Projects in genres: Music

Synopsis

808 is a documentary film about the inspiring story of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's the tale of the birth of electronic music, and how one small machine changed the musical landscape forever... by accident. It's the story of a sound that has been embraced by the world's top producers and performers, and has been name-checked on a whole host of hit records. Associated with numerous musical styles crossing both time and genre, its defining sounds are as relevant now as they ever have been. It defined hip hop and modern dance culture and its sound continues to deliver dancefloor-smashing beats today. SXSW 2015 - World premiere

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'The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson' confronts our worst nightmares of impending death and turns them upside down. It tells the extraordinary, yet universal story of legendary musician Wilko Johnson who, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a few months to live, accepted his fate with uplifting positivity and embarked on a farewell tour, capturing the imagination of the world as he went. But like every good story Wilko's has a damn fine twist in its tail. Two years later and confounding the odds, Wilko wakes up in a hospital bed, unexpectedly sentenced to live, having now to integrate those enlightened lessons learnt under sentence of death into the unexpected and ongoing future of his life. SXSW 2015 - World premiere

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A portrait of the artist’s uncle Steven. Filmed over two years, whilst Steven is involved in restoring an antique grand piano inherited from his grandmother, Isabel. Steven’s inventive experiments dictate the action, but as the instrument unravels into thousands of pieces, it gradually takes over his material and psychological landscape.

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The remarkable, forgotten story behind David Bowie's biggest-ever hit record – and how the birth of MTV, and an unlikely journey deep into the Australian outback led to its unprecedented success. Official Selection Berlinale 2015 - Generation 14plus - World premiere

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A behind-the-scenes look at the popular boy band, Backstreet Boys. Directed by Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Cinemania).

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Imtiaz, a rickshaw driver, gives a ride to Tameena, a hotel call girl, and begins waiting for her daily; he falls in love with her and tries to rescue her from the horrors of poverty and prostitution.

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Take It Back and Start All Over is a relationship drama with music following 33 year old mum Jennie who attempts to recapture her past as a successful singer/songwriter while dealing with a marriage that is falling apart.

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The Collector's Case was produced during Yelena Popova’s residency at Upton House, a National Trust property in Warwickshire. The video records the time Popova spent working with the collection of paintings at Upton House and reflects on the temporality of a painting collection.

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Verbal and physical slapstick suggests darker truths behind love, sex, and relationships. This dance monologue is an interpretation of a classic performance piece taken from the archive of the late performer and choreographer Nigel Charnock.

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A witch conspires to teach important lessons to various characters of popular children's stories including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel.

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Montreal is an island where the indie scene is blossoming like nowhere else in the world. And in the true spirit of the music, Timothy George Kelly's DIY film takes us to pop-up shows on rooftops, in subways, at playgrounds and in parking lots.

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Gary is 59, an inspirational Indian teacher in a British school who has dreamt of rock stardom ever since he was born in the presence of his very own Guardian Angel on Christmas Eve. Gary reaches rock bottom when he is forced out of his job and hits the bottle until his Guardian Angel unearths Gary’s long lost talent – songwriting. Gary dusts off his old guitar and heads to rural Ireland where he meets Kathleen, a feisty, middle-aged vet who also plays the drums, and Jack, a penniless pensioner and one-time record producer. Down on their luck, the trio hatch a plan to win a prestigious song contest with a £1 million record deal by making an album with the best Christmas song ever written. But can this loveable, ageing trio really win against today’s young talent?