An electrifying journey through the performance, private and public worlds of pop cultural icon Grace Jones. Jones’ bold aesthetic echoes throughout as director Sophie Fiennes creates a powerful cinematic experience, contrasting musical sequences with intimate personal footage and reaching beyond her iconic mask.
The film includes unique performances of her iconic hits 'Slave To The Rhythm' and 'Pull Up To The Bumper' as well as more recent autobiographical tracks, 'Williams' Blood', 'This Is' and 'Hurricane'. These personal songs link to the film’s narrative that follows Grace on a holiday road trip across her native Jamaica where the story of her traumatic childhood are uncovered.
Her stage is the fixed point to which the film returns, with 'Love Is The Drug' acting like an aria, bringing the film to its final and most touching scenes, including an encounter with French photographer Jean Paul Goude, father of Jones’ son Paulo and creator of her iconic album covers.
This is a Grace we have not seen before, someone who reminds us of what it is to dare to be truly alive. In all her apparent contradictions, Grace Jones may appear an exception, but she is also a point of identification: she is the exception that proves the rule.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2017 - TIFF Docs - World premiere
A darkly comic fable in the style of an old magic lantern show with each scene hand-painted as the lantern glass slides would be, with music by Tom Fazzini.
Steven, better known as Morrissey, frontman of iconic band The Smiths, is a restless young man struggling to escape his working class roots. He dreams of being in a band, writing music and flying clear of the daily grind.
One evening lurking in the shadows at a gig he meets Linder: artistic, literate, intelligent, she is all he sees in himself They fast become confidants, his courage and sense of purpose increasing day by day. Suddenly a chance encounter with guitarist Billy leads to a first gig. But Billy and Linder cannot support Steven forever, each making their own escape to the bright lights of London. Can Steven find his own path?
Edinburgh International FIlm Festival 2017 - World premiere
Music video taken from the 'Josephine' EP. A young man who is addicted to watching TV goes insane after becoming obsessed with a colleague. He disfigures himself and starts a rampage.
An unlikely gang of teenagers goes on the run from dysfunctional parents to an island music festival, where the rules of the real world don't apply.
Edinburgh International FIlm Festival 2017 - World premiere
First brought together by their shared love of music, ten years later Liam and Natalie have reached a breaking point. Opposites attract, but aren’t necessarily working long-term. Liam, a struggling musician, cannot let go of his vinyl collection and refuses to adapt to a world of smartphones and instant downloads. Natalie has let go of her dream of designing album covers and has become a rising star at her advertising firm. As they make the difficult decision to separate, they start by splitting their prized music library, but the soundtrack that defined their relationship keeps pulling them back together.
Adapted by Philip Gawthorne from his award-winning play.
Edinburgh International FIlm Festival 2017 - World premiere
The sequel to 'The Big Gold Dream' continues the story of Scottish Independent music. This film focuses on Glasgow after the collapse of Postcard Records. This is the story of The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, The Soup Dragons, BMX Bandits, The Vaselines and Teenage Fanclub.
'52 Portraits' is an epic love song written to an art form. Dance.
'52 Portraits' is a series of moving image portraits of dancers accompanied by sung autobiographies. It captures the profound, funny and surprising power of their subjects, revealing the stories, thoughts and struggles of dancers in an unexpected way.
Conceived by choreographer Jonathan Burrows, composer Matteo Fargion and video maker Hugo Glendinning. The idea behind the project was to catch both the individual and unexpected brilliance of individual performers, but also the larger collective concerns of dance artists, which accumulate over the course of the 52 films. Originally conceived as a digital project, it began with ideas of the familiar; the common; the shared technological situation. These short gestural portraits were released online every week over a year. These videos now form the chapters of this film.
What emerges in this film is a political and sociological gesture, interrogating the numerous ways artists are subject to hierarchies, stereotypes and marginalisation of any kind. The result is a hugely varied and personal story of what it means to be a dancer.
A short instrumental music film, with no lyrics or vocals.
A simple story about a man going for a walk and enjoying the scenery along the way, listening to music.
Guy's Girl highlights how female DJ’s are represented in London’s predominantly male music scene. The title Guy's Girl is ironic and with the documentary we aim to reinforce the fact that female DJs are just DJs and, despite popular belief, "don't mix with their vaginas."
Scotland, 1982. The stars of Big Gold Dream had either split up or taken the Big Gold Road south to major label success in London. Glasgow was left with an 'indie label' void but the seeds sown in Big Gold Dream would lead to a new era of rebellion. Punk was reborn in the shape of a new type of independent music. No longer would bands look to tidy themselves up and sign to a major record label in the hope of appearing on Top of the Pops. Independent music in Scotland now meant 'No Compromise' and this is the story of those bands and the personalities involved.
This new documentary from the creators of 'Big Gold Dream' tells the story of what happened next in the uncompromising world of Scottish indie music. The Vaselines, BMX Bandits, The Pastels, The Soup Dragons, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub all appear. Bursting with new interviews, rare archive, untold stories along with some of the most amazingly difficult, scratchy, noisy, genius pop music ever given to the world. This is Teenage Superstars and you need to watch it
