Jacob Brookman
Documentary, branded storytelling and modern UK culture

Once a symbol of Britpop excess, Alex James now finds himself in a very different landscape: the fields, kitchens and quiet rhythms of the Oxfordshire countryside. Down on the Farm with Alex James is a short documentary exploring reinvention, English identity and the strange journey from celebrity chaos to rural stillness. Moving between livestock, artisan food production and reflections on fame, the film traces how British food culture - once mocked, now celebrated - has evolved alongside the people who helped shape modern Britain itself.

‘The Twat Hat’ Offers a Tragicomic Look at British Seaside Life The Twat Hat is a 12-minute comic video portrait of Barnaby Brookman, a hat shop assistant in the coastal town of Weymouth, England. In the short film, Brookman introduces viewers to “mylittlehatshop,” an independent business selling hats and beach apparel to both locals and tourists. Central to the story is the shop’s most controversial item: bucket hats emblazoned with the word “Twat”. The hats’ unexpectedly broad appeal—and the pushback they receive on the high street—drive much of the film’s tension and humour. But The Twat Hat goes beyond novelty merchandise. The film explores themes of British counterculture, religion, morality and the decline of traditional retail. At its core is the portrait of a man navigating life and grief in a quirky seaside town, using laughter as a means of staying grounded... sort of.

In July 2021 my father Bill Brookman retired from being a theatre practitioner. But what is a theatre practitioner? Well, in a 50 year career he's worked internationally as a musician, actor, director, street performer, puppeteer and a one man band. And there's more. After the break up of my parents' marriage in the early 1990s, Bill founded an arts collective which toured war zones. Funded by the United Nations, this group visited complicated and dangerous countries like Haiti, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Kosovo - attempting to promote cultural cohesion and celebrate local heritage. It didn't always work. A Portrait of the Artist upon Retirement is a series of interviews between myself and dad over lockdown, showcasing a huge archive of unseen footage and photography. We get to grips with his vaulting ambition, his occasionally Quixotic temperament and his ever-evolving creative practice.