Louisa is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work explores the intersection of art and social commentary through intimate, character-driven storytelling. She is drawn to narratives that challenge the status quo and offer new ways of thinking about identity, community, and the shape of contemporary life.
An active member of a housing co-op in central London, Louisa’s own experience of communal living deeply informs her filmmaking practice and her focus on collective models of living and support.
Her debut short film, They, a portrait of a family raising their child with a gender-open approach, premiered at the 2019 BFI London Film Festival, went on to screen at 26 international festivals, received four awards, and was shortlisted for the Grierson Awards.
Louisa has since directed and produced the short documentaries New Ground, Farm Days, The Insight, and What We Leave Behind. In addition to her independent work, she has contributed to commissioned documentary projects for The New York Times and The New Yorker.
She has taken part in Reclaim the Frame’s Filmonomics 7 programme and was selected by the BFI and Doc Society to attend CPH:DOX 2023 as part of the UK Producers Delegation. In 2025, she was selected for the UnionDocs Early Production Lab with her debut feature documentary in production, and she is a current member of BAFTA Connect.
AWARDS
Shiny Awards, Shortlist
British Journal of Photography, Portrait of Humanity Shortlist
Grierson Awards, Best Student Documentary Shortlist
Hazlo en Cortometraje, Best International Film
Brooklyn Film Festival, Audience Award, Best Short Documentary
Encounters Film Festival, Best Undergraduate Film
Future Generations Film Festival, Best Short Documentary
SELECTED INTERVIEWS & PRESS
London College of Communication - Graduate Journeys Film, 2025
Atmos - Three Crises, One Solution: The Case for Intergenerational Housing, 2025
Sheffield DocFest Filmmaker Challenge, 2024
Creative Lives in Progress Interview, 2023
Birds Eye View Filmonomics 7 Cohort, 2023
It's Nice That Interview, 2022
Girls in Film Feature, 2022
UAL - Screen School Students shortlisted for Grierson Awards, 2020
HONOURS
2025 - Participant - UnionDocs Summer Lab, New York City
2024 - Participant - Film Supervision Group with Film in Mind
2024 - Participant - Sheffield DocFest Filmmaker Challenge
2024 - Guest Lecturer - University of Tübingen, Germany
2023 - Member - BAFTA Connect
2023 - Panelist - 'Emerging/ Established and No In-between' presented by the Open City Documentary Film Festival and TAPE Collective
2023 - UAL Alumni Panelist - University of the Arts London
PUBLICATIONS
Huck Magazine - The Hedonism Issue, Portrait of Humanity Book Vol 3, VOGUE Germany
CLIENTS
Alliance for Women Film Composers, GIRLvsCANCER, Google, London Migration Film Festival, Medicine Festival, One World Media, Open City Documentary Film Festival, South London Gallery, TEDxLondon, The Mosaic Rooms, The Other Art Fair
CONTACT
hello@louisarechenbach.com