Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Based around an underground London location known as 'The Tardis', this mini documentary follows the lives of three young Asians who break the mould. The audience is invited into the recesses of this amazing subterranean complex which plays host to gangster and celebrity parties alike, and all under the ever-watchful eye of Jesus the resident parrot!

Synopsis

As the camera looks out through a barred window and the clock strikes four in a Swiss city, the death of Yasser Arafat provides the starting point for a journey back in time. Throwing Stones is the third video in the Hotel Diaries series, a collection of late-night recordings made in foreign hotel rooms which relate personal experiences to contemporary world events. Other works in the series currently include Frozen War (Ireland, October 8th 2001) and Museum Piece (Germany, October 14th 2004).

Synopsis

Tree Fellers is the story of the 900 Belizean lumberjacks who in 1942 left the tropical rainforests of British Honduras to help Britain fight fascism by felling trees in Scotland. Sam (93), Eric (87) and Amos (86) were among those who stayed on after the war to make new lives in a country where, for better or worse, the colour of their skin marked them out. Newly discovered archive, long-cherished memories and a last reunion are intertwined in this lyrical and moving documentary testament.

Synopsis

A film about people with cancer. 'Using photography, interviews, film and music my work at the Royal Marsdey Cancer Hospital in London has tried to explore the lives of people with cancer. Within a theme of humility and a struggle for meaning, I would meet with patients and film them. Together we would find a narrative that, for them, said something of their experience.' This film is a result of this work.  

Synopsis

Across the Waters is a poetic, reflective journey between two cultures. Fifty years ago, a young girl arrived on the island of Lewis from a village in Pakistan. Now, her granddaughter is going to leave the island. Three generations of Pakistani women and a Gaelic islander give a personal perspective on the island's history, and the sense of belonging and exile that has defined their existence.

Synopsis

Finding some hand-made film magazines at home, Robin Mitchell learns about a film that his father starred in and produced in 1943. His search leads him to the film and to its extraordinary director Robert Edwards. At an emotional screening, he eventually reunites the filmmakers after 60 years.

Synopsis

Billy Hull was a prison officer in The Maze/Long Kesh. Against prison policy Billy collected items from various individuals, incidents and occurrences. On his retirement Billy organised a display of the objects. The public has never seen this collection.

Synopsis

Part document of the past, part imagination of the future, Crude Progress tells the story of the rise and fall of the oil industry in the Orkney Islands. Set to the music of James MacMillan the film mimics a folk tale, warning against the seduction of capitalism and the illusion of progress.

Synopsis

Everything Was Life is an animated documentary looking at the practice of female genital mutilation.

Synopsis

This documentary tells the story of the protracted war in Chechnya from the perspective of Soviet and current Russian dissidents. Comparisons are drawn between the Chechen invasion and that of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and how the Chechen invasion helped to bring the ruthless KGB to absolute power in Russia today.

Synopsis

Silent Voices is based on interviews with over 100 people affected by domestic violence in the UK which have been translated into seven stories in the form of seven interwoven 'Talking Heads'-style monologues. Each character tells their extraordinary story of their relationships and the resultant impact on their lives and those around them.

Synopsis

This documentary presents the architectural concept of 'Cargo Fleet', which juxtaposes materials from the shipbuilding yards of the North East of England into the urban landscape of Islington. The house is revealed through the reflections of a group of people - actors, dancers, musicians, and artists. Their experience of the place unfolds like a tapestry to which the muses themselves then add their voice. The director plays with contrasting forms and styles, weaving music and language together. She reveals the interior and exterior in shifts of mood and ambience, presenting the viewer with an aural and visual feast. With poetry by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Shakespeare, San Juan de la Cruz and Alexander Pope. Music by Andrew Peggie and Raiomond Mirza.