A BAFTA award winning filmmaker has told how he was once warned that moving to Brighton would damage his career.

Phil Grabsky’s film My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years In Afghanistan won the Best Single Documentary award at the Bafta Television Awards on Sunday.

Phil, 58, moved from London to Brighton in 1990 and brought his company Seventh Art Productions with him. 

Since then Seventh Art has produced dozens of critically-acclaimed films which have been shown in nearly 100 countries, as well as making documentaries for huge UK broadcasters. 

Phil told The Argus that when he first decided to move, he was warned against it by a major news channel exec. 

He said: “I remember him saying to me ‘you’ve now joined the open toe sandal brigade’ and he was basically saying ‘you know your career’s going to take a hit’ 

“When we came here, we were basically the first independent production company. Now of course there’s hundreds. 

“The idea that it makes any difference where you are - you’re as likely to win a Bafta in Brighton as you are in London. 

“And I think that’s great.” 

Phil’s entire staff live in the city and he explained that they would not want to live anywhere else. 

He said: “We are a healthy, happy company, people go swimming, people go running on the Downs. 

“Broadly speaking, our work-life balance is nice.

“This was a really tough project to make, with no support at times. 

“I can make the case that being based in Brighton, working with the people I work with has absolutely helped.”

Phil himself enjoys running at Brighton Phoenix Athletics Club, in Withdean, and said that it provides “a release” from all his hard work. 

He said: “The advantage of being in Brighton is you can work, you can go for a run, you can carry on working, you can go down to the track, you can come back and carry on working.

“We always make the point to say we’re Brighton based and proud of it.”

The Argus:

My Childhood, My Country follows the life of a boy in Afghanistan over two decades, telling his story and that of his country post 9/11.

The profile captures Mir’s whole story - including marriage, children, poverty, and heartbreak - culminating in a move to start a new life in Kabul as a cameraman with hope for his, and now his family’s future. 

Phil Grabsky said: “We are delighted to win this most prestigious of awards. 

“There are so many great documentaries made and to be picked out in this way by one’s peers is special for me and all my wonderful colleagues at Seventh Art. 

“More importantly, I hope it encourages folk to watch the film at seventh-art.com and to remember Afghanistan and to continue, in whatever small way, to help those poor people who are just the same as you and me but suffer on a daily basis”. 

My Childhood, My Country is available at https://seventh-art.com/

Phil’s next project Pissarro: Father Of Impressionism is out in cinemas May 24, and will be available in cinemas.