In the third installment of Spotlight on Directors, Andy Oxley discusses his latest project, Drainspotting. The film, which has been entered into the Northampton Film Festival (running from 7th to 15th March), tells the story of Archie Workman, a provincial drain enthusiast.
Drainspotting was a spin-off from Born to Be Mild, a documentary filmed by Andy and Joshua Grant, that explores the world of the Dull Men’s Club—an organization celebrating individuals with quirky enthusiasms for seemingly mundane subjects, such as roundabouts, milk bottles, and escalators.
Watch Born to Be Mild below:
Director Biography – Andy Oxley, Joshua Gaunt
Andy is a documentary director based in London. His short documentaries have screened at festivals including SXSW, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Melbourne International Film Festival and Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival. His most recent film ‘Born to Be Mild’ made the Cinema Eye Honors Top 10 short nonfiction films of the year and appeared on BBC Three and Amazon Prime. He has also directed prime time documentaries for Channel 4 and Channel 5.
I sat down with Andy to discuss Drainspotting, delving into his inspirations, passion for the ordinary, and creative vision. Watch our conversation, with extracts from the trailer of Drainspotting, below:
Drainspotting will be screened at Delapre Abbey on Sunday March 9th at 11.30 am. Tickets can be purchased from https://northamptonfilmfestival.co.uk/
For further details about Northampton Film Festival visit https://northantsmag.co.uk/northampton-film-festival-2025-why-you-cant-miss-northamptons-answer-to-cannes or https://northamptonfilmfestival.co.uk/