Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

An unidentified ghostly entity travels through nocturnal shimmer - A faint and fleeting glow of the night - it is an “egregore”, a collective being formed by unconscious memories. This spectral presence drifts between night towns and children's dreamworlds, navigating fragmented geographies and temporal folds. Inspired by 1980s and 1990s Chinese children's science fiction films like WONDER BOY, the filmmaker reimagines electricity not just as infrastructure, but as a living force - speculating: what if the ghost that once inhabited lightbulbs and circuits is now displaced, scattered across phone screens and the devices of a sleepless global supply chain? In this film, the ghost transforms from a figure of mystical empowerment into a fragmented existence, diffracted, dispersed, and re-coded. Assembling fragmented connections through material and time from light accessory factories in southern China, through the dreams and imagination of children living nearby, and the port town of Grays in eastern England. These peripheral spaces appear to host accidental encounters, yet in reality, they serve as vital nodes in the circulation of low-cost global goods - concealing the shadow infrastructures of globalisation. The light traveler drifts across fragmented geographies, tracing entangled relationships between time, labour, desire, and the more-than-human.

Synopsis

An experimental feature film that dives into the murky waters of memory. The filmmaker's daughter Eden, dressed as Dorothy, walks a path of recollection but she does not walk alone. On her journey she is accompanied by workers from a factory that produces memory. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

A journey through the pages of the artist/filmaker's mother’s old Chinese-English dictionary, featuring tigers, socialists and roundabouts. Combining ink drawings on paper with direct animation on 35mm film, various definitions of the Chinese character for ‘walk’ take on meanings in turn literal, historical, personal and abstract. An experimental animated short about language, meaning and moving through the world (one drawing at a time).

Synopsis

Daria has written her first manuscript about falling in love with a mysterious girl called ‘abi’ [blue]. The night flowers in her garden hide the secrets of a country that has turned love stories into routine crime scenes. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

A group of facilitators, apprentices, volunteers, people living with dementia, and their supporters gather in a community hall. Together, they revisit memories of food, discovering how the past can affect the present.

Synopsis

An imaginative, art-meets-science cinematic experience that brings audiences face-to-face with insects as miniature giants on our planet. Combining 3D scans of real insects and immersive storytelling, the 3D environments presents insects as the new dinosaurs, scaled up to T-Rex proportions—revealing their beauty, complexity and ecological importance in a way never seen before. Developed by Visioning Lab, GIANT INSECT WORLD bridges art, science and technology to offer a new public understanding of the natural world. It forms the core narrative for a touring exhibition that integrates 3D-scanned insect models, interactive projection and virtual-reality encounters. The work celebrates biodiversity and inspires curiosity about the fragile ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.

Synopsis

A short documentary about the Italian town of Salò during World War 2 and what it endured.

Synopsis

Death Cafes offer a place for strangers to gather and discuss all things mortality. Animated in tea and coffee, STEEPING explores the ceremony of the cafe, inviting people to ponder our attitudes towards death and dying and reflect on how a conversation over a cup of something might make broaching the subject a little less terrifying.

Synopsis

OUR LAND dares to tread where few have trespassed before. The film seamlessly juxtaposes the two sides of the debate around our access to nature, giving voice to the different perspectives - those fighting for greater access to the countryside and the landowners who claim to be stewards of the land. Blending history with an eye on the future, Our Land cuts through the conflict, exploring the complex issues of access, custodianship, and conservation. With stunning visuals and gripping narratives from both sides of the fence, the film challenges the age-old beliefs that have shaped our relationship with the land for over a thousand years. As the battle for nature continues on, who truly has the right to roam? Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 - World premiere Official Selection DOC NYC 2025

Synopsis

Jessi moves to Folkestone's white cliffs; a crucible for debates on what English identity means as refugees cross daily from France. But the film Jessi thinks she’s making, about impossible social and psychological divisions, is changed by her new neighbours, who embody hope for a country of messy inclusivity. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

A young British-Somali researcher discovers a record of the first Somali woman to live in Sheffield and fills in the gaps of her story. Official Selection Sheffield International DocFest 2025

Synopsis

Novelty pop band Black Lace are responsible for creating 'Agadoo', the worst record in history (as voted for by music journalists). The track was banned by the BBC for not being "credible", yet was still massively popular. But at peak fame Black Lace’s rapid success unravelled - and a disgraced member vanished - Enter young Dene Michael to save the day. 40 years later, after a decade living and working in Benidorm, Dene's still carrying the novelty fame, driving a clapped-out Volkswagen Up into the most deprived areas of the UK. On tours Dene's always accompanied by his biggest fan Anne, his 89-year-old mother. Unable to fly, Anne's asked Dene to drive her back to Benidorm for a last goodbye. However, the mother and son nostalgia trip has been upended by Dene's unexpected new relationship. Hayley, an 'Agadoo' superfan, has fallen in love with her ageing idol and is joining them on this Spanish adventure. Dene is placing his bets on recording a new 'hit' record. But who needs an overweight pensioner in a loud pineapple emblazoned shirt and oversized red spectacles? Apparently, many do! Agadoo doo Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 - World premiere