Projects in genres: Human Rights

Synopsis

FREEDOM SWIMMER documents a mass migration story from the 20th century, which is relatively untold in the Western world— and offers context for a city in turmoil, today. A granddaughter asks her grandfather to recount his journey from China, swimming to Hong Kong in the 1970’s. One of two million mainland residents who swam across the southern sea border. Many others died trying or were captured and sent to labour camps. He was one of the lucky ones. From the 1950’s to 1980’s Hong Kong was a symbol of freedom to many Chinese, glimpsed across the water. The grandfather, like many others, went on to have a successful life in Hong Kong and was part of the working-class movement that helped transform the city into a financial success story. FREEDOM SWIMMER explores the effect of past cultural trauma, exploring a new perspective on the current situation. It reflects the depth of a symbol that is ‘freedom’ - that Hong Kong both represents and holds onto so tightly. On a wider-scale, this is a universal story of the dispossessed— what it takes to flee your country, what it means to fight for freedom, what it is like to leave everything in hope of liberty.

Synopsis

Did George Floyd's killing mark a turning point for change or false dawn? Despite the global outcry, US Police continue instigating indiscriminate violence against Black communities. Is there a parallel history of structural racism in Britain? Since watching George's viral footage, Black Britain, Michael's mind has been thrown into freefall.

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Things get wild at the VISA and Immigration Services when Karim, a young Iranian father living in the UK is mistakenly threatened with deportation.

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Myrtle cooks dinner for her son. But something's not quite right. This kitchen is anonymous, industrial and Myrtle's working to a deadline. As her composure unravels, we learn that 21 grams is all that separates life from death.

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A young gay man embarks on an unusual first date in a conquest to take control of his past.

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Rejected by his family for his queerness and oppressed by his country for the same, Libyan teenager, Britannia, gets an interview at the British Embassy, gateway to the pulsing queer world of Manchester’s Canal Street. But an unexpected discovery strikes deep, forcing him to question where his dreams truly lie.

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THE BLACK COP is a docu-drama that explores one former police officer's experience of being both victim and perpetrator of racism within the police force. With the ongoing conversations around racial profiling within policing, this documentary takes audiences into the usually private world of policing, told through an unfamiliar perspective. BAFTA Film Awards 2022 - Best British Short - Winner

Synopsis

Global protests are on the rise. Historic demonstrations in Chile and Hong Kong, school children striking all over the world. Who are the young leaders and activists behind this seismic political shift? DEAR FUTURE CHILDREN is a documentary about the new generation bringing attention to topics which have been under reported for too long. The film explores the impact of activism on their own lives and their personalities and explores the challenges of activism and the motivation of why they keep going nevertheless. Official Selection CPH:DOX 2021 - Change Makers Official Selection Hot Docs Festival 2021 - World Showcase - North American premiere. Winner: Audience award

Synopsis

When a young Palestinian woman tries to claim asylum in the UK, she faces the indifference of British bureaucracy and the disillusionment of a Polish asylum officer on the verge of leaving the country for good.

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This urgent film beds in with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations, offering a frontline portrait of four young protesters through a year of struggle. We see their hopes for a freer life and feel their fears as the authorities crack down. Pulse-racing scenes bring the viewer to street level, where peaceful protest is met with fury and tear gas. Clear-eyed about the complications and contradictions that come with a movement that changed Hong Kong forever, it is a brave document of troubled times. Official Selection CPH:DOX Festival 2021 - F:act Award - World premiere

Synopsis

Seven inhabitants of a de facto state on the Black Sea unfurl a web of stories about loss and displacement through re-imaginings of their dreams and memories of the 1992-93 war in Abkhazia. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2021 - Experimenta - World premiere

Synopsis

Olivia, a trainee professional, finds herself opposing the British government who are bent on criminalising her mother.