Our Story

Journey to the West started as a discussion between aunty and niece duo, Sibyl and Zoe Coldham. In 2019, Zoe directed a short documentary for the London School of Acupuncture. During the process of production, she witnessed a profession that was struggling for recognition and saw the potential to explore a wider story of Chinese Medicine, an often misunderstood medical philosophy. Zoe began to discuss what she had witnessed with her Aunty, Sibyl Coldham, who heads The TCM Development Trust and who was crucial in the early development of the Chinese Medicine education in the UK. One of the Trust’s aims is to  address the misinformation in the public perception of Chinese Medicine, and so after many talks, we decided to embark on this journey to produce a longer form documentary which aims to demystify the Chinese medical practice and address the challenges it faces from the Western medical establishment. 


Meet the Team

Zoe Coldham

Director

Zoe Coldham is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and portrait photographer. She graduated with a Bsa of Film and Television from Swinburne University. Her first short documentary, Charlotte, won Best Documentary at an Academy Awards qualifying event, The St Kilda Film Festival. In 2018, she worked as a cinematographer on two feature length documentaries which went on to premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Her passion lies in exploring untold stories and creating acceptance through education and understanding.

Sibyl Coldham

Writer/Producer

Writer and producer, Sibyl Coldham,  has worked in Chinese Medicine education since the ‘80s as educational developer at the London School of Acupuncture. She then joined the course team for the Practitioner Development programme when the London School of Acupuncture  joined the University of Westminster. In 2005, she moved back into educational development as director of the University’s Centre for Professional Learning Development, working for better outcomes for students through practice-based and inclusive learning across the University. Since 2015, she has been director and then chair of The TCM Development Trust, which was set up by the London School of Acupuncture to support Chinese Medicine education and research. With the closure of the Westminster course in 2019, she led a change in direction for the Trust to promote the public understanding of Chinese Medicine, which directly led to the funding of this film.

Journey to the West is produced by Palour Ltd and financed by The TCM Development Trust. Directed by Zoe Coldham and written and produced by Sibyl Coldham. 

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