Alex Cooke

Alex Cooke, Director

"Prior to setting up Renegade Pictures Alex Cooke directed "United Gates Of America" for the BBC, a one hour documentary about race and immigration inside one of California’s largest gated community. In 2005 she initiated and produced a ten part series for Discovery Times, "Only In America", immersing herself in subcultures across the US. Collaborating with NY Times journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Charlie LeDuff, she directed four of the shows including "Gay Rodeo" – a film about rural gay cowboys in the Bible Belt, (winner of the GLAD Award 2006) "Country Preachers" about independent Pentecostal pastors and serpent handlers in the Appalachia , "The Real 8 Mile" about young kids in Detroit and "Fight Club" about a bike gang who conduct fight clubs in Oakland California. In 2004 Alex Cooke’s made her debut feature documentary "How Arnold Won The West", a political satire following Arnold Schwarzenegger on the campaign trail to become Governor. The film was picked up for theatrical distribution in France, Italy, Austria, England, and DVD release in Japan, Australia and the United States. Before directing Alex was as an editor and producer, for Channel 4 and the BBC and she was the programmer of Sheffield International Documentary Festival from 1997 to 2001. From 1991 to 1993 she was a founder member and Managing Director of The Big Issue a newspaper an initiative for the homeless in London."