THE CONTESTANT tells the true story of a Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing. The film prompts innumerable questions about our culture of oversharing.
Brought up in South and Southeast Asia, British director Clair Titley grew up watching Asia’s answer to MTV and visiting back-alley video shops to rent pirated copies of the latest western movies.
Her work taps into the quietly surreal moments of life, while often being a trojan horse for comment on the world around us. Themes of identity and self-discovery run through her films – what it means to be young, old or even just human.
Clair cut her teeth making oral history films for the BBC and quickly gained a reputation as a filmmaker with a talent for unearthing untold angles. As well as BAFTA, BIFA & RTS nominations, she was recently named one of BAFTA’s ‘Breakthrough Brits’.
Her feature documentary THE CONTESTANT (2024) premiered at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and after a festival and cinema run is now availabel to view as part of the BBC’s Storyville strand in the UK and worldwide on Hulu. Her latest project, FRIENDS LIKE THESE is a true-crime meets teen-drama series, due for release in March 2026 on Disney+/ Hulu.
