Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Carne Ross was a government high flyer. A career diplomat who believed in Western Democracy. But working inside the system he came to see its failures, deceits and ulterior motives. He felt at first hand the corruption of power. After the Iraq war Carne became disillusioned, quit his job and started searching for answers. This film traces his journey across the globe as he tries to answer the question so many people today are asking themselves – isn’t there a better way? For Carne there is. Anarchism offers a solution to the brutalities of Capitalism and the dishonesties of Democracy. It offers a world where people have control over their own lives. From the protesters of Occupy Wall Street, to an anarchist collective in Spain, to Noam Chomsky, the grand old man of anarchism himself, Carne finds people who are putting the theory into practice. His journey eventually takes him to one of the most dangerous places on earth: Syria, eight kilometers from the front line with Isis, where a remarkable anarchist state has risen phoenix like from the flames. A powerful film about one man’s epic journey from government insider to anarchist.

Synopsis

How do we grieve? Why do we grieve? And why are we afraid of those that do grieve? Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds son Josh died in a road accident in Vietnam seven years ago. They are now on a road trip across the USA to meet other bereaved parents in search of some answers answers. What they find are stories of grief that refuse social expectations about moving on or letting go.

Synopsis

A rare insight into a community of Buddhist monks and nuns, who have given up all their possessions, left their homes, and parted with their life savings; for one common purpose - to master the art of mindful living under the guidance of the world-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. With unprecedented access and filmed over three years in France and the USA, this intimate and meditative film reveals how this monastic community are transforming suffering within themselves and in those who they meet on their travels around the world. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk Martin Luther King Jr. nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is one of the most popular Zen Buddhist teachers of all time, and is widely acknowledged for introducing the concept of mindfulness to the western world. The film touches on the universal themes of belonging, love, loss, hope and death, relevant for not just Thich Nhat Hanh's monks and nuns but for us all. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - Journey Strand

Synopsis

How much would you sacrifice to fight for what you believe in? An intimate and unique portrait of three people caught up in the chaotic and often violent development that is shaping modern-day Cambodia. Shot over 6 years, the film charts the growing wave of land-rights protests that led to the ‘Cambodian Spring’ and the tragic events that followed. This film is about the complexities – both political and personal, of fighting for what you believe in.

Synopsis

Two Polish families in the UK discuss the experience of their migration. 19-year-old Ola came to UK to join her boyfriend. They both work hard and save money for the wedding. For 36 -year-old Kamila love is not enough anymore, but she has a safe life with an Englishman.

Synopsis

Paula Rego is one of the most important living artists. She was the first artist in residence at the UK's National Gallery, has a public museum exclusively dedicated to her work and a Damehood from the Queen. And yet, despite over 30 books about her pictures, very little is known about her life. Now, at 81, she has agreed to tell her extraordinary story to her son, the filmmaker Nick Willing. The result is an incredibly intimate and personal account of her battles against the facist dictatorship in Portugal, the misogynistic art world in England, and her own demons of manic depression.

Synopsis

Five years ago Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, started to use his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the damages of climate change. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together we see him transform from a father, to community leader to an activist on the global stage.

Synopsis

Born in a violent and neglected favela community in Rio de Janeiro, Alan Duarte suffered immense personal tragedy. However, he dreams of finding salvation and building a better future for his son and his community through his boxing project.

Synopsis

Two trans people and their journey to learning to love their bodies. A film about the effects hormones can have on your body as a trans person. Mainstream narratives often sensationalise the experiences of trans people with medical interventions, but this film explores the issue of hormones in more depth, in an honest, bold and vulnerable way.

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Ying Ling is away from home training to become a mortician at one of China’s largest funeral homes. Despite her fear of ghosts and dead bodies, she learns the spa rituals; cleaning and massaging the corpses while the grieving families look on. Ying Ling finds solace from her macabre role through her playful banter with another of the young morticians. Together, they spend their time off talking about their hopes, fears and plans for the future. As one of many rural-to-urban teenagers working to support her family, Ying Ling must immerse herself in the surreal and grinding world of China’s industrialisation of mortality. With intimate access and moments of humour, we follow Ying Ling as she learns about life while surrounded by death. Official Selection Berlinale 2017 - Generation 14plus - World premiere

Synopsis

‘Bo’ Gritz is one of America’s highest decorated Vietnam veterans and the alleged real life inspiration behind Rambo. He also killed 400 people, turned against Washington and moved to the Nevada desert where he now sleeps with many weapons. Filmed over ten years using impressive visual material, Zimmerman’s portrait of Bo embodies contemporary American society in all its dizzying complexity and contradictions. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - Experimenta Strand

Synopsis

An esoteric portrait of John 'Modge' Chancellor. An ex-tv star and red coat, living in the backwaters of the Suffolk countryside waiting for his time to shine once more.