Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

One trans man’s pioneering quest to fulfil an age-old desire: starting his own family. This is the story of the dad who gave birth. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2019 - Documentary Competition - World premiere Official Selection Hot Docs 2019 – The Changing Face of Europe

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A behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of the life and career of Bill Wyman, former founding member of the Rolling Stones and renaissance man of rock and roll. Using Bill's personal archive and including interviews with Bill’s family, bandmates and friends, the film provides a fresh insight into the reality behind the myths and legends of music’s rock and roll years as we explore the experiences and stories of an amusing, engaging and down-to-earth man; often simply called ‘The Quiet One’. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2019 - Spotlight Documentary - World premiere

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After instigating the largest of leak of secrets in US history - when she disclosed 750,000 documents to Wikileaks - ex-soldier and trans woman Chelsea Manning was supposed to spend most of the rest of her life behind bars in an all-male military prison. But on January 17 2017, President Barack Obama commuted her sentence, in an unprecedented and controversial move that divided the United States and the world. XY CHELSEA follows Chelsea Manning as she leaves prison after seven years inside, and begins a new life, whilst at the same time having to deal with the far-reaching consequences of her past - the historic leaks that lead to her prison sentences, the unintended celebrity status that is thrust on her as one of the world’s most notorious whistleblowers, and transitioning to become the woman she has always known herself to be. An intimate character portrait of a fascinating, unique and complex woman, a true rebel and outsider, who after making history must now start a new life, in a world which is far from welcoming, and in the shadow of rising Nationalism and intolerance, which has fomented hate and division throughout America. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2019 - Movies Plus - World premiere Official Selection Hot Docs 2019 - Special Presentations

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Since the high school and the fish farm closed, the men and teenagers have had to leave the small northern British island of Out Skerries for Shetland’s mainland. Julie is one of the women left on the island with her youngest children. In her empty house prey to the sea winds, daily life follows a strange timescale, at the rhythm of the activities of those who left. Official Selection Visions du Réel 2019 - International Competition - World premiere

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What is it like to grow up in a place that has been forgotten? Tyler, a 16-year-old boy who has never attended school, guides us through an estate in the north of England. Official Selection Visions du Réel 2019 - World premiere Official Selection Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - International Competition

Synopsis

Iceland is a country marked by its frozen nature and extreme temperatures, which give it a certain touristic appeal. The harshness of the climatic conditions and the enthusiasm of tourists regularly cause car accidents to happen. From this phenomenon, verging on absurdity, the artist and filmmaker Ruaidhri Ryan had planned to make a road movie, one that he will never finish. He thus adventures into the different phases of pre-production, production and post-production of what this film could have been. This film captures the hilarious diary of this failure, in which Ryan calls on a 4x4, a GPS gnawed by the cold, an elf and a Viking guide with whom he maintains a virtual correspondence. Moving between simulated reality, video games and cinema, the film explores the geography of a country marked by the exoticism of its landscapes, often used as backdrops for Hollywood movies. A hilarious look at the way in which new technologies condition our ways of representing territories. Official Selection Visions du Réel 2019 - International Competition - World premiere

Synopsis

A portrait of Jamaican-born artistic polymath Barbara Samuels. Featuring an account of her first generation, diasporic experience in Southend and London, and her discovery of hippiedom and the personal freedoms offered by entry into creative life. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere

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A short documentary/ drama, based on interviews and eye witness accounts, on the serial killer Javid Iqbal who murdered over 100 children in the early 1990s Lahore Pakistan.

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A first of its kind documentary exploring the events that lead to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, also known as the Amritsar Massacre of 1919. Presented by Kuldip Singh Sahota, we explore what really happened on that fateful day of April 13th 1919 in the heart of the Punjab, Amritsar. With the help of author of 'Garden of Bullets' Saurav Dutt, author of 'The Butcher of Amritsar' Nigel Collett, Dr Harish Puri and Dr Stephen Badsey, the events that lead up to the massacre are contextualised. The massacre itself caused the deaths of up to 1000 innocent Indian men, women and children. After the massacre a strict curfew was imposed on the city, thus stopping dead and the dying receiving any medical help. Then immediately a martial law was declared which further punished the local population with crawling and flogging orders.

Synopsis

The documentary was made in the wake of the director's own loss of his mother, who in her last days of life received very poor palliative care by the hospital. The film is aimed to raise awareness around palliative care and end of life care, and covers interviews from a number of UK leading experts in palliative care. The film also takes great care not to leave out the story of those directly in receipt of palliative care. Unlike others films on this subject, the director's primary narrative aim is not to have a film about dying but instead have a film that looks at how to live life to the best until those final days. SEARCHING FOR MEANING is a collage of education and thoughtfully blended aspects from what is a heartfelt story of a lady who even in the face of death, continues to demonstrate incredible courage by living life to the max. The director is also himself in receipt of palliative care and it's that emotional connection with the subject matter which is truly apparent in this film.

Synopsis

The compelling story of the Chins, the Chinese Jamaican family behind “Studio 17” a legendary recording studio in downtown Kingston, Jamaica. Studio 17 was at the heart of the music revolution that began after Jamaican independence in 1962. In its prime, artists who recorded there included Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, Carl Malcolm, Jimmy London and many more. But dramatically, during the political turmoil of the late 1970s the Chin family fled to New York and the studio was abandoned. 40 years on, a treasure trove of original studio tapes has been salvaged - revealing unique and stunning recordings from the ‘golden age’ of reggae, many of which were unreleased and have never been heard before. As the tapes are played they give rise to a myriad of wonderful stories and in a highly poignant conclusion, the teenage voice of the late Dennis Brown is beautifully re-recorded with the vocals of a rising teenage star, Holly Stevenson, all magically orchestrated by producer and one time Eurythmics star, Dave Stewart.

Synopsis

Legendary US photographer Jim Marshall's diary of a life in music captures both the volatile man behind the lens and the seismic changes that defined the 1960s. A child of immigrants he battled inner demons and fought his way to become one of the most trusted mavericks, the man with five Leica M4s hanging round his neck. A passion for music led him to capture some of the most iconic figures in music history from the jazz greats to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and The Rolling Stones. His abrasive but honest approach to his subjects combined with his incredible skill to build trust expanded his portfolio beyond celebrities, documenting key moments in US history and a time of great turbulence. Official Selection SXSW 2019 - 24 Beats Per Second - World premiere