Jonny Halifax
Jonny Halifax is a multi disciplinary visual and audio artist. Working across the mediums of film, documentary, animation, graphic art and music. He has been consciously defying professional categorisation for over 30 years now. Since his original training in architecture he has pursued an eclectic cross disciplinary approach to working with the moving image, sound and print. He also often ends up editing music documentaries.
His inventive, sometimes unconventional, and an inherently DIY approach where editing and creating animated graphics are often integrated within the same film. This has led him to first work with Director Julien Temple on The Future Is Unwritten, his film about The Clash frontman Joe Strummer. This creative relationship continues to the present day; most recently working as animation supervisor on Crock Of Gold, A Few Rounds With Shane McGowan.
His work has been realised in many broadcast and feature documentaries, where his guiding interest in music and art have been explored. He has helped realise projects about Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, The Beatles, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Suggs, Wilko Johnson, Creation Records, Ibiza, The Glastonbury Festival and Band Aid to name a few. He has also made documentaries on contemporary modern art, computer gaming, and true crime.
When not in the edit suite Jonny can usually be found in the rehearsal room or recording studio with his band.
Work by Jonny
Keith Richards: The Origin Of The Species
My Life As a Rolling Stone: Mick Jagger
Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song
The Rjukan Sun Mirrors
Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane McGowan
Keith Richards: The Origin Of The Species
A Julien Temple film about Keith Richards’s postwar childhood and adolescence in Dartford and London. Exploring the cultural undercurrents and transformative thinking which occurred in England between 1945 and 1962 and made possible the worldwide explosion of British rock music during the 60s, in which Keith played such a crucial role.
My Life As a Rolling Stone: Mick Jagger
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie of The Rolling Stones each tell their own story of being in the biggest Rock and Roll band on earth.
Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song
Now and Then’s eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s. For years it looked like the song could never be completed.
The Rjukan Sun Mirrors
A short documentary for Mazda by VICE about the Rjukan sun mirrors in Norway.
Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane McGowan
intimate and chaotic portrait of one of Ireland’s most infamous cultural figures. Blending archival footage, animation, and candid conversations, the film traces MacGowan’s journey from a troubled but gifted youth in rural Ireland to punk icon and poet laureate of the downtrodden.
The film delves into MacGowan’s deep connection to Irish history and music, his punk rock ethos, and his tumultuous personal life, including struggles with addiction and fame.
Through wild tales, brutal honesty, and moments of tenderness, the film celebrates MacGowan’s artistic genius while not shying away from the darker sides of his persona. It’s as much a study of Ireland and rebellion as it is of MacGowan himself.