Riaz has a wealth of experience in the craft of editing.
He began when editing was still being done on film (he knows his way around a splicer and could lace-up a Steenbeck or Pic Sync for you!
Riaz helped pioneer the first computer editing systems, beginning on Lightworks and then Avid. He progressed through Final Cut Pro and now does his professional work on both Avid and Adobe Premiere Pro.
Riaz trained at the National Film & Television School, where he edited the short film Losing Touch, which went on to win the Youth Jury Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
Since then he has enjoyed a rich film-making career and has been fortunate enough to practice his craft in both drama and documentary. He was worked on a host of British Continuing Dramas, winning a BAFTA along the way, and has made a number of long form music documentaries. His acclaimed portrait of singer Janet Baker, In Her Own Words, was named the 2019 Best TV Arts and Entertainment Programme at the VLV Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting.
He has forged a creative relationship with the ventriloquist Nina Conti. He produced and edited her first film, Her Master’s Voice, which won the SXSW Global Award and the Grierson Award, as well as getting nominated for a BAFTA and UK Broadcast Award. Riaz has recently completed work on Nina Conti’s feature film directorial debut, Sunlight.