I create films to convey messages of injustice, give a voice to those affected and instigate positive change.
I am currently working with the documentary filmmaker Roberto Duque. The film's aim is to amplify the voices of those affected by injustice. It showcases the making of powerful art works and how these are used as a form of art therapy. We are creating a film that leaves a lasting impression on its audience and spark positive change.
Filmmaker Roberto Duque writes “I Lost My Colours’ is an intimate 40-minute documentary about artist Mo Lea - who survived a horrific attack in Leeds in 1980. An attack that bore the hallmarks of one of the UK’s most infamous serial killers – the Yorkshire Ripper – but which was never properly investigated by West Yorkshire Police. For more than 40 years, Mo’s attempts to get justice – and closure – have fallen on deaf ears. Throughout that time her art has been a life-saving outlet for her emotions – and it tells a powerful story. From a colourless world in the aftermath of the attack, vibrancy has slowly returned”
Ripping up the Ripper.
The first part is the film ‘Facing Evil’, which focused on the haunting black and white exhibition she created immediately after the attack
Mo has never spoken so honestly and extensively before. Her experiences reveal an untold chapter of police failings within the investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper. But this story goes much deeper. It is a nuanced and profound account of the legacy of trauma, a story of survival, and a story about the power of art.
Lady Justice is projected onto the House of Commons
This piece fuses the two defining aspects of Mo’s character. Art becomes activism as she projects her drawing of Lady Justice onto the Houses of Parliament to shine a light on the injustice that she and many other unrecognised victims of crime have faced.
The film is punctuated with flashbacks charting the evolution of Mo’s art. Through the ups and many downs of the last forty years, art has been her constant companion – and, as she puts it, her saviour. The passage of time has brought colour back into her life and, by extension, into her work. As a means of expression and release, the work itself has also added vibrancy to her world. Mo’s final message within the film, for anyone who relates to her story, is about the value of channelling energy into creative spaces. She believes hope can be found there.