Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Two Eritrean girls enchant with fragmentary tales of escaping their country, telling us what it feels like living as an unaccompanied child refugee, alone in London. An intimate portrait, highlighting the emotional fallout of political conflict commissioned as part of London Borough of Islington's 'Kick Islamophobia' campaign.

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Music documentary about cult 'punk poet' Patrik Fitzgerald (born as Patrick Joseph Fitzgerald in Stratford, London, March 19, 1956) - son of working-class Irish immigrant parents, he began recording and performing during the punk rock movement in 1977. Composer of punk anthem 'Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart', Fitzgerald kicked against the punk orthodoxy by performing waif-like and vulnerably alone with an acoustic guitar and a tattered book of poems at the height of the punk revolution

Synopsis

This is a hard-hitting documentary about Condoleezza Rice, an extraordinary but little understood woman who rose from segregated Alabama to become the most powerful woman in the world. Incisive and shocking, this is the first retrospective film on the Bush Administration. It overturns the popular misconception of Rice as a yes-woman to President Bush to reveal her as his most enduring confidante, and thus responsible for much of the Bush legacy. This political, biographical documentary tells a Faustian story of a woman whose hubris tempted her into a pursuit of power that destroyed her core values, and hurtled America into a perilous new direction.   Dr Rice leads her own defense, through a series of candid interviews. We have exclusive interviews with her three most authoritative biographers: Marcus Mabry (Twice As Good); Glenn Kessler (The Confidante); and Antonia Felix (Condi).   The film's most disturbing revelations center on Rice's role as Chair of the group of 'Principals', whose role was to select and authorize torture techniques, which included water-boarding, fingernail extraction, and sleep deprivation. Condi signed off on the orders to the CIA with the words, 'This is your Baby, go do it!'.

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Born into a world of wealth and privilege, he devotes his life to eliminating poverty and inequality. A religious leader who traces his ancestry back to the Prophet Muhammad, he struggles to balance the traditional with the modern. His Highness the Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, a Shia sect with 15 million followers around the world. At a time when Islam is at odds with itself and with the West, the Aga Khan represents a voice of moderation, speaking out for pluralism and diversity, and promoting dialogue between civilizations. But will he be heard?  

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Commissioned as part of the 'Bridging the Gap' production scheme, At Home with the Jedi is a domestic portrait about faith, family and future, meeting the founders of the UK's Church of Jediism, whose galactic ambitions reach far beyond their small town existence.

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A young Iraqi woman from London travels to her homeland for the first time. On her personal journey through the country she meets a series of characters, each of whom is finding a way to get on with their lives in the aftermath of the invasion.

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Poet Leah Thorn is writer-in-residence at HMP Bronzefield, a high security womens prison in Middlesex. Through her workshops we meet a variety of women striving to find a voice through creative writing. Personal histories, emotions and inner conflicts are revealed through their poems and interactions.

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Ozlem is Kurdish. When her village in Turkish Kurdistan was bombed by the Turkish army Ozlem fled and came to London. She lives in the predominantly Turkish area of Dalston with Onur, her Turkish boyfriend. Her work in a Kurdish community centre helping Kurdish asylum seekers heightens the stresses and strains on her relationship with Onur. Far away from home and in a foreign land, she is struggling to make some sense of her own identity.

Synopsis

A rare insight into eighty years of cinema through the personal, first-hand recollections of one of Britain's most acclaimed filmmakers. Since 1918 as a child actor in silent movies alongside Dorothy Gish, Jack Cardiff's life and career in cinematography and directing have been inextricably interwoven with the history of cinema: from Dietrich, Powell and Pressburger's, Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes, Hitchcock, Huston's The African Queen, Monroe, Bogart, Flynn, Douglas to Schwarzenegger and Stallone. With interviews with over twenty famous actors, directors and producers, including unique behind-the scenes footage from Jack's own personal archive, the documentary is the most detailed film ever made on a cinematographer. Jack is a charismatic storyteller, whose exceptional experiences are both entertaining and inspirational.

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Cangleska Wakan discusses the 'sacred hoop' of the Sioux Lakota with discussions from powerful and respected contributors on Indian reservations in South Dakota.

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Commissioned as part of the 'Bridging the Gap' production scheme, short documentary Christmas with Dad follows 23-year-old AJ as he and his family prepare for the festive season and the arrival of an eighth child. With remarkable access and insight the film reveals a young man struggling to define his role as a father, haunted by his own childhood and facing an uncertain future.

Synopsis

Can one man with a dream win the heart of the world's most powerful woman? This is a documentary like none you have seen before - the first musical docu-tragi-comedy in the history of cinema. Part Borat, part Fahrenheit 9/11, part Mamma Mia!, it follows a love-struck soul's hilarious, emotionally engaging, and ultimately shocking quest to woo former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.   A spin on the Rapunzel fairy-tale, this unique romantic/political/biographic feature follows Devin Ratray, a portly website designer, musician, former child actor (famed as Buzz in Home Alone), and besotted admirer of Condi, as he prepares to meet her.   As Devin travels the country, learning more about the great lady from those who know her, Courting Condi tells the life story of one of our era's most inspiring, enigmatic, and controversial figures. This film is both timely and a classic love story, punctuated by timeless songs.   It's the first retrospective of the Bush Adminstration and will inspire audiences to laugh, sing and protest about the past eight years.