Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

It might be the age of Facebook and Twitter, but a group of Leeds teenagers have chosen to define themselves through one of the most ancient forms of culture out there: the spoken poem. But these aren’t any old poems but anguished, witty full-throated diatribes, voicing the concerns of a generation of multi-ethnic British teenagers. Brave New Voices, the most prestigious poetry slam competition in America, has chosen Leeds Young Authors to represent the UK at their upcoming competition in Washington DC. Sheffield-based filmmakers Alex Ramseyer-Bache and Daniel Lucchesi follow the group as they prepare for a transformational journey of a lifetime. With a mix of cinematically crafted lyrical sequences with raw, intimate actuality documentary, 'We Are Poets' challenges our understanding of youth by giving them the stage, allowing them the chance to speak for themselves. Anyone tempted to dismiss today’s teenagers as politically apathetic layabout’s better pay heed: here is electrifying evidence to the contrary.

Synopsis

Inspired by a visit to Zabriskie Point – this film re-visits and contemporises Antonioni’s 1970 film of the same name. Aligning with Antonioni's stated intentions – to produce a work as "an idea in landscape" – the film undertakes a programme of visual and social research for the earlier film.

Synopsis

In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always did, but why does he now have a strange accent? Why does he look so different? And why doesn't the family seem to notice these glaring inconsistencies? It's only when an investigator starts asking questions that this strange tale takes an even stranger turn.
Documentary meets Film Noir in this astonishing true story which has all the twists and turns of a great thriller. Just as the truth begins to dawn on you, another truth begins to emerge leaving you even more on edge.

Synopsis

An emotionally charged yet quiet film about an old couple going their separate ways. After a 50 year roller-coaster relationship fuelled by love, hate, and accusations of infidelity, now magnified by the filmmaker’s Grandmother’s obsession with the past, his Grandfather has reluctantly decided he can no longer cope with the continual verbal abuse and constant attention she requires. They will part: Taki leaving for Cyprus, whilst Tina is being prepared for a nursing home. One More Kiss is a film about a pivotal point of decision in the lives of two colourfully rich characters and explores the substance of love and the overriding consequences of age, migration and illness. It delves into the existential realities of the tragic nature of all relations and ultimately love. A minimalist and intensely moving look at old age - filled with moments of beauty, sadness and humour.

Synopsis

'The Summit' is a feature length documentary about the deadliest day in modern mountain climbing history. In August of 2008, 22 climbers from several international expeditions converged on High Camp of K2, the last stop before the summit of the most dangerous mountain on Earth. 48 hours later, eleven had been killed or simply vanished into thin air. Like a horror movie come-to-life, it was as if the mountain began stealing lives, one climber at a time. At the feet of the heavens – ‘the death zone’ - the body literally dies with each passing second and the mind can play tricks. Morality above 8,000 metres is skewed 180 degrees from the rest of life. When a climber falls or wanders off the trail, the unwritten code of the sport is to leave them for dead. Survival depends on self- preservation at all costs.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of the golden age of grand prix motor racing when the cars were sleek, fast and dangerous; a time when the drivers became rock stars and money poured into the sport from television and sponsoring deals. 1960s through the 1970s Formula One witnessed a staggering number of deaths on the track as the circuit became a playground for daredevils and playboys. Those who survived began a revolution that saved countless lives and fought for innovation in safety and engineering that launched Formula One in the modern era.

Synopsis

A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests.

Synopsis

Every evening during exam season, as the sun sets over Conakry, Guinea, hundreds of school children begin a nightly pilgrimage to the airport, petrol stations and wealthy parts of the city, searching for light to study.

Synopsis

'Folie a Deux - Madness Made of Two' is a quintessentially English tale with a universal message. The story is prophetic, refreshingly humorous, and driven by Helen, a ‘love her, hate her, but you can’t ignore her’ character. Helen, a single mother of seven whom along with her new lover, risks bankruptcy and homelessness to fulfill a dream.

Shot over five years and set in the oldest house in England. This film is an intimate portrayal of a large, bohemian family with all the ups and downs of daily life, an intriguing insight into England's history, and current obsessions. It’s a nail-biting journey through the economic crash and life's biggest gamble.

However, unlike ‘The Queen of Versailles’, this is not a story of the conspicuous consumerism of billionaires; rather this is ‘our’ story, this is the human cost of the banking crisis.

Synopsis

Shot in England and Nigeria this evocative film builds on the lives of African women living in the UK separated from their families.
The stories are based on news reports and Joy's own life, including voicemails left on her answer-machine by the legendary singer Nina Simone, her self proclaimed ‘Spiritual Mother’.

Synopsis

Infamous club promoter, actor and singer, ROBERT PERENO who describes himself as a bi-polar, loquacious narcissist, ROBERT PERENO is a seductive, charming and brutally honest man. The Promoter follows a year in his life….

Robert gives an overview of his past from a privileged up-bringing in ex-pat Calcutta during the 60s, to his foray into music, acting and club land, where he promoted many top London nightclubs such as The Camden Palace, The Wag, Crazy Larry's and SW1 to name a few.

Never lost for words, always with a quote and a handy aphorism, we see Robert ecstatic as he promotes his new Film Club and Singer Old Fashioned Daisy Tallulah Johnson. Then, conversely in the pits of despair, when his addictive proclivities get the better of him, to capsize his projects, his marriage and his life.

With help from a colourful ensemble of co-stars from Adam Ant, DJ Rusty Egan, actress & singer Eve Ferret, DJ Gaz Mayall to help illuminate his life, Robert manages to find hope through his friends for a new kind of future...

Synopsis

The Runner is a film about endurance. It is the story of Salah Ameidan, a champion runner from Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, whose journey transformed him from an athlete into the symbol of a national liberation movement. 

Forced to join Morocco's Junior Athletics team at 14, he was soon an international champion. But while he won gold medals for Morocco, he and his family were being arrested, detained and tortured in prison by Morocco for their independence activism.

In 2003, as he won a crucial race in France, he pulled out the Sahrawi flag - illegal in Morocco. He immediately became both a refugee and a hero to his people. Even in France, he suffers attacks, and his family are harassed, detained, tortured and even killed by the Moroccan regime.

The Runner follows Salah over three critical years in his life. As he turns 30, the Arab Spring is born in a protest camp in Western Sahara. The film looks at the burden of being a hero and asks "How long, before you stop running"?