Jonny Roberts

Birthday:

05/26/1987

Place of birth:

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK:

Biography:

Jonny Roberts is a British filmmaker living in Newbury, Berkshire, England. Roberts studied A-level Film Studies at John Colet School, Wendover, Buckinghamshire and continued on to study BA (Hons) Film and Video at what was then known as the International Film School Wales in Newport (now part of the University of South Wales; whilst the building itself became the setting for Netflix's 'Sex Education'). His father was a supermarket store manager and his mother a teaching assistant, Roberts followed both to an extent by working from age 15 in his local Sainsbury's eventually becoming a Trainee Manager in his gap year before going to university and later becoming a teacher. In between graduating from film school and his career as an educator he worked for 10 years as a public policy conference organiser and stood twice for Parliament for the Labour Party (2015, 2019). During the Covid-19 pandemic Roberts began working as a cover teacher and eventually a trainee teacher, completing a PGCE qualification in Media Studies teaching and also teaching Film Studies, Drama and English. In 2025 he began an MA in Film Practice which is he currently completing at the Arts University Bournemouth whilst working part-time in fast food restaurant and tutoring. He is also an anti-poverty activist, part of the participatory policy group 'Changing Realities' and through this has appeared in various news outlets, co-wrote the foreword to the UK Government's Child Poverty Strategy and gave oral evidence to a joint House of Commons Education/Work and Pensions Committee inquiry on the Strategy. Since beginning his Masters he has produced multiple short films, one of which ('I Can't Keep Doing This') won 'Best Smartphone Film' at the Brecon Beacons Film Festival, 'Honourable Mention' at the Folkestone Film Festival, a finalist at the RS Film Festival in Bristol and five awards nominations at the Milton Keynes International Film Festival. Another short, 'Touching Base', was selected for the Deep Fried Film Festival in Scotland. Roberts' work combines socio-political commentary on working people's lives mixed with elements of comedy.