Projects in genres: Sport

Synopsis

An impressionable Launceston Elliot comes under the spell of the iconic Sandow The Magnificent, a performing circus strongman. He seeks him out as his mentor to train him for the Olympics.

Synopsis

A searing documentary of a lost cultural icon. A story of art, sport, sexuality, and rebellion. Watch any figure skating and it falls into two camps: before and after John Curry. From what was a macho, technical sport whose judges punished deviation, blossomed – through John Curry’s stubborn beauty – ice-dancing. After winning gold at the Winter Olympics for a rebelliously balletic routine, audiences and reviewers alike were enthralled by his genius. But Curry’s story is about more than skating. On the night of the final, Curry became the first openly gay Olympian at a time when homosexuality was barely legal. From bullying and prejudice, to relief in the gay underworld, to his untimely death from AIDS, Curry’s story dovetails with the experiences of a generation. This is the story of a man whose body was a battleground. From love affairs, to violence in sex clubs, to its ‘unmanly’ elegance on the ice, every act was rebellion. John Curry was no activist, but an artist expressing his authentic self – yet in a world where his existence was taboo, his life was unavoidably political. Official Selection CPH:DOX 2018 - International premiere

Synopsis

When the youngest member of a reputable all-star cheerleading team struggles to ‘hit’ her stunt during her coach’s rigorous training sessions, the rest of the team suffers.

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When a tormented naval officer returns home to Liverpool, the city becomes a landscape for atonement as he is forced to confront his past.

Synopsis

Based on the incredible true story of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, and his attempt to win the first single-handed round-the-world yacht race in 1968. Crowhurst entered the Sunday Times Golden Globe race, partly as an opportunity to publicise a new navigation device he had been working on. He fitted another of his inventions, a stability system, to his untested trimaran and set off to on his solo mission to circumnavigate the globe. Leaving his family behind, his inexperience and loneliness found him confronted with dramatic struggles and acute isolation alone on the high seas. A haunting tale of a man going to sea and the family he leaves behind.

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Focusing on the final races of cyclist David Millar’s career, leading up to his last encounter with the Tour de France. The camera goes inside the peloton, is pushed up impossible climbs and forced down rapid descents, lies alongside David in his hotel room in post-race agony. The camera also rides in the support car, the source of comfort, supplies and fleeting relief from the cold. And all in the knowledge that every mile travelled is a mile closer to the end. This film reveals how the human spirit is driven by a force deeper than success and glory. Official Selection IDFA 2017 - World premiere

Synopsis

A funny yet touching coming of age football memoir played out to the sights and sounds of Britain in 1970. Adapted from the comic novel by Dave Roberts, it recounts the author’s highs and the lows supporting his beloved team Bromley FC through their worst ever season. Bumping along at the bottom of the bottom non-league division, and effectively the worst football team in Britain, Bromley had reached breaking point. Desperate for a change of fortune, and deluded by his own overactive imagination, Dave hatches a plan that will not only see Bromley grabbing the headlines on national TV, but also have a number of top flight clubs descending upon Hayes Lane to scout Bromley’s dubiously overrated centre forward. Throw into the mix the Bromley Chairman’s daughter Ruby King – who actually hates football, but has taken quite a shine to Dave - and you have a recipe for disaster which has Dave’s football fandom tested to the core. It just goes to show you can't choose who you fall in love with.

Synopsis

Matty Burton is a middleweight boxing world champion, now coming towards the end of his career, who knows that he must make his money and get out of the game. His aim is to secure a home with his wife Emma, and a future for their baby daughter Mia. His opponent is the brash and controversial Andre Bryte. A big puncher who courts controversy with his outlandish statements. Andre’s intent is to rip the title from Matty, a task that Andre feels is going to be easy. After a titanic battle, Matty returns home to Emma, but moments later collapses on the living room floor from a delayed reaction to a devastating punch. When Matty awakes from the coma, the real fight begins. Suffering from memory loss and with his personality altered, Matty must begin to piece his life back together as his world disintegrates. A powerful and beautiful story about loss and, ultimately, triumph. About identity, and how in life you sometimes have to dig deep into your soul to discover who you really are. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - Love Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

A man seeks happiness and belonging in the company of the largest crowds he can find. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018 - International premiere

Synopsis

Exploring the remarkable life and career of Bill Shankly, the legendary Liverpool Football Club manager. A search for the soul of British football: a soul made human in the remarkable life of one man. Perhaps no-one before or since has personified the spirit of the working class culture that gave birth to the modern game. Bill Shankly’s passion for football was boundless to the point of obsession.

Synopsis

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s world champion Billie Jean King and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs was billed as the 'Battle of the Sexes' and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla. Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2017 - Special Presentations - International premiere

Synopsis

A vivid portrait of Tom Sietas, a world record in Static Apnea, the ability to hold one’s breath underwater. Combining underwater imagery with a contemporary dance sequence the film reveals what drives Tom to push his body to such physical extremes; for Tom to deny breath is to find life. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere