Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

An experimental documentary made in collaboration with young inner city horse riders from Stepney Bank Stables in Byker, Newcastle. It is loosely centred on their Alternative Provision programme - a unique alternative for teenagers who struggle in mainstream education settings. Recasting Byker as the Wild West, this project sits at the porous boundary between fact and fiction, combining re-contextualised iPhone clips shot by the riders and archival material with artist/filmmaker Harry Lawson's own footage. Official Selection Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

Exploring how war becomes spectacle in the age of endless scrolling. Following a group of young Ukrainians as they watch their country’s destruction unfold online, the film blends vérité intimacy with experimental absurdity to reveal how social media is reshaping our relationship to trauma, detachment, and the limits of empathy.

Synopsis

As thousands of people travel to see the total solar eclipse in Texas, one woman drives from Dallas to New Mexico, in search of a legal abortion. Concurrently, people in a town off the Interstate she is driving along decide whether to crack down on 'abortion traffickers' like her. Official Selection Odense Film Festival 2025 Official Selection Telluride Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

ALSO RESISTERS considers solidarity across generations and geography. Adapted from a 1968 essay by the gay American socialist David E. McReynolds, the short archival film takes the images and sounds of the American war in Vietnam to reflect on the feedback loop between militarism abroad and at home - and the people who resisted it. Official Selection DOC NYC 2025 - Shorts Competition

Synopsis

A 50-year-old Australian mother, frustrated with the restrictive French education system, secretly embarks on a road trip with her 8-year-old son to create a more open-minded and experiential childhood - only to be stopped by authorities who question whether she is truly his mother.

Synopsis

In 2024, 82 people lost their lives crossing the English Channel while seeking safety in the UK - the deadliest year on record. In the wake of grief, a poignant journey along the English coast unveils the darker undercurrents beneath the surface. Archiving the sites and textures of the border architecture in the port town of Dover, the film invites viewers to inhabit the tactile imprints of border violence, in a deeply moving contemplation of how borders shape our relationship to place.

Synopsis

A film about a small 'burgh' called Langholm and the emotional effect the place, and its people, had on the normally stoic astronaut Neil Armstrong. From BAFTA winner Duncan Cowles comes a wry, beautiful slice of Scottish life and a unique tale about on one of America's most famous sons. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2025 BAFTA Film Awards 2026 - Longlisted - Best British Short Film

Synopsis

What are the borders of the United Kingdom? Roaming landscapes filmed in 16mm reveal physical traces of different boundaries throughout the nation. People encountered while filming lend their voice to stories from Brook House, a large immigration detention centre on the outskirts of London. A contemplation on the ways migration is perceived and controlled across the country.

Synopsis

An illegal immigrant tries to convince the authorities to permit him to stay in the UK.

Synopsis

Four queer people, in beautiful and striking sites and environments across Scotland, ask questions about the stories we choose to tell and how these stories shape the lives of those who come after us. The film is an archive for the future, claiming space for marginalised cultures, languages and identities.

Synopsis

Virtual reality creator Hiyu is facing kidney failure. His online friend Photographotter travels from New York City to Stockholm to be a live donor to Hiyu, revealing a lifesaving friendship formed in VR. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2025 - European premiere Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 Official Selection Hot Docs International Film Festival 2025 Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025