Projects in genres: Scottish

Synopsis

In 1928 at the age of eleven, Harry Birrell was given his first cine camera. ‘The greatest toy a child could ever receive’ he would say. His obsession with making movies would span the rest of the 20th century, despite the onset of blindness. In love, war and other adventures Harry recorded everything with a wonderfully cinematic eye on thousands upon thousands of feet of high quality 16mm film. From commanding a battalion of Ghurkas in the Indian army at the start of the WWII, to dangerous sorties deep behind enemy lines in Burma at its end; from the ballroom dances of his youth in the 1930s to teaching his children to twist in the 1960s: Harry’s entertaining and errant adventures are filmed with the intimacy of home movies but on the scale of 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Today, his granddaughter Carina, uncovers a lifetime of memories all spliced together in over 400 films, personal diaries (narrated by Richard Madden) and countless photographs that have previously lain undiscovered, along with the many cans of cine film, in rusting metal trunks in a garden shed. It’s one man’s cinematic vision of the 20th Century and his own personal journey through it.

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A hybrid documentary about the decommissioning of a nuclear plant in Scotland. Concerned with landscape and time, myth and technology, the film explores the nature of ruins, and asks what environmental scars our generation will leave behind for the future. Official Selection Visions du Réel 2019 - World premiere

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Contrasting artistic visions, misplaced confidence and blatant ignorance collide on the backdrop of an increasingly fragile and divided world.

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A documentary following shoes donated from children in the suburbs of Scotland to young Syrian refugees in the settlements in Lebanon. At its heart this a children’s story. It is as much about the children who donate as those who receive the shoes.

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An elderly man travels to a remote Scottish Island to come to terms with his own mortality.

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Oppressed by her overbearing and violent stepfather, a young woman takes revenge into her own hands.

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Buckley is a sensitive and troubled young man with long furry rabbit ears. He believes the ears to be a living part of him as a result of childhood trauma. He longs to escape the confines of the run-down caravan site where he assists his alcoholic grandfather.

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The story follows the highs and lows as Emily - a regular clubber - tries ecstasy for the 1st time, and it changes her life forever. What starts as fun and enlightening turns dark as the truth she finds may not be as it seems. However, we cannot ignore the 2nd line of the film - The Drug is a metaphor - this isn't only about drugs - it's about all the things we bolt on to make us feel better, when the truth is - feeling better is a choice we make inside. 'Emily's Story' reflects the clubbing environment of the late 1990s and is presented in a unique format - designed that it can be viewed in a nightclub as well as on normal home-based outlets. The Storytelling is intense and opens the viewer up to self examination and realisation, to understand what metaphorical drugs they use in life to overcome feelings of low self worth (fashion, celebrity and powerful cars). A Unique production, available in 2 lengths for the clubber or shortened for regular film viewer. Think 'Trainspotting' meets 'Alice in Wonderland' and you wont be dissapointed

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Two strangers meet through a Lift Share website: a young Romanian woman, desperate to find her child, and a Scottish musician reluctant to attend his violent father's funeral. In shifting time perspectives, they imagine what might await them as they journey towards the remote, haunting beauty of the Outer Hebrides.

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When Elliott lures the animalistic Jack to his apartment for a late-night hook up, he unexpectedly unearths a dark emotional connection.

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Jim, an isolated ex-miner who works as a night-shift security guard faces his last day at work before retirement. The film explores the intrinsic relation of an individual to work and asks what's left when, at the end of a lifetime of labour, a man loses his purpose. Official Selection Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019

Synopsis

Orson Welles trained as an artist before he become an actor and director, and continued to draw and paint throughout his career - character sketches, storyboards, set designs, pictures of the people and places that inspired him. These artworks are a sketchbook of his life, and most have never been seen outside his family and close friends. For the first time, award-winning director Mark Cousins has been granted access to this treasure trove of imagery, to make a film about what he finds there - the story of Welles' visual thinking, never before told. An exclusive new perspective on one of the 20th century's greatest creative figures, whose art and life continue to fascinate audiences today. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2018 - Cannes Classics - World premiere