Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

They are the unsung heroes of hip hop, disco and a host of other genres, whose message of peace, love and funk sailed beyond Britain's shores and helped shape music for five decades. Long after they stopped playing, the music played on, so they returned to play some more. In the racially turbulent UK of the early 70s, a group of black musicians came together in South London with a common love of rhythms and a message of peace. Cymande – with the dove as their symbol – combined jazz, funk, soul and Caribbean grooves to form a unique sound. Despite success in the USA they faced indifference in their native Britain, becoming disillusioned and disbanding. But the music lived on, as new generations of artists imbibed and reworked their pioneering sounds in fresh ways. From Soul II Soul to De La Soul, MC Solaar to The Fugees, the Dove had spread Cymande's message far and wide, prompting their return after forty years. This is their story. Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

OCEAN GREENS is an intimate portrait of farmers harvesting seaweed along the UK’s coastlines. Through personal testimonies of those working closely with this sustainable food source the film explores the environmental benefits of seaweed and the impact this revolutionary crop can have on the future of our food.

Synopsis

Rikke Brewer and best friend Aiden Knox, working-class teenagers, hone their gravity-defying UrbEx and Parkour skills, dreaming of escape from boring Guildford. Behind the spectacular stunts and millions of online ‘likes’ lies a darker story - a friend’s traumatic death and fragile mental health - threatening to rip their lives apart. Official Selection Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2022 - World premiere Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2022

Synopsis

Young birdwatchers, Mya and Arjun, feel the pressure of climate change and the biodiversity crisis greatly. Although they feel isolated and judged by others, they are determined to stand up for what they believe in; coming of age in the age of climate chaos. Official Selection DOK Leipzig 2022

Synopsis

The Naturnära Kundalini Yoga Center in Söderköping, Sweden is run by Jan and his partner Kathleen. But when Jan discovered yoga for himself 10 years ago, he did not expect to embark on a journey that would eventually make him question his gender identity at the age of 67.

Synopsis

The artist Angela Charles finally reveals that she is experiencing dramatic sight loss after years of hiding it, as the self-proclaimed 'Queen of Bluff'. She explores notions of seeing and the limitations of language for the visual world, asking us, "What are you looking at?"

Synopsis

Looking at recent technological transformations in contemporary industrial agriculture. During the day, the greenhouse is a cinematic device, an automated film set optimized for the mass production of fruits and flowers. At night, the factory the greenhouse becomes an oneiric chamber where plants, animals and machines form new entanglements.

Synopsis

Following a man waiting in his hut in the desolate expanse of the Russian Arctic. He is holding out in order to observe a natural event that occurs here, every year, but ocean warming is taking its toll. Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2022 - World premiere Academy Awards 2023 - Nomination - Best Documentary Short Film

Synopsis

A day in the life of Wilf Davies, a shepherd from the small village of Cellan in Wales. Kind and inquisitive, the film looks at the world through Wilf’s eyes, asking questions about what it is we should truly value. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2022 - World premiere Tribeca Film Festival 2022 - Winner - Best Documentary Short BAFTA Cymru Awards 2023 - Winner - Best Short Film

Synopsis

In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan achieved the height of its power: not in America's Deep South, but in the culturally liminal state of Indiana. Using never-before-seen archive, KLANDIANA explores the origin and horrors of Klan rule, and the legacy of historical amnesia that emerged in the era’s wake.

Synopsis

A nuanced and intimate portrayal of six Black British men as they share their personal experiences of love and loss whilst in an Afro-Caribbean barbershop.

Synopsis

Non-binary Japanese-Irish drag artist ShayShay storms the UK’s cabaret scene with a gender-diverse, Pan-Asian collective to dismantle racial stereotypes with love and glitter.