I offer a wide range of WORKSHOPS, TALKS & MENTORSHIP for both adults and younger audiences—ranging from hands-on practical filmmaking sessions to industry-focused discussions about navigating a career in documentary.
Whether it’s creating a short collaborative doc live on stage, teaching kids how to make Fake News, or helping emerging filmmakers transition from film school to freelancing, my workshops are designed to be engaging, insightful, and tailored to the audience.
To enquire about booking me for a workshop or talk, get in touch: info@duncancowles.com
Regular Teaching & Mentorship
Mentor – GMAC’s Little Pictures short film initiative
Tutor – MA Documentary Directing, Edinburgh College of Art / University of Edinburgh
Guest Tutor – MetFilm School Birmingham
Watch my Nicer Tuesdays talk:
Also…
Watch my DocHouse Short Filmmaker Focus.
Watch my Silent Men Q&A at DocHouse
Workshops & Talks Delivered at…
BFI Southbank, D&AD, Nicer Tuesdays, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh College of Art, Screen Academy Scotland, Napier University, Queen Margaret University, Seville Film Festival, VIS Vienna Shorts, Scottish Mental Health & Arts Film Festival, Cromarty Film Festival, Flatpack Film Festival, BFI Film Academy, GMAC, Glasgow Youth Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, Birmingham MetFilm School, Liverpool John Moores University and many more.
Popular Workshops:
Make Your Own (Fake) News Workshop – Delivered at Flatpack Film Festival & Edinburgh International Film Festival
‘Doc in One Hour’ Hybrid Workshop – Glasgow Youth Film Festival, Flatpack Film Festival, school classes
How to Self-Shoot & Not Shoot Yourself – Delivered for doc filmmakers looking to expand their solo shooting practise.
Testimonials
Duncan delivered an excellent session on his experience filming his family for our audience of emerging filmmakers aged 16-25 at BFI Future Film Festival. The session explored his creative process in an engaging and accessible way, offering valuable advice to the audience. As a filmmaker producing innovative and emotionally resonant work, Duncan’s talk was a great addition to our programme.
Duncan Cowles spoke to our students in a way they could understand. Given he is a fairly recent graduate himself, the way he’s found an original voice and used social media to get his films out there was really inspiring for them to hear.
Duncan was a great speaker at the Edinburgh International Film Festival Youth Hub. His passion for documentary, combined with clear, practical advice and a wealth of experience, was invaluable for our participants. We had great feedback at the end of the sessions and warmly recommend his talent and expertise.
Duncan’s workshop was a terrific addition to our family programme. Innovative and unlike anything we’d offered before, it worked as both a fun drop-in event and a more involved pre-booked workshop. Always engaging, Duncan made all participants feel at ease—even when they were in the interview chair!
Duncan was the perfect choice to lead the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival’s workshop on men’s mental health. We wanted something that explored the topic in a refreshing, thoughtful, and entertaining way within a film-related context, and Duncan delivered exactly that. Not only was I pleased as the festival’s Film Curator, but I was thoroughly engrossed as an attendee. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Want to Book a Workshop or Talk?
Email me at: info@duncancowles.com