Riley Alexandra Dedio
(Pronouns: she / her | formerly known as Florian Dedio)
I’m Riley Alexandra, a proud lesbian mom and filmmaker from Leipzig, Germany. I write and direct (and sometimes shoot and edit), mostly documentaries and documentary series.
My films are available on Netflix, ZDFinfo, NDR, ARTE, and other broadcasters and streaming services worldwide. Since my coming out, my projects have, even moreso than before, centered marginalized (especially queer) viewpoints.
You can watch my series The Cuba Libre Story, Age of Tanks and Sea Power on Netflix, my series Lost Places – Geheime Welten on ZDF (if you’re not geoblocked), find me on IMDb, or check out my demo reel:
About Me
Storytelling is my passion, first and foremost.
I’m an author, a director, and a producer (and sometimes cinematographer and editor). I have been creating documentaries, documentary series, as well as fictional short and feature films, web series and theatre plays for the past 15 years.
I grew up on the “other side” of the Berlin Wall, on the East German shores of the Baltic Sea, and I do suppose this background has had an influence on my storytelling ever since.
My passion for cinematic storytelling began when I was gifted a photocopy of the screenplay of one of my favorite movies on my 16th birthday (thanks forever, Jules!).
I made my first feature film while still in high school and went on to study screenwriting, as well as acting, producing, and cinematography at Vancouver Film School.
My newest projects as author and director include the Netflix Series The Cuba Libre Story, Age of Tanks and Sea Power, and the ZDFinfo series Lost Places – Geheime Welten.
My latest project as producer is the award-winning ARTE/ARD/BBC documentary drama series 14 – Diaries of the Great War.
My specialty and my passion is history.
I’ve explored (almost) all epochs of human history, from Ancient Rome to the 21st Century in documentary film projects.
A lot of my historical work features military history, from archaeological discoveries on ancient battle sites to the history of tanks.
Aside from history, I explore current affairs and natural history in my documentaries as well.
Most of my documentary projects are international co-productions. Partners have included co-production companies and broadcasters from Canada, France, Russia, England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden and Italy.
Aside from making documentaries, I also write and direct fictional short and feature films, web series projects and stage plays.
I have published one book accompanying a documentary series of mine, and am working on more book projects, both accompanying and independently of other projects.
It is my vision to create projects that blend documentary and fiction, that are as emotional, authentic and engaging that they blur the lines between fiction and non-fiction.
Even moreso than that, the more I discover of who I am, the more my projects will become intersectional, queer, and inclusive.
Services
I have been writing, directing, and creative producing documentaries and fictional films for over 13 years.
What can I do for you?
Inception
I can help by creating documentary or fictional film projects from scratch, or take an initial story idea, imbue it with the right research, to develop a first pitch, or a more detailed expose.
It is always easiest to ensure sensitivity, (queer) inclusion and intersectionality if these aspects are a part of the project from the start, and I pride myself in ensuring this in all projects I work on.
Localization
In today’s world of international co-productions, projects need to be relevant to their target markets from the beginning.
This is especially relevant to make them interesting for national and regional film funds. With over a decade of adjusting projects for European and German film funds, I can help develop stories to make them a better fit for any desired market.
Again, inclusivity is core to my work.
Development
I specialize in taking project ideas and exposés and developing them according to broadcaster, co-producer, and film fund requirements into treatments or first script drafts.
Whatever the necessities of your customer are, let’s talk about how best to highlight them, while also ensuring broad compatibility, inclusivity, (queer) visibility, and intersectionality.
Creative Team Building
Any film project will only be as good as the members of its creative team are at collaborating.
Here, too, the inclusion of a wide variety of different backgrounds is key to guaranteeing inclusive and nuanced storytelling.
Putting together the right team of writers, advisors, and other key creatives builds a strong foundation upon which the project as a whole will rest.
This kind of team building is something I specialize in.
Script Revisions
Things are bound to change as the project, whether fictional or documentary, moves towards filming. I ensure that these changes (and their ripple effects) are included in the scripts so as to guarantee consistency of the story.
Sensitivity (Reading)
As a queer trans author, I am often approached to help with editing and rewriting stories written by cis/non-queer authors in regards to sensitivity and inclusivity.
I have therefore decided to include sensitivity reading independently of whether I work in another capacity of a project to the services I offer.
If your manuscript can benefit from (and I promise you that it can) trans/queer sensitivity reading, please talk to me.
And if you require sensitivity reading of another background, I can help you find someone who will help.
Interviews
Finding the right interview partners for a documentary project is one thing.
Coming up with a visual style for the interviews is also a key ingredient.
But to me, asking the right questions, getting interview partners to open up and bring emotions to the screen, is by far the most important detail in ensuring top-quality interviews.
Filming
Almost no documentary (and certainly no fictional film) can succeed without it! I have extensive experience in directing everything from location shoots for classic documentary formats, via reenactments and documentary drama scenes, to full-on drama scenes for hybrid and fictional projects.
Additionally, I provide full-service documentary filming with my own gear.
Editing
Here is where it all comes together.
Here is where the editors and I, according to the guidelines set by the producers, say good-bye to the story we wanted to tell, and find the story we did tell.
CGI & Animation
Animations have become paramount to the success of just about any documentary project, and hardly any fictional film can thrive without some level of CGI.
From storyboarding to final revisions, I can help oversee these aspects of visual storytelling and ensure they fit into the creative and financial frame of the project at large.
