Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

A reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Othello; an exploration of Shakespeare's intentions when writing Othello, exploring the play's racial themes in a historical and contemporary setting and drawing wider parallels between immigration and blackness in the UK today. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - Create Strand

Synopsis

Spending over a year in Lebanon on the borders of Syria, documentary directors Sophia Scott and Georgia Scott tell the story behind the news reports. The film is a reflection of the strange chaotic lives of the people living in the shadow of the Syrian war, giving an intimate look at how four Syrians, whose collective struggles constitute the new frontline of the refugee crisis, are trying to find ways to overcome the torment of their shattered lives. Interwoven through the film are the contributions of a German professor who works with the local Syrian and Lebanese communities in the north trying to build a new model for peace through interfaith dialogue and access to education for the displaced Syrian children. These are the Syrian people who we see in the news drowning in the Mediterranean. These five protagonists are the people who will bring forward the global debate on the conflicts at hand from a human, rather than figures-based point of view.

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Documenting the life of Michael Pike, a veteran of the British army who struggled with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his experiences in Northern Ireland.

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The captivating story of Entity, the UK’s most successful and controversial under sixteen street dance crew and their epic journey to the Hip Hop world championship. Filmed in a direct cinema 'fly on the wall' style over nine months, this compelling and exciting story follows the trainers, the kids and their families as they lay everything on the line and battle to overcome the many challenges that face them, hoping to achieve their dream of world championship glory. From their training room in Barking to national and international competitions, 'the documentary gives us a unique and heartfelt insight into the lives of the kids and the adults supporting them, as they give everything in their bid for recognition on the world stage.

Synopsis

An unfiltered and authentic comedy of errors, revealing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in a house on the edge of a beautiful forest just north of Paris. If there are rules to break, they will be broken. If there is a truth to be told, they will tell it. Like countless others Philippe, Michel, Andre and Patrick were rejected as ‘idiots’ and locked away in violent asylums until the sixties when philosopher Jean Vanier secured their release, set up home with them, and came to realise that they knew something the rest of us are forgetting: what it is that makes us truly happy. Haunting memories upset Michel but he relishes his freedom on long walks in the forest with friends. Still optimistic Andre, approaching seventy, hopes to learn to drive and read, so he can take the woman he loves to a restaurant and choose from the menu without embarrassment. Beautifully shot for the cinema with full orchestra, The Idiots reveals the mutual benefits of making friends with people very different from ourselves - how vulnerable people help us forget our egos, forgive our enemies, and makes us wonder who the real idiots actually are.

Synopsis

Close observations around Southend-on-Sea, a small English town along the Thames estuary, reveal not only everyday streets, everyday birds, unflagging tides, mud and sky, but also prize-winning Indian curries, an encyclopedic universe of hats and a nearly lost world of proto-punk music. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2017 - New Frontier

Synopsis

A video piece exploring the connections between thinking and drawing. Filmed with Mina Pegourie, the cleaner of an artist in residence programme that Ana Mendes attended in France in 2014. Since she is unable to read or to write, Mina uses drawing as a tool for everyday life.

Synopsis

This film offers some insight into A -T ( Ataxia Telangiectasia ) a rare, genetic, neurodegenerative disease. The experience is not told by the medical profession, but those living with the condition on a daily basis. Filmed during an activity weekend in 2015.

Synopsis

PullTagKnot. At a young age I grew a dislike for my hair, morning nightmare of tangles and despair. It was not only the hassle but the scrutiny by the other schools kids and their curiosity. This led me towards a black woman's dream. a chemical altering tub of white cream...

Synopsis

January, 2013. A secretive transfer deal transported two Muslim players into the heart of Israel and the Jewish oriented Beitar Jerusalem F.C., leading to the most racist campaign in Israeli sport. One season and one football team in crisis, as power, money and politics fuel a club spiralling out of control. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2016 - TIFF Docs

Synopsis

An observational documentary following the first ever Deaf and disabled performance at the National Theatre in the heart of London's West End.

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The story of what happened to an English town during World War One with almost all of its men fighting abroad and its women and children left behind. The North East was in the front line, thanks to its shipyards and munitions factories. Using archive and contemporary footage and audio, this film collages the stories of people from Tyneside and Wearside to uncover just what life was like on the home front, with bombs falling on Britain for the first time, conscientious objectors sentenced to death, and women working as doctors, tram conductors and footballers. The narrative moves from an Edwardian golden era, in which sport grew in popularity and aircraft and cars pointed to a bright new future, to a war that horrifically reversed this progress. In the Battle of the Somme, British, French and German armies fought one of the most traumatic battles in military history. Over the course of just four months, more than one million soldiers were captured, wounded or killed in a confrontation of unimaginable horror.