Projects in categories: Documentary and with status: Production, Post-production, Pre-production

Synopsis

A portrait of the artist Jacqueline Stanley. Memory comes in small moments. Filmmaker Nichola Bruce unveils a nuanced and intimate family portrait, centering on the indomitable spirit of her mother, the visionary artist Jacqueline Stanley. Through a collage of small, profound moments, the film captures the essence of a determined woman’s extraordinary life, weaving together threads of artistry, resilience, and the indelible imprints of a shared history.

Synopsis

The Canaries’ Experience Genre: Mixed Reality / Magical Realism / Emotional Drama Format: Immersive VR Film Synopsis: In a world where silence can be fatal, The Canaries’ Experience invites viewers into a deeply emotional and symbolic journey through the mind of Will, a young man silently battling despair. Guided by a mystical canary—an ancient symbol of safety in coal mines—viewers traverse a surreal landscape that blends memory, emotion, and myth. As Will’s inner world unravels, the canary’s song becomes a lifeline—its presence a sign of hope, its silence a chilling warning. Through immersive soundscapes, binaural audio, and haptic feedback, the audience experiences Will’s emotional highs and lows: from the suffocating silence of isolation to the transcendent transformation of the God Canary, a divine guide born from pain and resilience. Blending magical realism with therapeutic design, this VR experience is not just a story—it’s a meditation on vulnerability, connection, and the power of being heard. In the end, the canaries rise—not just as symbols of survival, but as beacons of collective healing.

Synopsis

Britain is at breaking point. Public services are collapsing, inequality is deepening, and unrest is growing. Akala: Divided Kingdom? is a feature-length documentary that launches an urgent and provocative investigation into the state of the nation. Akala asks: Is the system rigged? Is Britain too divided to fix? What future awaits our young people if this path continues? To find answers, he hits the road - blending personal reflection, candid interviews, and powerful archival material. From anti-immigration protests in Altrincham to striking bin workers in Birmingham and London’s housing crisis, the film unpacks the discontent simmering across the UK, hearing from everyday people on white working-class identity, racism, and loss of trust in traditional media and politics. Featuring voices lincluding MP Zarah Sultana and Rio Ferdinand, it also questions how the media distorts public perception and whether democracy is truly working. Raw, unfiltered, and unflinching, the film captures a country on the edge. Yet amidst the chaos, it ends on hope - spotlighting individuals doing vital work to uplift young people and imagine a better future. More than a film, Akala: Divided Kingdom? is a reckoning - a call to confront reality and reimagine what Britain could become.

Synopsis

A gripping documentary that captures an unprecedented moment in British cinema. Hollywood star Woody Harrelson set out on an audacious mission: to write, direct, and star in the world’s first live feature film, shot in a single take across central London and broadcast in real time to nearly 600 cinemas across the USA. Featuring Owen Wilson and a host of top British talent, this behind-the-scenes documentary reveals the passion, chaos, and technical wizardry required to pull off what many thought was impossible. From high-stakes rehearsals to last-minute crises, including a failed camera link, a missed cue, and even an unexploded bomb, the journey was anything but smooth. Told by Woody, Owen, cast, crew, and family, this is more than a making-of film; it's a funny, nerve-jangling and heartfelt portrait of creative ambition, the thrill of live performance, and the determination it takes to make cinema history. This isn’t just a film about filmmaking, it’s the story of a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic event.

Synopsis

Friedel Dausab is at the heart of a battle centuries in the making. Challenging Namibia’s criminalisation of same-sex love, Friedel becomes a beacon of hope for countless queer Namibians longing for freedom and safety. Amid death threats, relentless public scrutiny, and the chilling spectre of a serial killer, Friedel takes his country to court. The demonisation and incarceration of queer people is an ancient and shocking story of injustice - born in Tudor England, globalised through colonialism and amplified by Christian evangelism today. Prominent queer historians trace the origins of criminalisation as Friedel joins fellow activists Rosanna (Sri Lanka) and Raven (Barbados) in London, where they prepare to deliver a rousing speech at Pride and await Friedel’s judgment. A celebration of resistance, capturing the courage, humour, and resilience it takes to defy a legacy of hatred and forge a future of dignity and equality.

Synopsis

Belfast breeds fighters. But none like Eamonn Magee. Born in 1971 as the city exploded into violence, Eamonn’s life was forged in the flames of ‘the Troubles.’ Raised amid bombings, riots, and sectarian hatred, he joined the IRA youth wing as a teenager - wielding petrol bombs by day and boxing gloves by night. Attacked, shot, stabbed, and left for dead more than once, survival became his first fight. Despite a chaotic double life of street warfare and addiction, Eamonn’s talent in the ring propelled him to the top. He became a world welterweight champion - “The Miracle Man” who defied the odds. But the demons that haunted him never left. A brutal beating in a high-speed car chase shattered his leg, but not his will. He returned to defend his title in one of sport’s most astonishing comebacks. Redemption seemed possible when his son, Eamonn Jr., emerged as a clean-living, gifted boxer. But when Junior was murdered in a senseless attack, Eamonn spiralled into despair. Now, with doctors warning he has months to live, he's a man tormented by memory, addiction, and violence.

Synopsis

At the end of a secluded Edinburgh street is a four-story building housing formerly homeless men, many of whom have struggled with addiction. Unlike most organisations, this place provides permanent housing where the men can drink inside their flats and live as they choose. On the top floor, Billy and Ronnie's friendship falters due to jealousy. Stevie battles vodka withdrawals before rehab, while Gerry and Donald lead opposing lives on the first floor - Donald relapses as Gerry celebrates two years of sobriety. Starting at the surface level of alcoholism in an observational style, the men then challenge this label, revealing the human stories beneath. Billy and Ronnie's violence, Stevie’s rehab, Donald’s guilt, and Gerry’s redemption. Confronting these deeper emotional bonds, the men offer a profound exploration of their lives beyond the label of "alcoholic". The intertwined lives of these men reveal the complexity of addiction and how they are trying to move through it by unravelling past traumas.

Synopsis

INSECT O CIDE is a feature length documentary about the global insect population and its impact on humans.

Synopsis

In 2015 a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil was killed by Walter Palmer, an American dentist, provoking a global outcry. The story of Cecil’s death turns the gaze back on to us and our behaviour. The simplicity of the outrage is a stark contrast to the complexity of the reality.

Synopsis

A non-fiction adaptation of the fairy tale book 'The Little Mermaid' (Hans Christian Andersen, 1837). Fed up with the polluted environment Little Mermaid is forced to live in, she decides to leave home for a better place, embarking on an adventure brimming with new findings. This is the third and final film of Liliana Colombo's 'Climate Trilogy' which started with ICEMELT PARK (2020) and EARTH THE NEW MARS (2022).

Synopsis

The film uses dance to focus on women ageing. A cinematic journey celebrating the enduring power of femininity and resilience embodied by the Argentinian dance choreographer Florencia Guerberof. Guerberof's work creatively explores life's profundity and the timeless legacy of womanhood through the language of Japanese Butoh dance.

Synopsis

One of the most famous people on the planet, Karl Lagerfeld’s unforgettable career spanned an extraordinary seven decades. An unrivalled force of nature, known for his acute mind and equally sharp tongue, Lagerfeld reversed and reinvented the fortunes of Chanel, Fendi and Chloe, whilst building his own eponymous brand, establishing himself as a world-renown photographer, and founding his own publishing house, as he pushed the boundaries of fashion, culture and business like no other before, or since.