Manon Ouimet

Directing

I started out taking portraits, quickly realising that photography, for me, is a vehicle with which to explore my relationship with what it means to be human, be it through others as the subject, or, occasionally, turning the camera onto myself. I got my Masters at the University of West England where I made my award-winning project ALTERED, a series that focused on people who have been subject to life-altering bodily changes. My work explores the function and composition of the human form and I’m ever-focusing on identity, visual representation and celebrating the body in abstracted and sculptural capacities. My work has been featured in many international publications and exhibitions, including the Saatchi Gallery and the Jewish Museum London, and 2021 saw my first solo exhibition at Belfast Exposed Gallery. My awards include the British Photography Award 2021, Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Award 2021 and the Monochrome Awards 2019. I am also supported by Arts Council England. Compelled to explore themes of identity through moving image, I began making films in 2021. 2024 sees the release of my debut feature documentary Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other, co-directed with Jacob Perlmutter, is set for release in 2025. The film is produced by Manon et Jacob and the six-time Oscar®-nominated production company Final Cut for Real. Notably, the film won a Special Mention Award at CPH:DOX and has been longlisted for a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) in two categories: Best Documentary and Best Debut Director - Feature Documentary.