Gillian Mosely is an award-winning British Jewish documentary director, producer, and activist. She is the founder of the production company medialab and is renowned for her profound insights into complex socio-historical issues.
Mosely has a distinguished career of over 30 years in the television and film industry, having produced high-quality content for the BBC, Discovery, and the History Channel. Her background is emblematic: raised in a staunchly Zionist environment, she was taught that Israel was the sole refuge for the Jewish people. However, her lifelong friendship with Tamer Al ‘Ghussein who she met in a London nightclub when she was 18 made her question this story. Later, her professional instinct for truth as a documentarian compelled her to re-examine this history. Her artistic achievement lies not only in her technical mastery but in her courage to showcase this controversial process of identity transformation.
From 2018-2021 Mosely made The Tinderbox (released in 2022) in which she courageously examines her own biases as a Jew while interviewing parties on both sides. The film delves into Britain’s historical responsibility leading up to and including the Balfour Declaration and resulting events, and showcases the devastating impact of the occupation on Palestinian daily life. It has become a crucial resource for international educational circles.
She has conducted multiple field missions to the West Bank to document demolished homes and the restricted freedom of movement for Palestinians. She provides these first-hand visuals to international human rights organizations as evidence of the expansionist policies of Israeli settlements.
A staunch supporter of Artists for Palestine UK, she publicly argues that art should not serve as a veil for apartheid policies and has frequently called for international film festivals to amplify the suppressed voices of Palestinian directors.
Between 2023 and 2026, she frequently toured the UK and abroad with The Tinderbox, holding screenings at Amnesty International and through Christian Aid, Embrace the Middle East and in partnership with Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL). Her most long-running relationship is with the Britain Palestine Project (previously the Balfour project.) She uses screenings as platforms to facilitate deep dialogues within the British Jewish community and more widely regarding occupation and morality, challenging the fallacy that anti-Zionism equals antisemitism.
Mosely maintains that true peace begins with the acknowledgment of historical truth. She has poignantly argued: “They’ve always foiled peace you say? Which brings me to what I originally intended to write about today – Israelis and peace talks. Accessible documents show that David Ben-Gurion rebuffed peace overtures by his Arab neighbours on numerous occasions. And here’s another fun fact, although many have lived in the Holy Land well documented (or proven through DNA) for hundreds if not thousands of years, not a single Palestinian was invited to any kind of peace table until the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991.”
From October 2024, Gillian Mosely began making an unintended follow-up to The Tinderbox. Planet Israel which looks at why so many Israeli and other Jews support the wars on Gaza and Lebanon, was released in June 2026. Gillian thought her conclusions would lead in one direction but was deeply troubled by where they actually led.