Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

When allegations of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson involving young boys surfaced in 1993, many found it hard to believe that the King of Pop could be guilty of such unspeakable acts. In separate but parallel stories, James Safechuck (10) and Wade Robson (7) were each befriended by Jackson, who invited them into his singular, fairy-tale world as his career reached its peak. Their families were unaware of the manipulation and abuse he would subject the boys to over a period of years. Through gut-wrenching interviews with the now-adult men and their families, LEAVING NEVERLAND crafts a portrait of sustained exploitation, deception and the complicated feelings that led both men to confront their abuse only once they each had had a young son of their own. Playing out against the backdrop of our collective experience, the film documents the value of breaking a long-held silence, even when it implicates a powerful, revered figure. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019 - Special Events programme - World premiere

Synopsis

A story of enduring love between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. The film follows their relationship from the early days on the idyllic Greek island of Hydra in 1960 as part of a bohemian community of foreign artists, writers, and musicians, a time of ‘free love’ and open marriage; observing how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019 - Documentary Premieres - World premiere

Synopsis

The inside story of the meteoric rise and monstrous fall of movie titan Harvey Weinstein, revealing how Weinstein acquired and deployed his formidable power over the course of decades. Former staffers, college friends and reporters acknowledge the visionary qualities and brilliance of the man, while reflecting upon his ruthless attempts to preserve his power as scandal threatened to engulf him. In candid, emotional, often harrowing testimony - with many accusers speaking on camera for the first time - the documentary exhumes both the method and the collateral damage of Weinstein’s alleged abuse. As the criminal case against him continues, the film questions whether meaningful change in the justice system - and in the film industry - is really possible. Director Ursula Macfarlane crafts a sinister cinematic landscape exposing the underbelly of the storied Hollywood fairy tale... creating a brilliant, haunting parable for our times and a beacon call for future generations. (Sundance Brochure) Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019 - Documentary Premieres - World premiere

Synopsis

A film sixteen thousand splices in the making. E-TICKET is a frantic (re)cataloguing of a personal archive and an opportunity for rebirth to forgotten images. 35mm photo negatives and moving pictures (taken during the artist's formative years) are obsessively cut apart, reshuffled then tape spliced together inch by inch in rigid increments. Fragmented views swipe between a school trip to India then culminate with a protest of a 2005 World Trade Organization summit in Hong Kong. My photographs may have all be cut up and mixed around, but at least they’re all in one place now. A retelling of Dante's Inferno for the streaming age; a freedom of movement reserved for the modern cloud. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2019 - Tiger Short Competition Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2020 - New Frontier Shorts Program

Synopsis

A documentary that goes beneath the surface of our favourite films, seeking to better understand the way we view love, relationships and romance. From 'It Happened One Night' to 'Runaway Bride', from clumsy meet cutes to rain-soaked declarations of love, these films reflect our experiences but are often just as problematic as they are comforting. They're hugely successful and deeply loved by many, but - being frequently dismissed as guilty pleasures - they have often avoided critical analysis. Helped by a diverse chorus of critics, actors and filmmakers, and with original songs by her band Summer Camp, director Elizabeth Sankey embarks on a journey of investigation and self-discovery. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2019 - Voices - World premiere Official Selection SXSW 2019

Synopsis

A journey of relationships between women. When society refuses to hear them, the Birangona, heroines of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, hold closely to tell their stories to each other and the next generation to understand their identity. To never forget how as women they have refused to be diminished as they have tried to heal and overcome the ravages of conflict, violence and prejudice. To create the future with the power of unconditional love.

Synopsis

This is the amazing story of how the Berkeley police department, the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, an Academy Award winner and Mr. Spock are all connected by "Sudden Birth", one of the most unintentionally hilarious and disturbing educational films ever created. In colour. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019 - International Documentary Short Film Programme

Synopsis

A short documentary about living with HIV in conservative Northern Irish society. The film tells the story of actor and performer Matthew Cavan, aka Belfast’s most-loved drag artist, Cherrie Ontop. Diagnosed HIV-positive aged 19, Matthew struggled to find acceptance in conservative Northern Irish society. Coming from a religious family, Matthew was kicked out of his church by the Minister, and having never met anybody else with HIV, felt so alone he tried to commit suicide. In a desperate attempt to escape his everyday reality and get back on stage, Matthew created his absolutely fabulous drag alter-ego Cherrie Ontop. A decade later, Cherrie is Belfast’s most-loved drag artist, and Matthew is a spokesperson for people living with HIV in Northern Ireland. However, as a result of being so open about his HIV status, Matthew has become a frequent target for homophobic trolling, threats and abuse. BECOMING CHERRIE allows us inside the intimate process of transformation between Matthew and Cherrie. A portrait of resilience and reinvention, Matthew and his father Terry tell the story of the difficulties of living with HIV in the age of the DUP - set against the backdrop of the abuse Matthew has received; adapted into a terrifying stage performance!

Synopsis

A hybrid documentary about the decommissioning of a nuclear plant in Scotland. Concerned with landscape and time, myth and technology, the film explores the nature of ruins, and asks what environmental scars our generation will leave behind for the future. Official Selection Visions du Réel 2019 - World premiere

Synopsis

Adversity breeds escapism. Exercise releases stress. The impending eviction of the 'Calais Jungle' experienced through the prism of the camp's boxing club. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam IFFR 2019 - Voices - World premiere

Synopsis

Filmed in Tripoli, Lebanon, Concrete Forms of Resistance is a documentary centred upon the city’s abandoned ‘Permanent International Fair’, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in the mid-1960s. Progress and crisis, labour and capital, material and memory, are reflected through a very intelligent rhyme between image and sound. The touching voice and words of Niemeyer as a call for life, and the beautiful camerawork as a weaving of ghosts in the present landscapes.

Synopsis

Legendary music film director Julien Temple’s brings to screen IBIZA – THE SILENT MOVIE, a collaboration with Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) on board as music director. This unique and innovative project, financed by leading international entertainment production and finance company Silver Reel and BBC Music, based around a feature length documentary film will provide a compelling audiovisual journey into 2,000 years of Ibiza’s bohemian soul. The film will capture Temple’s iconic style and will feature music from and curated by renowned artist Fatboy Slim (RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW; PRAISE YOU; WEAPON OF CHOICE). Temple says; “With the incredible 2,000 year history of this magical island as a subject and the genius of Norman Cook now on board to produce a soundtrack you can dance to, we believe this film will take event media to a whole new level”