A feature documentary on the forgotten roots of rap. The story centers around Jalal Nuriddin of "The Last Poets" and the forgotten influence of his seminal record 'Hustlers Convention', an album that changed the face of music and still resonates with meaning today.
Hailed by Grandmaster Flash and Chuck D, sampled by the Beastie Boys, Wu Tang Clan, and Nas, Hustlers Convention was the foundation for todays hip-hop scene. This film tells of one of music’s buried masterpieces: the missing link between soul power and hip hop, which gave its creator the right to claim his title as the ‘grandfather of rap’.
Filmed over five years this story begins in 2009 with Australian musician Julien Poulson hearing the extraordinary voice of poor village girl Srey Thy. The result is romance and the Cambodian Space Project, a thrilling musical explosion that wows audiences with sounds from the 1960s golden age of Cambodian rock
Pride, Pole & Prejudice examines the new trend that is transforming gyms and dance schools throughout the UK. It is about the artistry of pole dancing, those who teach it and the students who learn it and aims to banish the myth that pole dancing is only for strip clubs.
From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (Senna), 'Amy' tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse - in her own words. Employing extensive unseen archive footage, this modern and moving film shines a light on the world we live in.
A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse instantly captured the world's attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense - she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of modern era. Tragically, relentless media attention coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle saw her life fall apart. As a society, we celebrated her huge successes but were quick to judge her failings when it suited us. The talent that was initially her salvation eventually became the trigger for her disintegration.
Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.
Official Selection Cannes 2015 - Midnight Screenings
In 2012, jihadists took control of northern Mali. They imposed one of the strictest interpretations of sharia law in history. On 22 August they banned music – radio stations destroyed, instruments burned and Mali’s musicians faced torture, even death. This film follows Mali’s musicians as they fight to keep music alive in their country. Through personal stories we draw the audience into the human side of this ongoing conflict and ask the burning question: what does the future hold for Mali? The film culminates with the first public concert in Timbuktu post jihadist takeover and music ban.
Millions of Americans clung to the hope that Elvis Presley faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. But who was the man behind the mask? Jimmy Ellis, a singer was plucked from obscurity in 1978 and given a fictional identity, signed to Sun Records and thrust into the spotlight as part of the crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave. With an outlandish fictional identity torn from the pages of a pulp novel, the backing of the legendary birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, Sun Records, and a voice that seemed to be the very twin of Presley’s himself, the scheme – concocted in the months after Presley’s death, exploded into a cult success – and the “Elvis is alive” myth began.
This is the story behind that story. Who was that masked man?
Tribeca Film Festival 2015 - World premiere
A behind-the-scenes look at Mary J. Blige recording her 13th studio album in London. The film chronicles the singer's creative process as she writes, records and curates one of her most experimental albums to date. Teaming up with some of the most successful British singer/songwriters including Sam Smith, Disclosure and Emeli Sande (all of whom appear in the documentary), Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions offers unparalleled access to one of the worlds most successful singers.
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2015 - World premiere
Five former breakdancers reflect on their youthful rites of passage through the vibrant UK Hip Hop scene of the early 1980s and how it allowed them to escape the confines of life on inner city council estates. As the wild energy of the scene burned out their adolescent dreams met the realities of adulthood. But the scene had a lasting legacy on their lives - once a B Boy, always a B Boy... and then a tragic event gives them an unexpected chance to recapture the past.
Previously unseen archive footage shines the light on a forgotten era in British youth culture in this humorous and poignant character-driven documentary.
Winner of Best Documentary at the Hip Hop Film Festival New York
"Passionate about music from a young age, Rodrigo and Gabriela were lucky enough to discover each other as teenagers in Mexico City, forging one of the most successful musical duos performing today. Music journalist turned filmmaker Alexandro Franco takes us through their fairytale rise, as they leave Mexico to prove themselves in Europe, arriving in Dublin in the late 90s as the Celtic Tiger was roaring. Whilst their phenomenal talent was obvious from the start, they had to prove themselves through old fashioned hard work... But they soon attracted a huge raft of admirers, drawn to their distinctive acoustic style - a blend of flamenco, heavy metal, and rock. An uplifting story of how talent and hard work can fulfil your wildest dreams." Sheffield Doc/ Fest
808 is a documentary film about the inspiring story of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's the tale of the birth of electronic music, and how one small machine changed the musical landscape forever... by accident. It's the story of a sound that has been embraced by the world's top producers and performers, and has been name-checked on a whole host of hit records. Associated with numerous musical styles crossing both time and genre, its defining sounds are as relevant now as they ever have been. It defined hip hop and modern dance culture and its sound continues to deliver dancefloor-smashing beats today.
SXSW 2015 - World premiere
'The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson' confronts our worst nightmares of impending death and turns them upside down. It tells the extraordinary, yet universal story of legendary musician Wilko Johnson who, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a few months to live, accepted his fate with uplifting positivity and embarked on a farewell tour, capturing the imagination of the world as he went. But like every good story Wilko's has a damn fine twist in its tail. Two years later and confounding the odds, Wilko wakes up in a hospital bed, unexpectedly sentenced to live, having now to integrate those enlightened lessons learnt under sentence of death into the unexpected and ongoing future of his life.
SXSW 2015 - World premiere
