Projects in genres: Music

Synopsis

Singer, songwriter and actor Derek Dick, better known as Fish, was the lead singer of Marillion from 1981 until he left the band in 1988. 'Polska' is an access-all-areas pass, following Fish on his solo Fishheads Club Tour of Poland in 2011. Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Synopsis

In the late 1970s, from a tenement flat in Edinburgh, Bob Last and Hilary Morrison operated their record label Fast Product. A predecessor to Rough Trade and Factory Records, Fast Product quickly became the hub for a group of ground-breakingly talented musicians. The previously untold story of a post-punk/indie music scene that reverberated from Edinburgh, throughout the UK and beyond. Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Synopsis

A reimagining of the events that shook a rural Suffolk town in 2006. The residents of London Road, Ipswich had struggled for years with frequent soliciting and kerb-crawling on their street. They were further shattered when the bodies of five murdered women were discovered nearby. When a local resident was charged and then convicted of the murders, the community grappled with what it meant to be at the epicentre of this tragedy. Using the residents' own words set to an innovative musical score, 'London Road' tells a moving story of ordinary people coming together during the darkest of experiences. The original musical drama 'London Road' was hailed as a remarkable, ground-breaking work during two sell-out runs at the UK's National Theatre. This feature film adaptation reunites the creative team of Alecky Blythe, Adam Cork and Rufus Norris with the original cast, and also features an ensemble cast of UK acting talent. Toronto International Film Festival 2015 - International premiere

Synopsis

A feature documentary on the forgotten roots of rap. The story centers around Jalal Nuriddin of "The Last Poets" and the forgotten influence of his seminal record 'Hustlers Convention', an album that changed the face of music and still resonates with meaning today. Hailed by Grandmaster Flash and Chuck D, sampled by the Beastie Boys, Wu Tang Clan, and Nas, Hustlers Convention was the foundation for todays hip-hop scene. This film tells of one of music’s buried masterpieces: the missing link between soul power and hip hop, which gave its creator the right to claim his title as the ‘grandfather of rap’.

Synopsis

Filmed over five years this story begins in 2009 with Australian musician Julien Poulson hearing the extraordinary voice of poor village girl Srey Thy. The result is romance and the Cambodian Space Project, a thrilling musical explosion that wows audiences with sounds from the 1960s golden age of Cambodian rock

Synopsis

Pride, Pole & Prejudice examines the new trend that is transforming gyms and dance schools throughout the UK. It is about the artistry of pole dancing, those who teach it and the students who learn it and aims to banish the myth that pole dancing is only for strip clubs.

Synopsis

Synopsis

From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (Senna), 'Amy' tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse - in her own words. Employing extensive unseen archive footage, this modern and moving film shines a light on the world we live in. A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse instantly captured the world's attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense - she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of modern era. Tragically, relentless media attention coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle saw her life fall apart. As a society, we celebrated her huge successes but were quick to judge her failings when it suited us. The talent that was initially her salvation eventually became the trigger for her disintegration. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27. Official Selection Cannes 2015 - Midnight Screenings

Synopsis

In 2012, jihadists took control of northern Mali. They imposed one of the strictest interpretations of sharia law in history. On 22 August they banned music – radio stations destroyed, instruments burned and Mali’s musicians faced torture, even death. This film follows Mali’s musicians as they fight to keep music alive in their country. Through personal stories we draw the audience into the human side of this ongoing conflict and ask the burning question: what does the future hold for Mali? The film culminates with the first public concert in Timbuktu post jihadist takeover and music ban.

Synopsis

Millions of Americans clung to the hope that Elvis Presley faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. But who was the man behind the mask? Jimmy Ellis, a singer was plucked from obscurity in 1978 and given a fictional identity, signed to Sun Records and thrust into the spotlight as part of the crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave. With an outlandish fictional identity torn from the pages of a pulp novel, the backing of the legendary birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, Sun Records, and a voice that seemed to be the very twin of Presley’s himself, the scheme – concocted in the months after Presley’s death, exploded into a cult success – and the “Elvis is alive” myth began. This is the story behind that story. Who was that masked man? Tribeca Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Synopsis

A behind-the-scenes look at Mary J. Blige recording her 13th studio album in London. The film chronicles the singer's creative process as she writes, records and curates one of her most experimental albums to date. Teaming up with some of the most successful British singer/songwriters including Sam Smith, Disclosure and Emeli Sande (all of whom appear in the documentary), Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions offers unparalleled access to one of the worlds most successful singers. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Synopsis

Five former breakdancers reflect on their youthful rites of passage through the vibrant UK Hip Hop scene of the early 1980s and how it allowed them to escape the confines of life on inner city council estates. As the wild energy of the scene burned out their adolescent dreams met the realities of adulthood. But the scene had a lasting legacy on their lives - once a B Boy, always a B Boy... and then a tragic event gives them an unexpected chance to recapture the past. Previously unseen archive footage shines the light on a forgotten era in British youth culture in this humorous and poignant character-driven documentary. Winner of Best Documentary at the Hip Hop Film Festival New York