Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

FREEDOM SWIMMER documents a mass migration story from the 20th century, which is relatively untold in the Western world— and offers context for a city in turmoil, today. A granddaughter asks her grandfather to recount his journey from China, swimming to Hong Kong in the 1970’s. One of two million mainland residents who swam across the southern sea border. Many others died trying or were captured and sent to labour camps. He was one of the lucky ones. From the 1950’s to 1980’s Hong Kong was a symbol of freedom to many Chinese, glimpsed across the water. The grandfather, like many others, went on to have a successful life in Hong Kong and was part of the working-class movement that helped transform the city into a financial success story. FREEDOM SWIMMER explores the effect of past cultural trauma, exploring a new perspective on the current situation. It reflects the depth of a symbol that is ‘freedom’ - that Hong Kong both represents and holds onto so tightly. On a wider-scale, this is a universal story of the dispossessed— what it takes to flee your country, what it means to fight for freedom, what it is like to leave everything in hope of liberty.

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The Universe is revolving around me in a bad way.” Through mind-bending animation, GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY explores the limits of reality in this true story of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ and the power of gaming communities.

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A poignant and challenging archive documentary that looks for the roots of the climate crisis in post-war history. Are we heading into new territory, or could we be caught in a cycle of familiar promises? Is climate change the inevitable consequence of our quest for energy and growth? Where does culpability lie? Living Proof searches for the roots of the crisis in our recent history. Archive footage from Scotland's national archive portrays a country shaped by the demands of modernity while an eclectic soundtrack amplifies the voices of the past in powerful and unsettling ways.

Synopsis

Unfixed, images from a lifetime come to life, fleetingly, before decaying into darkness.

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A heart-warming pawtrait of therapy dogs at work, rest and play. Many people in the UK sought a dog during lockdown to get themselves a whole lot of canine love… this dogumentary may even provide some therapy to the audience.

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The View captures 40 days of lockdown in London from a 10-story balcony, revealing how ordinary people adapt to a changed city. Essential workers persevere, friendships endure, and heartbroken lovers persist. Phone connections become crucial, exploring life's fragility and the universal fear of isolation in a city that never sleeps.

Synopsis

A yearly drive with the famous UK producer Jeremy Thomas from London to Cannes, on his way to the Cannes Film Festival. A life in the service of cinema, a journey towards the discovery of new films and talents in the company of the cinephile director and author Mark Cousins. Cousins gives an intimate glimpse into the life of the legendary icon behind some of the most controversial and acclaimed films of all time including Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE LAST EMPEROR, David Cronenberg’s CRASH, and Nic Roeg’s BAD TIMING. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2021 - Cannes Classics - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2021 - Create

Synopsis

A decade after THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY, an expansive and influential inquiry into the state of moviemaking in the 20th century, filmmaker Mark Cousins returns with an epic and hopeful tale of cinematic innovation from around the globe. In this film Cousins turns his sharp, meticulously honed gaze on world cinema from 2010 to 2021, using a surprising range of works - including JOKER, FROZEN and CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR - as launchpads to explore recurring themes and emerging motifs, from the evolution of film language, to technology’s role in moviemaking today, to shifting identities in 21st-century world cinema. Touching on everything from PARASITE and THE FAREWELL to BLACK PANTHER and LOVER'S ROCK, Cousins seeks out films, filmmakers and communities under-represented in traditional film histories, with a particular emphasis on Asian and Middle Eastern works, as well as boundary-pushing documentaries and films that see gender in new ways. And as the recent pandemic recedes, Cousins ponders what comes next in the streaming age: how have we changed as cinephiles, and how will moviegoing continue to transform in the digital century, to our collective joy and wonder. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2021 - Cannes Classics - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2021 - Create

Synopsis

CAROL WYSS - IN SITU covers Wyss making a new work for display at John Ruskin’s House Cumbria, England. The documentary shows Wyss planning at her London studio and printmaking at the Thames-Side print workshop Woolwich. Carol Wyss is a visual artist using printmaking, drawing and photography to create the components for her installations. She is on a concerted search for the structure of things – deconstructing existing and creating new discernible patterns. Recognizing patterns is crucial to humans, helping understand and predict what is coming.

Synopsis

A short desktop documentary about a stolen video, and the online search for the thief. When Hugh finds out that his video has been stolen, and turned into a viral meme by an anonymous TikToker, he embarks on an internet odyssey in an attempt to find the thief. Official Selection Aesthetica Film Festival 2021 Official Selection Tribecca Film Festival 2022

Synopsis

Using expressive animation to investigate intimacy, communication and memory. Prosopagnosia means face-blindness, and to understand this neurodiverse behaviour, the contents of a memory box are intricately explored. Sketchbooks, photographs and diaries unravel to tell a unique and personal story. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2021 - World premiere Official Selection Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2022

Synopsis

A therapist investigates if a couple is in the midst of violent domestic abuse through couples therapy.