Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

KANAVAL is a visually arresting feature documentary that is set in the present but tells the rich story of Haiti’s past, as we follow a number of carnival performers in the lead up to and during the annual Jacmel Mardi Gras. These performers relate their own personal histories as well as the stories of their carnival characters, representing moments and people from the distant and not so distant Haitian past. This is not a carnival of sequins and sound systems found elsewhere in the Caribbean, but a celebration of rebellion and resistance resonating through the centuries. Whatever Jacmel carnival lacks in glitz and spectacle, it makes up for in home-grown surrealism and poetic metaphors. The lives of the indigenous Taino Indians, the Slaves’ Revolt of 1791, the establishment of Haiti as the western hemisphere’s first Black Republic in 1804, the debt forced upon Haiti by the French, and more recently state corruption are all played out using drama and costume on Jacmel’s streets during Carnival - or ‘Kanaval’ in Haitian Kreyol.

Synopsis

We meet Mary DeBoutez Zellmer Fenoglio in 2008. She is a loud, charismatic and complex woman in her sixties, born and raised in rural Kansas, USA. She has dreams; of becoming an artist and one day leaving Kansas. Living with her husband and surrounded by her herd of cats, Mary runs a vibrant roadside curiosity shop out of her front yard and builds giant eye-catching furniture. But rising gas prices have caused business to slump. We meet Mary’s friends, neighbours and close-knit family and learn about events that have impacted her life; the poverty of her upbringing, the death of her baby son, a domineering ex-husband and the effects of an abusive father. Against these odds she remains positive, energetic and hopeful. We return 10 years later to find Mary struggling to come to terms with what’s happened in her life in the intervening years. Her beloved husband Kenny has died, as well as her brother and sister, and her business has all but ceased to exist. Just when she’s at her lowest ebb, she’s introduced to Rusty, a local contractor, and the possibility of a new relationship gives her a glimpse of happiness that she thought had gone forever.

Synopsis

Unable to move on from the death of his granny, a filmmaker desperately searches for the right film idea that will finally allow him to let go... Through a series of stylistically different film ideas Outlets takes you on a journey into the grieving process of a creative brain.

Synopsis

A famous old floating bookshop moored in King's Cross, Word On The Water, finds itself in desperate need of repair. Staffed by eccentric boaters such as Captain James, many of its crew and even patrons find themselves on the edge of society. Having previously survived numerous threats to their existence, their next issue isn't against legal threats or noise complaints, but entropy. After all, the Dutch Barge that is the bookbarge is around 100 years old and they have neglected vital maintenance. The odds are stacked up against them: the boat has no working engine, they need to travel 30 miles to the repair shop and nobody knows the condition of the hull. To make matters worse their are planned lock closures and they keep on delaying their set-off date. Their captain is a French man, Stephen aka Noy (No-Eye), who has been tasked with masterminding the entire project single-handedly. His solutions are unorthodox but they make headway. However, their disorganisation leads to issues. Over 6 months, its three owners find themselves pushed to the limits of their endurance. In the process they discover more about construction and friendship than they ever could have expected.

Synopsis

THE HOUSE is a 25 minute experience on a VR headset which uses a house as a metaphor for Northern Ireland and puts the player in role as a potential resident. The piece was created following a successful run in both West and East Belfast of a live experience through a domestic house. THE HOUSE was created with the Commission for Victims and Survivors, using their research into post conflict inter-generational trauma, 25 years on from the GFA.

Synopsis

The incredible story of the greatest cycling race in history, the 1989 Tour De France, and how American Greg LeMond faced down betrayal, childhood sexual abuse and even death to complete one of the most inspiring comebacks in sporting history. Official Selection Telluride Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

How independent news reporting in India and beyond is increasingly under threat by budgetary cuts and especially, extremists leveraging alternative platforms to spread misinformation. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

Living with a sick loved one can have benefits and problems, a self-reflected documentary inspired by the memories and the record collection of the director's father. Official Selection Animafest Zagreb 2023 Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2023

Synopsis

Atomfa shares surprising stories from the final days of a rural nuclear power station. From local mythologies and the promise of the atomic age to the space age. From the past, the present & long into the future.

Synopsis

El Sentir de las Montañas (The Feel of the Mountains) is an ethnographic documentary work made with members of the Latin American community in London. The film is divided into three chapters, through which we meet different people. Trying to understand more about some of the different situations that Latin American people have experienced or are experiencing in London, the film is an exploration of arrival, community and healing. Through the work we hear the story of an arrest, we meet a volleyball playing community and take a look at an alternative therapy.

Synopsis

Exploring the relationship between space and identity among London's Latin American community in the years leading up to the demolition of Elephant and Castle shopping centre.

Synopsis

'Escape to Shanghai' follows Doris’s epic journey from Germany to safety in Shanghai, on the other side of the world making a temporary home and a new life cut off from the horrors playing out in German-occupied Europe.