Projects in genres: Black

Synopsis

Rocks (15) is a teenage girl with big dreams for the future, loyal fun friends and an adoring, though mischievous, little brother, Emmanuel (7). Rocks enjoys school (as much as any teenager does) and lives a full vibrant life in East London with her team of London-centric best mates. Rocks’ world is turned upside down when she returns from school to find her mum gone, leaving some cash and a note offering little explanation except that she is sorry. Determined to stick with her brother and avoid being taken into care against all odds, Rocks leaves her home and hides in pockets of East London, and as each day becomes tougher and her secret harder to hide, Rocks starts to push away those who love her and her friendship group begins to fracture. When the authorities finally catch up with her, there is really only one source of support for her to turn to: her friends. A film about the joy, resilience and spirit of girlhood.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - Platform - World premiere
Official Selection San Sebastián International Film Festival 2019 - European premiere
Official Selection Busan International Film Festival 2019 - Asian premiere
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2019 - Special Presentation

Synopsis

When a worker falls to his death at a care home, it appears to be a terrible accident. But when a detective questions a young man with Down's syndrome spotted at the scene, they uncover a crime more shocking than anyone imagined.

Synopsis

The story of the black, British experience: one driven by misplaced loyalty, melancholy, and historical reprise stands as a mirror to the traditional tale of Pierrot’s existence under Harlequin’s thumb. This forms the narrative pillar for Sasraku’s semi-autobiographical fairytale, shot on 8mm film.

Synopsis

Billie Holiday one ofthe greatest voices of all time, a woman of breath-taking talent and globalpopularity, was throughout her short life a figure of controversy - a blackwoman in a white man’s world, a victim and a rebel whose performances and recordings of the protest song "Strange Fruit" earned her powerful enemies. She was also an enigma, her telling of her own life story a mix of half truths and free-form improvisations.
In the late1960s journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biographyof Billie. Over the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded interviews with the extraordinary characters that populated the iconic singer’s short, tumultuous life. Raw, emotional and brutally honest, these incredible testimonies ranged from musical greats like Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms and Count Basie to her cousin, schoolfriends, lovers, lawyers, pimps and even the FBI agents who arrested her. But Linda’s book was never finished and the tapes unplayed – until now.
With unprecedented and exclusive access to Linda's astonishing 200 hours of never-before-heard interviews, BILLIE showcases an American legend, capturing her depths andcomplexity through the voices of those who knew her best. Painstakingly restored with footage and stills colourized by one of the leading colour artists, it is an arresting and powerful tale of one of the greatest singers who ever lived, and of Linda Lipnack Kuehl, the woman who would sacrifice her life intrying to tell it.
Official Selection Telluride Film Festival 2019 - World premiere

Synopsis

A naïve actress new to the industry allows her senses to be seduced by this world, trusting a well established director which leads to dramatic consequences.

Synopsis

Sisters, Helena and Lillian join the Women's Land Army to help Britain in its fight during WW2 but find themselves fighting a battle a little closer to home.

Synopsis

A powerful film that interrogates and challenges stereotypes surrounding the role of the black father in modern society.

Synopsis

Looking at Africa in the future: In 2064 population growth and climate pressures have pushed the continent to the brink. Most animals are wiped out, and a federation of African states institutes of an annual cull of men to restore the balance.

Synopsis

Exploring Oscar and BAFTA-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young's early works - Outlining Young’s location within a lineage of visual artists who he always claims as inspirations as well as echo chambers, and who are actively formulating a new black aesthetics. (liquid blackness)

Synopsis

A dissatisfied and alienated young woman finds momentary purpose when a strange self-help guide comes into her life. Although her life improves, when she unwittingly encounters the author in a pub she is faced with an unsettling realisation.

Synopsis

Brendan is a toll booth operator in the middle of nowhere with a disdain for conversation, a mild lactose intolerance and an interest in the genre of the academic novel. Why do all his customers keep trying to change him?

Synopsis

The future of social housing is threatened by the AC30 Housing Bill. Set in London's East End, a trio of art students are eager to raise awareness about their neighbourhood especially the lives of tenants and people who work on the estate.