Louis Neethling

Louis Neethling is an award-winning director who started his TV career in 1993, as a children's presenter on the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) and was nominated for an Artes Award. Louis moved to the UK in the autumn 2001. He started work at the BBC as a director/assistant producer on various factual programmes, 5 series of the Deaf soap - Switch, of which Jana Bennett called 'Groundbreaking', Open i for Red Bee Media, Crimewatch and Holiday for the BBC. In 2007 Louis started his own production company, MJP (Mutt & Jeff Pictures), which produces films and television in sign language. Louis' company has made 40 award-winning dramas, 5 award-winning documentaries and 2 series of the first ever sign language sitcom in the world, Small World. Louis has worked for L'oeil et la main for France5, Hands On for RTE and directed the first Deaf drama series, Inte Varre An Andra, for SVT. Louis believes in encouraging and developing Deaf talent and has taught workshops and courses worldwide. Louis has also been a member of staff at Camp Mark 7 in the USA, delivered Into Film's flagship programme, 'See It Make It' at Heathlands School for Deaf children, and be part of the University of Wolverhampton with their European university partners' European funded projects for Sign Media over the past 6 years. Louis Neethling is delighted to have been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Wolverhampton for his work in Deaf media over the past 28 years.