the UK. Now, award winning theatre company Access All Areas returns with a fantastical, disruptive, immersive experience that explores what this history means today.
Click here to visit the MADHOUSE gallery
MAD HOUSE MY HOUSE - ART THEATRE PROJECT
Access all areas In association with the Bradbury Studios / Battersea Art Centre / Barbican and Arts Council
Until the 1980s many people with learning disabilities were forced to live in hospitals for 'idiots', 'imbeciles' and the 'feeble minded'.
A new display opening in Hackney Museum this week explores the history of this institutionalisation through the lives of two ex-patients: Harvey Waterman and Mabel Cooper. Harvey and Mabel were made to live in St Lawrence’s Hospital in Surrey under the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.
“You would think you were going into a Madhouse, because of the noise”, Mabel once said “There was bars on the windows. It was like a prison.”
The voices of those institutionalised have long been ignored by or hidden from society. This display aims to change that. Part of a wider project that also looks at institutionalisation today, the exhibition shares the stories of patients’ daily lives and living conditions in institutions during the 20 century.
The exhibition is accessible to all, using touch, sight, smell and sound to open up the history of learning disabilities for all people, with or without disability, to think about, interpret and question.
The display was researched and created by members of Access All Areas, a Hackney-based theatre company that works with adults with learning disabilities. Its wider MADHOUSE project explores institutionalisation past and present through events, performances and exhibitions.
Nick Llewellyn, Artistic Director at Access All Areas said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Hackney Museum to bring this display to life. Mabel has an important legacy and Harvey still attends our weekly Black Cab Theatre Company. He’s 80 this year. Many people don’t realise that people still living suffered treatment like this.”
WHAT HAPPENED TO J?
Directed by N. Theys
Written by Ciara and Nathan Theys
Cinematography by Nathan Theys and Nicholas Kyriakides
Colour: Colour
Ratio: 16:9
Format : Digital Arri
Festivals: Officially Anti-Bullying Film 2015
What happened to J? created in Association with the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Children's Bureau became the official Anti-Bullying film. This project was created with testimonials from the young victims of bullying in Hackney. This story is about a young girl who has aspirations to become an actress. We follow her through her daily life in school where she is bullied every day by jealous schoolmates. This causes her to act inappropriately amongst friends as well as becoming discouraged from following her dreams. As the film draws to a close J is forced to make a decision which could change not only her life, but also the lives of others. What decision will she make?
I USE TO LIVE IN THE CAPE FLATS - A photo documentary
Shot on:
Pentax 35mm Film Kodak ISO 400
I use to lived in the Cape Flats as a child, and I loved it. We first lived in Mitchells Plain before moving to Heideveld Vanguard. I didn't like moving. Back then, it felt like there were hundreds and hundreds of children playing in the streets and they were all my friends and I loved playing with them until late late at night without a care in the world. I recall shouting at my parents that I didn't want to move and that I will miss my friends and wont be able to make friends again. Some of my happiest memories.
My most happiest was staying with my grandmother, sleeping in the same bed as hers and getting some pocket money from her which she left under her doily.
But what's so vivid is the people, their faces, the fun I had and the sense of community I felt. Those moments shaped me, and even now they remain some of the most meaningful memories of my childhood. This is a tribute to those memeries.
