Projects in genres: Woman Director

Synopsis

Joan and Tom have been married for many years. There is an ease to their relationship that only comes from spending a life time together and a depth of love which expresses itself through tenderness and humour in equal part. When Joan is unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer, the course of her treatment shines a light on their relationship as they are faced with the challenges that lie ahead and the prospect of what might happen as she fears the worst. A story about love, survival and the epic questions life throws at each and every one of us. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Gala Presentations - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Love Strand - European premiere

Synopsis

Based on Lauren Redniss’ award-winning graphic novel, this innovative biopic of two-time Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie tells the story of the scientific and romantic passions of Marie and her husband Pierre, and the reverberations of their groundbreaking discoveries throughout the 20th Century. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Gala Presentations - World premiere

Synopsis

Rocks (15) is a teenage girl with big dreams for the future, loyal fun friends and an adoring, though mischievous, little brother, Emmanuel (7). Rocks enjoys school (as much as any teenager does) and lives a full vibrant life in East London with her team of London-centric best mates. Rocks’ world is turned upside down when she returns from school to find her mum gone, leaving some cash and a note offering little explanation except that she is sorry. Determined to stick with her brother and avoid being taken into care against all odds, Rocks leaves her home and hides in pockets of East London, and as each day becomes tougher and her secret harder to hide, Rocks starts to push away those who love her and her friendship group begins to fracture. When the authorities finally catch up with her, there is really only one source of support for her to turn to: her friends. A film about the joy, resilience and spirit of girlhood. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Platform - World premiere Official Selection San Sebastián International Film Festival 2019 - European premiere Official Selection Busan International Film Festival 2019 - Asian premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Special Presentation

Synopsis

Maud, a reclusive live-in nurse, becomes dangerously fixated with saving her newest patient’s soul. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Midnight Madness - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Official Competition - European premiere Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020

Synopsis

Eco-thriller - Autistic student Siobhán endures a research week on a ragged fishing trawler, miserably out of place in the close-knit crew. But in the deep Atlantic, an unfathomable life-form ensnares the boat. At first, the crew see the rare deep-sea animal as a chance to make a killing. But as members of the crew succumb to a mysterious infection, Siobhán must persuade them that to profit here is to risk their lives - and the lives of all humans. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Discovery - World premiere Official Selection Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2019 - European premiere

Synopsis

Abandoned in Africa as a child, following a visit to the Sufi shrine in Bilal al Habash, Lilly is taken in by the shrine’s spiritual leader Great Abdal and brought up there as a devoted Muslim. At 17, she leaves for Ethiopia, where she falls in love with an idealistic doctor. With civil war looming, danger grows. Lilly is forced to flee to England. She finds home in a friendship with Amina, a refugee from Ethiopia who has fled the same war, and together they begin a mission to reunite people with their scattered families. We soon discover that Lilly’s mission isn’t purely selfless and Amina has buried a secret that she is trying to flee. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Discovery - World premiere

Synopsis

Amid the struggle for survival in a sprawling Indian metropolis, a red rose brings together three tales of impossible loves. Love between two flower sellers. Love between two women. Love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2019 - Critics' Week - World premiere Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Contemporary World Cinema Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Special Presentation

Synopsis

CLOUDBERRIES was filmed in Arctic Russia in a village near an offshore gas field. The narrator is 'just visiting’, with villagers including the last Sámi. Sounds of the sea, wildlife, a music festival, a choir, and an abandoned school house accompany the filmmaker until she finally sets out to sea. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

JUNKERHAUS is shot in the residence of Karl Junker (1850 -1912) who dedicated his life to building his house in Germany. Reflections, projections and changes of light produce a psychological portrait that offers a new appreciation of architecture as a visionary experience.

Synopsis

The story of the black, British experience: one driven by misplaced loyalty, melancholy, and historical reprise stands as a mirror to the traditional tale of Pierrot’s existence under Harlequin’s thumb. This forms the narrative pillar for Sasraku’s semi-autobiographical fairytale, shot on 8mm film.

Synopsis

An autistic teenage girl and her sister come to terms with the death of their youngest sibling. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Journey Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

Mandy is a modern woman in a crisis. Raising a boy, Larch, in a female revolution and professionally writing about a love that no longer exists, she falls upon a troubled man, Pete, who seeks traditional dynamics and a sense of worth in this current female movement. Venice Critics' Week 2019 - World premiere