Projects in genres: Black

Synopsis

Can one man with a dream win the heart of the world's most powerful woman? This is a documentary like none you have seen before - the first musical docu-tragi-comedy in the history of cinema. Part Borat, part Fahrenheit 9/11, part Mamma Mia!, it follows a love-struck soul's hilarious, emotionally engaging, and ultimately shocking quest to woo former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.   A spin on the Rapunzel fairy-tale, this unique romantic/political/biographic feature follows Devin Ratray, a portly website designer, musician, former child actor (famed as Buzz in Home Alone), and besotted admirer of Condi, as he prepares to meet her.   As Devin travels the country, learning more about the great lady from those who know her, Courting Condi tells the life story of one of our era's most inspiring, enigmatic, and controversial figures. This film is both timely and a classic love story, punctuated by timeless songs.   It's the first retrospective of the Bush Adminstration and will inspire audiences to laugh, sing and protest about the past eight years.

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Campers travel deep into a mysterious forest only to discover they are not alone.

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When the recession is hitting the criminal world as hard as it is hitting Wall Street, New York gangster and loan shark, Mr Thigo (Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson) arrives in London to make an example out of one of his late payers. Already struggling financially, reformed ex- con Nick (Tamer Hassan) is given exactly 24 hours to come up with the £100,000 left on his bill or he is a DEAD MAN RUNNING. As a guarantee, Thigo’s men hold Nick’s wheelchair-bound mum (Brenda Blethyn) hostage, leaving him no choice but to comply. Enlisting the help of his best mate, Bing (Danny Dyer), the boys embark on a frantic race against the clock. Their mission takes them from the dog tracks of East London to the underground drug scene of Manchester as they try every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it’s too late.

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Two dysfunctional, underworld gay couples take stock of their failing relationships against the backdrop of a ruthless revenge plot on a homophobic thug. A f*cked up and outrageous black comedy that subverts the British gangster movie, but at its heart tells a story about people's fear of growing old, and without love.

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Joel, at 17, has been diagnosed as HIV positive. He decides, very prematurely, that he'd rather face this 'embarrassing' disease alone than with anyone else - to unexpected consequences.

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Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King spent almost a century between them in solitary confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentary. They are known as the Angola 3. Herman and Albert are still in solitary confinement after thirty six years in solitary confinement. How could this be? In America. Today. In The Land Of The Free... Is a documentary feature that examines the story of these extraordinary men who appear to have been targeted by the prison officers for being members of the Black Panther Party because they fought against the terrible conditions and systematic sexual slavery that was rife in the prison. They were subsequently convicted of the murder of a prison guard. There was no physical evidence against them and the main eye witness was bribed and promised his freedom by the warden in exchange for testifying. After years in the oblivion of solitary confinement, this year has finally seen dramatic developments of the Angola 3. This documentary tells the on going story of the case of the Angola 3.

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The 1960's saw the closure of hundreds of psychiatric hospitals when people gained more and more awareness of lobotomy, lobectomy, electroshock therapy, insulin therapy, and when the discovery of Thorazine prompted patients' release to the community. After the onset of de-institutionalization, there has been an almost deliberate effort to bury the history of these places. Ian Ference, an amateur photographer has visited dozens of derelict insane asylums - mostly by breaking into the guarded premises - in order to resurrect the memories of those forgotten patients. Insanity Vault follows Ian through one of his crazy adventures in Connecticut. The team arrives at Norwich State Hospital early morning and sets up for a long walk in the nearby forest and along a disused railway line which leads to the abandoned buildings. They progress in a military like operation towards the safety of the tunnels, carefully avoiding the patrol. Ian sets up base camp in one of the halls, which was originally used as a non violent building. Walls are crumbling and fallen plaster covers the ground several inches deep in some corners. Discarded documents and artefacts are scattered around. The forensic ward, which housed the guilty for reason of insanity and the violent patients, is disturbingly beautiful. Sun rays finding their way through the barred windows, contrast with the sternness of the corridors. In some rooms, the roof has even collapsed.  

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Vanessa and Maurice, an African-American couple with five kids, leave Alaska for Las Vegas in search of a better life. Filmed over four years, it is a story of love and family set against the turbulent backdrop of economic boom and bust.

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Abiyot runs for money, every weekend at a different race. He left Ethiopia to try and relaunch his running career in the US. With every aspect of his daily routine centered on his training, his footsteps not only dictate the rhythm of his life, but also become the pervasive rhythm of the film.

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Young loner, Franke Scarfe, 22, is stuck in the past, due to traumatic incidents that happened to him 10 years previously. The death of a former guide-leader triggers off a series of events that help him bury the past and get on with his life.

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An intimate and moving account of one family’s extraordinary courage in the face of overwhelming injustice and brutality In 2008 Mike Campbell – one of the few remaining white farmers in Zimbabwe to have held fast in the face of the violent ‘Land Reform’ programme – took the unprecedented step of challenging President Robert Mugabe before the SADC International Court (SADC - South African Development Community) to defend his farm, which is also home to 500 black workers and their families, and to charge Mugabe and his government with racial discrimination and with violations of Human Rights. This film, much of it shot covertly, follows the traumatic ordeal of Mike, his son in law Ben and their family as they take on a man who has brought death to thousands.  

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Nora is based on true stories of the dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image. The result is a film about family dramas, difficult love affairs and militant politics, which moves back and forth between the comic and the tragic, the joyful and the mournful. It is a film about a girl who is constantly embattled - struggling against all kinds of intimidation and violence - but who slowly gathers strength, pride and independence. Shot entirely on location in Southern Africa, Nora includes a multitude of local performers and dancers of all ages, from young schoolchildren to ancient grandmothers, and much of the music is specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music - Thomas Mapfumo.