Joanna Hellier

Executive Director

Joanna Hellier is a storyteller, strategist, and community architect on a mission to transform how the world sees food, culture, and climate. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Who Let The Docs Out, she's building the infrastructure that impact documentaries have always needed but never had — turning isolated filmmakers into a global movement.

Under Joanna's leadership, Who Let The Docs Out has grown into a community of 55+ filmmakers across 16 countries, launched competitive grant programs reviewed by industry leaders from Dogwoof, Submarine, Netflix, BFI, and Sheffield Doc Fest, and created strategic frameworks that help documentary films reach mainstream audiences and drive measurable change. She leads strategy and partnerships, designs grants and mentorship programs, oversees fundraising, curates the advisory committee, and fosters the community growth that keeps filmmakers from reinventing the wheel.

Before launching Who Let The Docs Out, Joanna co-founded Root The Future in Thailand, where she organized the country's largest sustainability festival (2020), launched national campaigns reaching millions, created viral environmental content, and coordinated film premieres including Eating Our Way To Extinction in Bangkok. She also established and produced the Thailand Climate Food Awards (2020, 2021, 2022), built partnerships with NGOs, and delivered speeches at the United Nations on the role of food systems in climate action (2022). Her background in marketing and community building gave her the rare ability to translate complex environmental and food system issues into campaigns, events, and activations that actually move people.

As a filmmaker, Joanna is an award-winning producer and director whose work has been featured on HBO Asia and the Asian Food Network. She produced and created the 6-part docuseries Thai Street Food: Best Kept Secrets, acquired by Warner Brothers Discovery for HBO Max Asia, and directed The Vicious Cycle, currently in sales. Her films have earned recognition at festivals worldwide, including Best Director at Frome Climate Festival (2024), Best TV Series at Milan Independent Awards (2024), and Best Series at Sugarloaf Film Festival (2025).

Joanna has lived and worked across Dubai, Bangkok, Phuket, and now Berlin, where she continues to lead Who Let The Docs Out and produce impact documentaries through ClimateCats Studios.