Craig Handley

The eldest son of a family of Irish and Sephardi Spanish descent; Handley began his film-making career as a background artist in the 2002 Danny Boyle film, "28 Days Later", where he starred (albeit un-credited) as one of the "Infected". He then joined the ITV Wales soap opera, "Nuts and Bolts", where he worked as a production runner. It was during his time, on "Nuts and Bolts" that Handley met Director Geoff Evans. The two would later collaborate (with Handley assuming writing duties and Evans directing) on a number of short films; the most prolific of which, "On All Floors" was produced as part of the 2002 UK Film Council/Sgrin "Screen Gems" initiative and when on to receive international distribution, at a number of high-profile film festivals. In the United Kingdom, "On All Floors" was frequently shown in cinemas before that year's James Bond film, "Die Another Day". In 2004 Handley began work as a script editor on a number of television drama series; a career which he enjoyed until 2009, when he withdrew from the industry in order to care for his youngest son, whom has autism. Handley returned, to the industry, in 2014; by working as a script supervisor and producer on a number of short films; before joining the crew of web drama series, "Whovians"; where he was soon promoted from camera operator to associate producer and director. The latter saw him direct three episodes of the second series, including the series finale "The Parting of the Ways". Growing up in Merthyr Tydfil, Handley was all too aware of the Aberfan Disaster of 21st October 1966; a tragic event which saw the deaths of 118 children and 26 adults, when a massive tip of coal waste engulfed the a village school within the Merthyr Tydfil borough. Handley's maternal grandfather, Merlin Davies - a miner at the nearby Merthyr Vale Colliery - was one of the first on the scene and was involved in the effort to rescue those still buried beneath the thousands of tons of coal waste. A maternal cousin - a schoolboy - was trapped in the rubble of the school and was one of the few survivors. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the tragedy, Handley drew upon his family's experiences and directed a short film, "Sorrow"; which explored the grief felt by a mother who's son died in the disaster. Handley worked closely with award-winning Welsh television writers and actors, Boyd Clack and Kirsten Jones (creators of the BBC Wales series, "High Hopes") to write the film, which was released in April 2017.