Creative, intelligent, andenthusiastic Director with a passion for documentaries and specialist factual. I’ve researched, written and directed singles and factual series with prominent presenters and developed/ pitched across a whole range of programming– from history, arts, science, to access and ob-docs. Broad experience working throughout all stages of production; developing new ideas, working with talent, securing access and finding contributors, working with commissioners, managing partnerships with institutions, script-writing.

Credits include: 21st Century Mythologies (about Roland Barthes) and Danceworks for BBC Four, two Cutting Edge documentaries (Nurses and A-is-for-Accident) for Channel 4, A Late Show Special  for BBC 2, Bros: The Documentary for Sky TV, The New Russia for Channel 4 and The Unexplained for The History Channel.  

I’m currently developing ‘The Third Reich of Dreams’ a feature documentary with Snowstorm Productions, and republishing the book of the same name with Princeton University Press (April 2025). Out of print for almost 40 years, Zadie Smith recently wrote an essay about it here for The New York Review of Books.

I'm also working on a Radio documentary, commissioned by Radio 4 for Holocaust Memorial Day 2026. 

Reviews: 

 "makes the kind of intellectually stimulating TV that gives BBCFour its identity" (The Guardian) 

"Barthes complex ideas about myth and signs are neatly explained .. it's fascinating". (The Times)

 "these marvellous programmes provide a thought-provoking insight .. they are brilliant to watch" (Time Educational Supplement)

 "yet another brilliant Cutting Edge ... Rubin has taken in drama's mix of tone and content (and) her film works with great success" (The Observer)

References:

“Amanda is a wonderful colleague and is a fantastic addition to any team. She has strong storytelling skills and sense of character - she developed the most richly layered stories in ClearStory's Danceworks series with Sadler's Wells. And she directed our biopic of the French philosopher Roland Barthes with visual flair and wit, a passion for archive and the ability to communicate Barthes' ideas (no easy task) with clarity and power.”   Exec Producer, Clearstory

“Amanda is one of the best directors I ever worked with. She's really smart, she gets the subject quickly and deeply, she's great with people, she's very talented visually and she's utterly reliable and competent. So you get a beautiful, intelligent film, delivered on time, on budget and with no drama!”   Exec Producer, Wall to Wall TV