Projects in genres: Human Rights

Synopsis

For 50 years, iconic activist Ted Brown has fought for queer and black identities. But after his partner suffers homophobic abuse in a care home, a devastated Ted questions the impact of his activism. Official selection Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2023 - World premiere

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After the loss of a friend, 12-year-old Jerome attends his first nine night. Set in 1970s London, the film explores the duality of grief and celebration within the mourning period of Jamaican culture. Whilst paying homage to the generations before us who have been intentional about preserving tradition. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2023

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A nightmare in reverie: five young queer people are admitted into a clinic to undergo conversion therapy. Enduring several different and harrowing methods to change their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, the sterile space of abject trauma struggles to suppress the abundance and beauty of queer love. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2023 - World premiere Official Selection Frameline 2023

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A college student's search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2023 - World premiere - Documentary Feature Competition - Special Jury Recognition for Innovation in Storytelling

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A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua, a trans woman, tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place. Official Selection Locarno Film Festival 2023 - World premiere Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2023 Official Selection Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2024 - International Competition

Synopsis

STOLEN is the story of women who had the misfortune to fall pregnant ‘out of wedlock’ in an Ireland that heavily influenced by the Catholic Church. Over 80,000 unmarried mothers were incarcerated in institutions run by nuns from 1922 to 1998. Mothers and babies were cruelly separated shortly after birth with thousands of babies taken for adoption and their birth records rendered untraceable. 9,000 infants died from 1922 to 1998, a rate sometimes five times the national average. Others were fostered out as cheap farm labour from the age of six. It was a history that was largely ignored until the discovery that 796 babies had died between 1925 and 1961 in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home alone. Evidence of tiny remains found in an underground sewage plant on the site of the former home caused outrage and alarm escalated over what happened in other institutions such as Bessborough in Cork and Sean Ross Abbey in Tipperary where more children died without burial records. The Irish government announced an investigation into Mother and Baby homes. Survivors relate their experiences of cruelty and loss and of happier outcomes in some cases, interwoven with historical analysis and artists’ responses to what happened. Official Selection London Irish Film Festival 2023 - World premiere

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A call-to-action short film that uses verbatim dialogue from disabled actors told from their lived experiences. The film unfolds through vignettes of the main characters, as we watch them smash stereotypes and reveal societal barriers, whilst breaking the fourth wall to reveal their inner most thoughts.

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A Parisian grandfather searches for the granddaughter he has never seen, against a background of family trauma, and seeking to understand how his son became a notorious Islamic State terrorist. Official selection DocEdge Film Festival 2023 - World premiere

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Palestinian Shadi embarks on a secret adventure, and accidentally drags his proud family into a trap where they either collaborate with the Israeli occupation or be shamed and humiliated.

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Tilak, a gentle and reserved gay Nepali man in a rural setting is forced to marry a girl (Urmila, a school-teacher) by his family. How do the couple navigate social pressures (including not being able to produce a child) as well as take care of their needs.

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Grace Ridhi turns up to Mr Freeman's house to demand he pay for all the overdue bills he owes the council. Mr Freeman prefers a more spiritual approach to such things.

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Inhabiting a bizarrely unusual body (the body she loves), and navigating daily discrimination, Ella searches the world for another like her – "Is There Anybody Out There?" Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2023 - World Cinema Documentary Competition - World premiere Official Selection Hot Docs 2023 - Special Presentation Official Selection Krakow Film Festival 2023 - International Documentary Competition Official Selection Sheffield Doc/Fest 2023