Cole Robinson

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Cole Robinson
Born
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England
Education Northumbria University
OccupationDocumentary filmmaker
Website www.colerobinson.co.uk

Cole Robinson is a British documentary filmmaker from Teesside, England. His work explores themes of geopolitics, working-class communities, and global social issues, [1] [2] and has been featured in museum exhibitions across the United Kingdom. [3]

Contents

Robinson is the founder of Filmit UK, [4] [5] a video production company. [6]

Early life and education

Robinson was born in Middlesbrough and grew up in Redcar, Teesside, in North East England. [1] He received his early education from Rye Hills Academy in Redcar. [2] [4]

Robinson launched his first business venture at the age of 12, selling autographs online, and went on to study economics, media studies, and business at Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough. [6] [7]

He later attended Northumbria University in Newcastle, where he graduated with a first class honours degree in entrepreneurial business management. [5] During his time at university, Robinson established Filmit UK, a video production enterprise. [5] [2]

Career

His early career included travel and commercial film projects. In 2018, while studying at Northumbria University, Robinson was commissioned to create video content for the Moroccan National Tourism Board's “Visit Morocco” campaign, following the success of an independent travel film he produced in the country. [6]

In 2022, Robinson released Exploring Croatia in 97 Seconds, produced during a five-week backpacking trip. [8]

In 2023, his documentary How One City Is Quietly Dominating World Football explored football culture in Rosario, Argentina, hometown of footballer Lionel Messi. Filmed shortly after the 2022 World Cup final, the documentary considered how Rosario, despite socio-economic difficulties, consistently produces professional football players. [9] [10]

In 2024, Robinson produced The Dark Reality of Life on Easter Island , a documentary which examined contemporary issues faced by the indigenous Rapa Nui community, including cultural preservation, economic exploitation, and environmental pressures resulting from tourism. [7] [1]

In 2025, Robinson worked on Europe's Border Crisis Hidden in Africa, which featured commentary from David Stenner, filming at the fence, and archival documentation of violence at the border. [2] Robinson also produced a documentary examining Gibraltar’s underground tunnel network and its military history, featuring interviews with historian Geraldine Finlayson as well as archival material and on-location filming inside the tunnels. [11] [12] [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gouldsbrough, Patrick (20 September 2024). "Filmmaker shares secrets of 'one of the most isolated places on earth' in documentary". The Northern Echo.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Barlow, Georgia (16 July 2025). "Yorkshire filmmaker visits Europe's deadliest land border in new documentary". Yorkshire Post .
  3. Robson, Dave (20 July 2025). "Tees filmmaker who made Messi movie handpicked by British Library". Teesside Live.
  4. 1 2 "Cole Robinson | Rye Hills Academy". www.ryehillsacademy.co.uk.
  5. 1 2 3 "The graduate behind the North East's fastest growing video agency". 1 November 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 "Entrepreneurial student frames new career in film". Northumbria University. 14 February 2018.
  7. 1 2 Banks, Georgia (15 December 2024). "Redcar filmmaker who 'broke mould' returns to college to inspire students". Teesside Live.
  8. "VIDEO: Exploring Croatia in 97 Seconds". Croatia Week. 20 January 2022.
  9. Miah, Rahima (5 June 2023). "Middlesbrough filmmaker visits Messi's childhood home for new documentary; Cole Robinson investigated how the city the footballing legend grew up in has gone on to produce talented footballers". Evening Gazette.
  10. Miah, Rahima (5 June 2023). "Boro filmmaker visits Messi's childhood home for new documentary". Teesside Live.
  11. "New documentary explores Gibraltar's underground tunnel network". Chronicle.gi. 2025.
  12. "Un documental pone al descubierto la red de túneles y la historia militar de Gibraltar". Europa Sur (in Spanish). 2025.
  13. "Independent filmmaker shines the spotlight on the Rock's tunnel network". GBC News. 2025.