Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Interweaving the directors’ lived experiences of present-day Nicosia with their memories as children whose fathers served with the RAF in Cyprus, FATHER-LAND explores notions of home, loss and displacement in the politically charged space of the UN Buffer Zone, the demilitarised strip that has partitioned the island since 1974.

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Contrasting artistic visions, misplaced confidence and blatant ignorance collide on the backdrop of an increasingly fragile and divided world.

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Female sumo wrestling champion Hiyori confronts obstacles both inside and outside the ring in an attempt to change Japan's national sport forever. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2019 - International premiere

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In a world of constant flux and chaos, it’s almost a shock to discover some experiences remain unchanged, natural, primitive even. In the middle of London lies Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares of forest, parkland and wildlife, plus three unique, gender-segregated swimming ponds. People take the waters in them all year round, just as they did in the time of Keats and Constable. Capturing all the beauty of the English seasons, Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith filmed the swimmers over 12 months as they shivered, laughed, complained, ruminated, philosophised or simply sought respite from all that life threw at them. THE PONDS is a heart-warming celebration of eccentricity and sheer bloody-mindedness as these unusual people, united by a shared passion, meet to take on whatever the weather… and life… throws at them.

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An intimate documentary directed by Cary Cronenwett, produced by Lindsey Dryden, Shaleece Haas. Eisha Love was incarcerated in a men’s jail after acting in self-defense. Now, as she rebuilds her life after incarceration, she faces trying to get a steady job as an out trans woman with a criminal record.

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In Mogadishu hundreds of deserted Al-Shabaab warriors are drifting in a limbo; unable to return to their Western countries and are now in hiding from Al-Shabaab. The film follows a young British Somali trying to make it back home while his family - including his young wife and child - try to untangle a legal and moral quagmire.

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From groundbreaking documentarian Errol Morris comes a probing portrait of controversial Breitbart honcho and Trump advisor, Stephen K. Bannon. If Stephen K. Bannon were a fictional character, you'd have a hard time believing his narrative arc. He did stints as an investment banker and movie producer before steering the far-right media site Breitbart News as it swiftly moved from the fringe to the centre of American politics. As the chief executive of Donald Trump's campaign, he helped the candidate navigate several controversies that would have ended the career of any previous politician. He had a brief run in the White House as Trump's chief strategist. After being ousted, he continues to exert a powerful influence on right-wing ideologues in the US and abroad. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2018 - TIFF Docs

Synopsis

Filmed over five years, following three women and their football team in post-revolution Libya, as the country descends into civil war and the utopian hopes of the Arab Spring begin to fade. Through the eyes of these accidental activists, we see the reality of a country in transition, where the personal stories of love and aspirations collide with History. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2018 - TIFF Docs - World premiere

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A moving portrait of resilience chronicling the unprecedented journey of 24-year-old Tracy Edwards and the first all-female sailing crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race. The Whitbread Round the World Race (rechristened the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001) was considered an exclusively masculine endeavour when Edwards came along and, in the face of much sexist condescension, proved that skill, perseverance, and courage at sea know no gender. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2018 - TIFF Docs - World premiere

Synopsis

Prolific director Werner Herzog’s candid conversations with the former Soviet head of state form the backbone of this illuminating documentary, co-directed by André Singer, on one of the 20th century’s most defining politicians. Across a six-month period, Werner Herzog conducted three interviews with Mikhail Gorbachev that are the foundation for this riveting film. Now 87, Gorbachev speaks like a man with nothing to lose. He is respected more outside Russia than inside, where he's blamed for the Soviet Union's breakup in 1991. He laments that "we didn't finish the job of democracy in Russia." And he worries that others took the wrong lessons from perestroika: "Americans think they won the Cold War and this went to their head. What victory?" Herzog applies his own unique perspective and narration to a deep archive of footage, often with his eye oriented toward the absurd. Other key eyewitnesses to this history from the US, Germany, Hungary, and Poland are also interviewed, building a personal and revealing picture of Gorbachev as a statesman and as a human. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2018 - TIFF Docs

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A genre redefining film starring the ultimate leading lady, Athena, an elephant matriarch who will do everything in her power to protect her family when they are forced to leave their waterhole. Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this epic story of love, loss and coming home is a timely love letter to a species that could be gone from our planet in a generation. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2018 - TIFF Docs - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019

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On 12 February 2012, two journalists entered war-ravaged Syria. One of them was celebrated Sunday Times war correspondent, Marie Colvin. The other was photographer, Paul Conroy. Their aim was to cover the plight of Syrian civilians trapped in Homs, a city under siege and relentless military attack from the Syrian army. Only one of them returned. This feature length drama-documentary tells the epic story of what happened to Marie Colvin and Paul Conroy in Homs. One of the most dramatic stories yet to emerge from the Arab Spring, and the pivotal event in the tragedy of modern day Syria. A gripping account of bravery, heroism, and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming and horrific adversity. The testimonies of those involved, woven together with never-before-seen archive footage and in the moment filming, goes deep into the intense, tragic drama of Conroy and Colvin’s journey into Homs and Conroy’s incredible escape from the city. A chilling, moment-by-moment, journey into the depths of hell. Based on the book “Under the Wire” by Paul Conroy