Projects in genres: Biography

Synopsis

Structured as a series of classes in cultural organising, this film reconstructs the life of a woman whose literary works and film collaborations became a catalysing force in 20th century political movements. Toni Morrison, Nikky Finney and filmmaker Haile Gerima are among those who testify to Bambara's humour, fierce commitment to collective action and gift for galvanising artists into community work. Official Selection DOC NYC 2025 - World premiere Official SelectionTrue/False Film Festival 2026 Official Selection Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival 2026 Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2026 - European premiere

Synopsis

Finding beauty in the ordinary, Liverpool takes centre stage in this year-in-the-life documentary portrait. ​ Communities and voices are observed from a fresh perspective as the city navigates through an eventful year. Mirroring the ebb and flow of the River Mersey, LIVERPOOL STORY is an intimate document of daily life, observing the city and its people over the passing seasons.

Synopsis

Aki Nawaz founded Southern Death Cult and Fun-Da-Mental, spending decades navigating his identity as a Pakistani punk artist. His music has always fused the personal with the political — but in 2006, he channels this into his most controversial album yet, with All Is War – The Benefits of G-Had - a raw, furious response to post-9/11 Islamophobia in Britain.

Synopsis

Between film screenings across the world, Mark Jenkin muses on cinematic influences, ponders cultural history and reflects upon home. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025 - European premiere

Synopsis

2002: At 28, Kate Moss is already the greatest fashion icon of our time. Endlessly watchable, never predictable, always natural and utterly unpretentious. Kate shaped a generation. Yet she still yearns to be seen, truly seen. In a bold move, Kate enters Lucian Freud's studio. Two British cultural titans converge, and Kate bares herself. We are drawn into their world, feeling every brush stroke. Freud's genius explores Kate's hidden depths. Her complexity unfolds. A mesmerizing rapport develops. The wild party scene fades whilst self-discovery takes centre stage. Witness Kate's profound transformation. Freud keeps challenging her. She pushes back. Tension mounts. Truths emerge. Kate finds her voice, her strength, her true self. Kate blossoms from supermodel to eternal muse. This is a journey into the heart of an icon. Feel the real Kate Moss. Vulnerable. Defiant. Reborn. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection Rome Film Festival 2025 - International premiere

Synopsis

This film follows the growth of the Afrocentric Black is Beautiful movement of the 60s and 70s through the lens of Kwame Brathwaite, pioneering Harlem photographer and its unsung godfather. Kwame Brathwaite spent his life documenting black American history, photographing and befriending some of its biggest stars over his lifetime. He also founded grassroots fashion shows he called "Naturally" that celebrated natural black beauty and Afrocentrism in a time when it was deemed controversial, and heralded a new dawn for blackness across the globe. Forgotten by history until his son uncovered his vast archive of photos in the 2010s, the film covers the revival of Kwame's legacy in the last few years of his life. Family, friends and artistic admirers championed Kwame's work in a bid to put his name on the map before his passing in 2023. Kwame's story weaves together the story of the black experience, cultural icons and activism, taking a Forrest Gump journey through the biggest names and moments in American culture. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025 - Official Competition - World premiere Official Selection DOC NYC 2025

Synopsis

An evocative virtual reality experience from director Sacha Wares with music by Dan Jones and Evelyn Glennie. For the first seven years of her childhood, American artist Judith Scott shared a bed with the twin sister who adored her. One night, everything changed. This beautiful multi-sensory biography transports you to a sun-kissed 1950’s family home in Ohio, placing you at the heart of Judith Scott’s devastating story of love and separation. Official Selection CPH:DOX 2026

Synopsis

The story of working-class women who, during the 1984–85 Miners' Strike, found themselves at the forefront of a battle against the British state. From Scotland down to Kent, women from the coalfields shed light on their experiences of the year long struggle, and how they became the backbone of the Strike. With many still active today, their actions reshaped the landscape of political activism for working-class women.

Synopsis

Delving into the life of a Palestinian in the UK, separated from a culture and a way of life, this film captures the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity, delivering a powerful statement about the intersection of personal struggle and political conflict and offering hope, challenging narratives, and inspiring solidarity. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

In Cambodia, former Khmer Rouge child soldier Aki Ra and his wife Hout help communities reclaim their land by undertaking the potentially lethal task of clearing unexploded landmines left over from years of war. Along the way they adopt unwanted kids whose childhoods and limbs have been destroyed by landmines, and open a war museum that soon becomes world famous. Aki Ra fights to break free of shadows cast by his role in the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, and rebuild his shattered family. But in a country grappling to come to terms with its history, the past always has a way of catching up.

Synopsis

In the mid-2000s, Rick Canty lost both his mother and their home in Barry, Wales. Evicted, he climbed onto his roof and stayed there for years in protest. Through candid interviews and archive, RICK ON THE ROOF reveals how a quiet neighbourhood becomes a community, throwing street parties and keeping him alive through storms, until Rick is suddenly injured under mysterious circumstances. Today, amidst the UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis, the community he shaped reflect on the legacy of their local hero. This slightly bizarre, emotional documentary explores one man’s fight for his home. Official Selection Folkestone Documentary Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

Locked and loaded with film tape, a man explores an abandoned rave house, once known as The Warehouse, that was once the beating heart of the South West’s clubland.