Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

As editor of The Sunday Times for fourteen years, Sir Harold Evans proved to be the right man in the right place at the right time. In an investigative climate all too rare by today's standards, Evans had the freedom and resources to allow teams of journalists to work on long-term projects, including the exposure of Kim Philby as a Soviet spy. Evans' longest and most hard fought campaign was for the victims of Thalidomide. Originally developed by the Germans in World War II to counter effect sarin gas, post-war the drug was blithely prescribed by British doctors as an antidote to morning sickness, unwittingly leading to tens of thousands of children being born with serious defects. The Sunday Times' fight to win compensation for their struggling families would take more than a decade, as Evans tenaciously pursued the drug companies through the English courts and beyond. Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 - World premiere

Synopsis

In a pre-doping cycling era, years before the emergence of Lance Armstrong, the American Greg LeMond was recruited as a teenager to the French Renault team, where he developed a close friendship with Bernard "The Badger" Hinault. They traveled the world together, but their camaraderie was soon to turn to enmity. In "an individual sport practiced by teams", LeMond was forced to play loyal lieutenant to the leader Hinault in 1985, despite being the more capable rider that summer. Hinault promised to repay him the following year – his brazen retraction of that promise still astonishes LeMond and his wife nearly thirty years on. Speaking to all the major players, where emotions still run high, 'Slaying the Badger' dissects the fascinating complexities of professional cycling.

Synopsis

When Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan stepped off the moon in December 1972 he left his footprints and his daughter’s initials in the lunar dust. Only now, over forty years later, is he ready to share his epic but deeply personal story of fulfillment, love and loss. Cernan’s burning ambition carried him from a quiet Chicago suburb to the spectacular and hazardous environment of space, and ultimately, to the moon. But there was a heavy price to be paid along the way. As Cernan's wife Barbara famously remarked, "If you think going to the moon is hard, try staying at home." Using a wealth of rare archive, home movies, scrapbooks and intimate moments with his closest friends and family, Cernan brings spine-tingling experiences to the big screen more vividly than any moonwalker has done before.

Synopsis

After the Dance is a deeply personal film, by award-winning documentary maker Daisy Asquith, who unlocks a family secret that is still causing shame and outrage in an insulated village in County Clare, Ireland.

Synopsis

One night in December 1995, four tons of weapons fall from the sky over India. A few days later a Danish man returns to Denmark with a grave secret. Only when an English arms dealer is arrested in India and faces death does the Dane appear in the large scale international investigation of the case. Göteborg Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Synopsis

72-82 tells the story of the first ten years of Acme Studios and their ground breaking work providing artists' housing and studios in London. It also features some of the pioneering exhibitions at the Acme Gallery that was based in Covent Garden from 1976-81. The film comprises visual archive materials brought to life by the voices of the artists involved.

Synopsis

A follow-up to 'You've Been Trumped', which takes up where the previous film left off. American billionaire property developer Donald Trump and other rapacious developers battle local heroes in Scotland in their effort to build luxury golf resorts that end up costing the earth. Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014 - World premiere

Synopsis

A drawing line explores the life and death of my Grandfather. Through a fluid line, etching out the shaky outline of the story of his Grandfather’s unconventional life and unexpected death in rural Greece, the artist is also discovering parts of himself and sharing his reflections on their identities.

Synopsis

A technographic study of e-recycling and neo-colonial mining filmed in the Agbogbloshie ewaste ground in Accra, Ghana. The video constructs a critique of the capitalist myth of the immateriality of new technology - thus revealing the mineral weight with which the Cloud is grounded to its earthly origins.

Synopsis

“Hermitage Revealed" tells the story of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg - one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. Holding over 3 million objects and boasting more curators than any other museum, this special film investigates remarkable stories of dedication, devotion, ownership and ultimate sacrifice, showing how the collection came about, how it survived tumultuous revolutionary times and what makes the Hermitage unique today. The film access the museum’s director, curators and historical eyewitnesses and feature significant objects from the Hermitage’s collection, whose stories thread throughout the film. The film reveals the workings of the Hermitage by going behind the scenes to observe the restorers, artists, archives and rare, hidden treasures not on show to the public in the world’s largest museum open storage complex.  During its 250 year history, the Hermitage transposed from an Imperial Palace to a State Museum. Its story is Russia’s history in microcosm.

Synopsis

An epistolary feature film: a cinematic discourse between a British director Mark Cousins (the celebrated film maker and historian) and an Iranian actress and director Mania Akbari (famed for her work with Abbas Kiarostami and in her own right as a director) which extends the concept of "essay film" with startling confrontations in the arenas of cultural issues, gender politics and differing artistic sensibilities. A unique journey into the minds of two exceptional filmmakers which becomes a love affair on film. Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014 - World premiere

Synopsis

A journey through time that reflects on the social, political, financial, musical and cultural revolutions that have taken place in Rio over the past 40 turbulent years. It is also a journey through the city's evolving and eclectic music scene, and an expression on the power of music - as a form of protest and comment - that can be a catalyst for change.