Projects in genres: History

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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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

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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.

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An hilariously twisted romp through Renaissance art, this critically acclaimed point-and-click game adventure tasks you with redeeming your soul – one questionable good deed at a time. Immortal John is dying. As his last surviving heir, you have been summoned to hear his dying wish. Will he ask you to avenge his death!? To murder all those who have wronged him!!? To bring to fruition his life long plan to topple the ruling elite from within, shattering the balance of power, and ultimately saving the world!!!? DEATH OF THE REPROBATE is a gentle story about helping people and being nice. Travel around a quiet, rural town - help the locals in their day to day tasks. Wander into the nearby woods - make idle chit-chit with a woman submerged neck-deep in a tiny pond. Climb to an idyllic viewpoint in the mountains, overlooking earth and sea and sky, help a man shoot some birds. This is a game full of slow burning simple pleasures... Until the Devil gets involved. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025 - Games Lounge at LFF Expanded

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A woman at the end of her life wanders lost in the woods where her memories find her. Seamlessly blending historical archive footage with dramatizations, the narrative explores how nature connects us to our past.

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After discovering the power of the humble brick, pigs forged ahead into the industrial revolution building houses, factories and shops to wolf-proof their lives. This is the story about a little piggie named Richmond who befriends a not-so-big bad wolf named Billy, much to the outrage of his father. Set in the Black Country, this film is about friendship, inclusivity and not judging a wolf by its cover. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

A cinematic essay composed of over 200 postwar U.S. informational films and newsreels from the Library of Congress and the National Archives. What begins as an inquiry into America’s vision of early European integration becomes a feminist re-reading of the masculine gaze that shaped the postwar world. Through archival images once used to define ‘the global’ and ‘the other,’ the film exposes the links between Hollywood, propaganda, and the military-industrial complex in constructing Western modernity. By casting a female gaze on these histories, THIRD PERSON (PLURAL) challenges the authority of the archive and reveals the unseen many who inhabit it - the collective ‘third person’ who looks back at the camera.

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An immersive 360 experience created by Human Studio interpreting three scenes from an original short story by Nick Bax. The Neon Pack is a Protopian Tale which takes place in a very near future where XR technology is seamlessly fused into our everyday lives, enhancing even the most mundane of activities. The project was commissioned by Hope Works and match-funded by XR Stories (University of York) and attempts to provoke thought and discussion regarding the development and proliferation of XR technology and content. To date, ‘The Neon Pack’ has been exhibited at Sónar+D (Barcelona, 2023), the Immersive Futures Lab, SXSW, (Austin, Texas, 2023) and BEYOND, Cardiff City Hall (2022). An augmented reality iteration of the project was also displayed in Sheffield city centre until 2025 as part of the ‘Look Up’ AR artworks project. The Neon Pack features original soundtrack by 96 Back on CPU Records.

Synopsis

Memories of Mortlake is an antique shop in West London owned by Elke from Germany. In her tiny shop there are no spaces left uncovered, every shelf and surface is piled up with wonderful old treasures. But she's only able to keep going because she owns the freehold to her building, a luxury most junk stores can only dream of. She's a passionate maker of things too so has an astonishing collection of old buttons, lace, ribbon, beads and fabric. She talks about the demise of sewing skills among the young, how no one appreciates the workmanship in all the hand made stuff and the death of the retail shops during the pandemic in London.

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Britain’s first Muslim war heroine in Europe is tested to the limit as she faces her brutal Nazi captors for the last time. Can she hold on to London’s secret plans as the Allied forces finally start advancing through France? Inspired by the true story of WW2 spy Noor Inayat Khan.