Projects in genres: History

Synopsis

A short documentary about the Italian town of Salò during World War 2 and what it endured.

Synopsis

A bold, narrative-driven experience that immerses players in the hidden and haunting histories of anti-Blackness in the US and UK. This is an experience designed to be difficult – mentally and emotionally. Drawing from primary sources, historical records and scholarly analysis, CODED BLACK offers a journey through past atrocities and moments of triumph. Explore two distinct, atmospheric scenes – a plantation and a modern 20th-century city – each filled with real historical documents and audio visual storytelling. With a structure that surfaces different content in each run, CODED BLACK is a narrative crafted for both personal reflection and educational engagement. The game deals with the historical topic of slavery and racism, and therefore includes descriptions of violent acts, images of devices used for the chastisement of enslaved people, and archival imagery depicting victims of lynching. (Note, there is a museum version available with the lynching images disabled). Official Selection International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2025 - Digital Storytelling Competition Official Selection CPH:DOX 2026

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A docudrama video essay exploring the life and legacy of the Saxon rebel Hereward the Wake.

Synopsis

A story about a man who threw a party, which birthed a globally renowned event, which led to a film, which led to a lawsuit, which led to a legacy. Founded in 1972 by sculptor Andrew Logan, The Alternative Miss World is a celebration of transformation and unorthodox beauty. Starting as makeshift private parties held in his artist studio in an old jigsaw factory, the event married the Miss World competition with Crufts dog show, all with a sense of joy and humour. An instant smash hit, early judges and competitors included cultural legends like David Hockney, Derek Jarman, Zandra Rhodes and Leigh Bowery. 1978 saw them take the party public, hiring a big-top tent on Clapham Common for a circus themed extravaganza, hosted by drag icon Divine. A film about the night premiered at Cannes in 1980, and was meant to make it’s London debut on the same evening as the Miss World event. However there was an attempt to scupper this homecoming when later that year they found themselves in The Royal Court of Justice, being sued by Miss World and represented by a trainee barrister by the name of Tony Blair… Official Selection Raindance Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

A young boy after the Hungarian uprising of 1956, raised by his mother with the tale of an idealized dead father, is confronted with a brutish man who claims to be his real father. Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

A poetic memoir and political report, shot in Berlin and Leipzig, and in landscapes around the British Isles. The film’s narrative builds out from the events of the Reichstag Fire in Berlin in 1933 in which the pioneering German-Jewish sound recordist, Ludwig Koch, on whom the film ultimately centres, plays a minor role, placing him and his family in danger. The film is structured in two parts, juxtaposing Koch’s persecution in Nazi Germany with his experiences as a refugee recording bird song and other sounds in Britain. The film’s images of contemporary urban and rural terrains, and of objects and documents, create a collision between past and present. Shifts in time are further emphasised through the use of Koch’s original sound recordings from Germany and Britain which feature throughout the film. Official Selection FID Marseille 2025 - International Competition

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The diary of a young Ukrainian woman as she struggles to resume her life after fleeing the war. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

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MRS BENZ brings to life the remarkable true story of Bertha Benz, a pioneer who defied societal expectations and risked everything to prove her husband Karl Benz’s revolutionary invention, the world’s first motorcar, to the world. Set in 1888 Germany, the experience centres on Bertha’s daring 120-kilometre journey, undertaken in secret and against the conventions of her time. What began as an act of quiet defiance became a turning point in global innovation, reshaping history itself. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival - Cannes Immersive 2025

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In the subterranean archive of the National Roman Legion Museum, where artefacts and imperial debris trace Britain’s imperial past, the possible first depiction of a Welshmen or “barbarian” becomes a catalyst to unsettle imperial narratives and surface long-suppressed voices.

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ALSO RESISTERS considers solidarity across generations and geography. Adapted from a 1968 essay by the gay American socialist David E. McReynolds, the short archival film takes the images and sounds of the American war in Vietnam to reflect on the feedback loop between militarism abroad and at home - and the people who resisted it. Official Selection DOC NYC 2025 - Shorts Competition

Synopsis

A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection CPH DOX 2025 Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 BAFTA Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Academy Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Feature

Synopsis

This personal documentary invites viewers into the life of 76-year-old Romani grandmother Margaret Smith, a former nomadic potato picker who travelled each summer to a small coastal village in south Wales. Filmmaker Lisa Smith, Margaret’s granddaughter, delves into the Romani collective cultural memory, uncovering the deeper significance of the potato harvest and its connection to an undocumented network of stopping places for her family.