Seen on screen: Q&A with filmmaker Aaron Christian

Thank you, though I still feel I have a long way to go. After graduating in film from university, like many young graduates I was a little scared, and didn’t know where to begin. I knew that in order to start my film career I’d need to intern, or get a runner’s job somewhere. However I didn’t have a single contact in the industry. My older brother Reuben was working as a freelance stylist at the time for small print publications like RWD. He suggested that while I was figuring out my next move, I could work with him. Style and fashion were always my other great passions, so I felt as long as I could incorporate my degree into what we did I’d be up for it. I also knew it’d keep my father off my back for not wasting three years at university. We then had the great/crazy idea of creating a men’s style consultancy. We wanted to be the male version of Trinny and Susannah. As you can imagine two young, inexperienced brown boys trying to teach men (who at the time weren’t too receptive to style advice) how to dress – the business feel flat on its face. 

What did work however was the blog. We wanted to create a blog to help market the service at the time – this was the early days of social. Once I discovered the world of content (this term hadn’t been created back then) I was sold. I read everything under the sun on digital marketing, film, DIY filmmaking, branding, self development, and so on. The website took off and became Individualism, the leading menswear website in the UK. We then grew the team into a collective and it became a platform for young creatives to experiment and play and create great work. We helped blood many great individuals in style whom are doing amazing things now. We pioneered a lot of video tutorials, store tours, style events to take our community offline and then create content off the back of it and go back online again. It was a great time to be in digital as there were no rules. 

Although Individualism was growing as a brand it was difficult to monetise. I was working as a stylist at Topman at the time and saw the editor of Esquire on the shop floor – I was a huge fan. I approached him as asked for an internship. He took up my offer an two weeks later I was at Esquire trying to create all sorts of cool style videos. I was in heaven I couldn’t believe it. The second day of the internship the editor said he was leaving for a new company (that some of us wouldn’t have heard of called Mr Porter). That editor was Jeremy Langmead. I was gutted he was leaving but I stayed in touch. 

I continued to work on Individualism and got a small job at a creative agency doing videography. A year later Jeremy DM-ed me on Twitter and said was a position at Mr Porter that I may be good for. I was probably the least experienced applicant in regards to technical film knowledge but I was doing interesting things in digital with Individualism, and I had a good style knowledge to compliment my film background. I got the job and the rest is history. Phew, that was long!


I was initially interested in photography. That was the real passion, however I didn’t really know any who worked professionally within that field so I was a little apprehensive to pursue it as a career. But I pushed through and applied for a few photography and film courses, I eventually got a course at Kingston University and that was officially the beginning of my film career so to speak. 

My parents were and always have been supportive. Although they came from different professional backgrounds they always supported, not just me but all their children’s paths. My brother pursued a career in comedy and hosting and my younger sister chose acting. Although secretly I do believe they wished we were doctors or lawyers.

It’s an interesting question, and something I really wanted to cover within the film. I’ve always felt incredibly lucky with regards to my career. I know I’ve worked my ass off and have kept a positive attitude throughout it all, yet I never personally felt my race held me back. However I did see it around and happen to fellow creatives, friends and family. 

The film is a combination of personal experiences and experiences I witnessed. I also felt there were obstacles for people that looked like myself in general. The general lack of brown faces on the catwalk being one. I just began to ask questions without really finding clear answers. That curiosity of why things were a certain way has always lead me on a path to engage with the problems and try and find positive and creative solutions for them. The Asian Man project being one of those. 


A few reasons really. One was to challenge myself creatively. I have never really attempted a narrative drama and so I wanted to see if my work could cross over into that world. I wanted to develop my narrative directing skills. I also really wanted to write stories that represent the brown man in ways that felt authentic to me. I wanted to paint a positive picture, and if I didn’t see it on screens often enough myself then I’d thought I’d simply do it myself. I also felt asian men we’re constantly being represented in the same old ways. I wanted to change that. 

I also wanted to highlight issues within the creative and film industries that were beginning to annoy me, and share my personal story. I’ve always been an advocate for trying to help the next generation and, doing that immediately. That’s been evident in most of my projects. From Individualism which was an early platform for young creatives of diverse backgrounds to express themselves in the fashion world, through to the Asian Man project. If I have the ability to help someone now I don’t really need to wait until I’m a huge success, as I feel it may be to late. I’ve had so much help along the way from others. I just wanted to share that same generosity, and make the landscape a easier for the next generation. There’s more than enough space for all of us, I truly believe that. 


I do. I don't really have a concrete answer. I feel that’s a journey that I’m on now and currently trying to figure out and change. I know a lot of it has to do with our parents generation. We tend to be second generation immigrants and so the initial jobs the parents of this generation hold tend not to be within advertising or the creative fields and so naturally it wasn’t a field in which you’d look to push your children (especially if you don’t have any leverage there). 

I also think it’s down to having role models (or the lack of) too. If you can’t see yourself in a role or haven’t seen others do it before you it’s a scary step to take. You often have more to loose if it doesn’t go right. There’s more fear and doubt. Growing up, I only ever knew one South Asian director. So that didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. I still experience imposter syndrome when I’m on set. 

However, if you begin to witness more people that reflect yourself doing creative things working in more creative roles then that fear clears. I believe we need more role models and mentors to break that cycle and I am bringing  to see it happening more frequently now which is a great thing. This can only lead to better more diverse work, in my opinion.  We  should want to explore as many perspectives and see new things, we need that in the creativities industry to stay fresh. 

Initially I didn’t know, but since the Kickstarter has launched I’ve had many people reach out and say they have experienced the same thing, and not just within the creative industries, so I guess so.


We are currently in post-production so we are editing at the moment. I’m still looking for someone to work on the score but it’s coming along nicely. There have been a few delays but we are on course to launch in October to hit the festival circuit.

I’m working on a few things. First there’s a short sketch show series. My original love within film has always been comedy, and my final film for university was a sketch show based around inner city life in London. So I’m actually revising that project. I feel that Britain has such a rich history in sketch show comedy, I was raised on shows like Russ Abbott, The Fast Show, Goodness Gracious Me and so on and I’d like to create a series that revisits that format, that maybe tells stories from a range of diverse backgrounds. I’m also developing a style series - the Chef’s Table for the fashion world. It’s early days in regards to the development, but something I’m really looking forward to cracking on with. I also just formed a company last year, Aaron Christian Studios. I loved the fact that I was a single sole trader) however I’ve been super busy with commercial work too that it just made sense. So I have plans on building that up slowly, partnering with clients that share a similar vision and hold the same values both ethically and creatively.