About Yvette Vanson
Yvette Vanson has recently completed writing her Memoir - MAKING MY MARK. Yvette writes about her life as she lives it - with great energy in an open and vivid style. In a unique approach, her wide-ranging, candid narrative is interspersed with revealing conversations she recorded with many of her close women friends. First Yvette was an actor, then award-winning documentary and BAFTA drama filmmaker. Later an exhibited artist, plus book co-author too. She unveils behind-the-scenes insights into her remarkable careers whilst also being a working mother and step-mother to five.
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She is a woman with a clear agenda for change who embraces life with passion. Her commitment to socially relevant filmmaking, to equality and human rights campaigning are all documented. Yvette honestly explores her personal failings and achievements over seven decades. Yvette’s drive to make order out of the chaos around her, her appetite for justice, along with her great warmth are all there in MAKING MY MARK.
Yvette Vanson's award winning documentaries were made by her independent production company Vanson Wardle Productions (VW) with Tony Wardle, and later under the banner of her own company, Vanson Productions. These documentaries include the first two broadcast documentaries with Doreen & Neville Lawrence about their son, Stephen’s murder. The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and Hoping for a Miracle. Also Stitching Up The NHS a warning of the price to be paid by the nation's health for following the privatisation route. Too Young to Care about the children who are left alone to care for an elderly, sick or disabled relative. Birmingham Wives, a unique insight into the campaign to release the Birmingham Six, by their wives and daughters. Taking Liberties an expose of the destruction of civil liberties in the miners' strike. How Low Can You Go? an investigation into low pay in Britain. Black Diamonds with the people of Aberfan about their artistic response to bereavement. Taken For Granted a BBC Education Special about government cutbacks in grants and subsequent student hardship. And many more…(See Reviews)
Yvette produced and directed the vast majority of these films over a 20 years period from the mid-80s to 2000.
She then returned to drama, as Executive Producer. Vanson Productions co-producing with Granada, The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, Bafta Winner Best Single Drama 2000. And Doomwatch, a feature length science thriller based on the cult 1970s TV series, with Working Title TV.
Yvette produced & directed via VW many highly acclaimed training and promotional videos for major charities & NGOs, covering issues as diverse as disability, children in care and trade union rights, including the first Government film on the plight of carers.
In the early 1980s she developed and managed the East Sussex Social Services Media Unit producing and directing ground breaking training videos for social services staff nationally and internationally. (See Filmography)
In 2004 Yvette first picked up a paintbrush at Putney School of Art & Design, and from 2013 had four successful London exhibitions, one in Yorkshire, and one in France. (See Art)
In this period she also became involved in co-writing and editing a number of books including a novel, The Inquest, with Tony Wardle, the best-selling Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer with Michael Mansfield QC, and Presumed Guilty the book of the documentary Yvette produced and directed for the BBC. (See Books)
An actress for several years in the 70s, in theatre and on TV, Yvette returned to study as a mature student and gained a BA. Hons.1st class in Social Science, before pursuing her career as an independent film maker. (See Actor)