Projects in genres: Black

Synopsis

Tree Fellers is the story of the 900 Belizean lumberjacks who in 1942 left the tropical rainforests of British Honduras to help Britain fight fascism by felling trees in Scotland. Sam (93), Eric (87) and Amos (86) were among those who stayed on after the war to make new lives in a country where, for better or worse, the colour of their skin marked them out. Newly discovered archive, long-cherished memories and a last reunion are intertwined in this lyrical and moving documentary testament.

Synopsis

Based on the book by acclaimed author and playwright Athol Fugard, this deeply affecting film traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who shoots a woman outside her home and steals her car, unaware, in his panic, that her baby is in the back seat. Pumping with the high energy of Zola's 'Kwaito' music, Tsotsi is an extraordinary and gritty contemporary portrait of ghetto life set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg townships.
 

Synopsis

This debut feature film, written, choreographed and directed by its leading man, the black dancer Rodreguez King-Dorset, shows a creative dance artist in a desperate search for identity in a white-dominated country.
The film depicts the lives of two boys in England in the 1980s, one a newly arrived African, the other an Afro-Caribbean, and highlights the ethnic tensions between their respective groups. The young black Briton, Lewis, has to face scorn and misunderstanding from his father when he tries to become a professional dancer. Lewis has a close friendship with the African, Ramsey, and a rewarding relationship with an Afro-Caribbean girlfriend, Maudi. His African friend is imprisoned for a killing he was forced into in sheer self-defence, and this only adds to Lewis’s confusion. He sets out to create a solo dance, which embodies some of his emotions.
Finally he shows himself being questioned by an external examiner in the final stages of his thesis for a DPhil. He makes a spirited defence of his views to a sceptical examiner and the film shows in flashbacks some of what is going on in his head as he formally protests to his examiner.

Synopsis

As a young couple discuss the idea of giving up smoking, the sounds of a neighbouring argument spill into their flat. The argument makes them question their own marriage, while doing nothing about the neighbouring situation.

Meanwhile, a young teenager argues with his mother as he tries to sneak out to a party with friends. His mother blackmails him into staying home, using his guilt against him.

Synopsis

Based on true events, Why Me? is a poetic short film that delves into the emotional world of an 11-year-old, known only as Boy, who goes through a painful awakening when he discovers that there is no such thing as the 'perfect' family.

Synopsis

Nathan has been travelling for nine months following university. He returns home to the depths of Devon with his beautiful girlfriend, Chrissie, with whom he is obviously in love. However, although his return is eagerly anticipated by his class-conscious family (and particularly father), what they do not know is that Chrissie is black. (Past Present Future) Imperfect explores the clash between new liberal Britain and old-England, where beauty is only skin deep.
 
This is the second feature from Bristol-based writer/producer Guy de Beaujeu (Living in Hope). He has teamed up with director Roger Thorp to create a dark family drama that will amuse and distress in equal measure. (Past Present Future) Imperfect  is a muti-layered film that stars a selection of the best of British acting talent.

Synopsis

2Be is an original, dynamic, musical-documentary about human rights.
 
Filmed over a period of five months, 2Be follows students from Abbeydale Grange School in Sheffield, UK - a school where over 51 different languages are spoken - as they develop a series of musical sequences about human rights.
 
The contrast between their revealing personal stories and triumphant performances creates an intimate and inspiring documentary.

Synopsis

A detailed behind ths scenes documentary on how to make an ultra-low budget short film. From rehearsing with professional boxers to the final shoot.
 
Players include professional boxers such as Ricky Hatton W.B.U. lightweight champion, Michael Gomez British super featherweight champion. Shooting at locations such as the Salford Lads Club - where The Smiths shot their front cover.

Synopsis

An observational documentary about Natty, a 19-year-old from Birmingham, who has just been released from prison, where he was sent for violent crime. Will financial and peer pressure lead Natty back into gang crime? Through the course of filming, Moby Longinotto raises difficult questions - should we be observing these lives and if and when should we be getting involved?
 

Synopsis

Two young men, desperate to escape the politically volatile Ivory Coast, embark upon a European journey seeking their fortune. They dream of one day returning as triumphant heroes. However, one is deported and returns empty-handed, cast aside by his family and friends. The other, running from the authorities, makes it to London where he hooks up with a young, white bisexual woman. Captivated, he follows her on to Paris amidst the throng of an underground music revolution. Ultimately this takes him home to Africa, his dream fulfilled - but at a price far greater than he ever could have expected.

Synopsis

Coloring the Media begins with the premise that since the invention of the camera, Native Americans were the very first people to be documented either in photographs or in moving pictures. This film explores this journey as European Americans used the camera as a propaganda tool to depict native peoples in America as less than human. Through the development of stereotypes, and inadequate research, early films depicting native peoples set into motion a language of film that is still being used today. This language came to affect all peoples of colour around the world as they were often portrayed as ignorant or noble savages whose only good was to make the European look superior, civilized and just in their cause - which was more often than not the civilization of the savage.

By using contemporary films such as Smoke Signals; and documentaries such as Healing the Hurts and Spirit combined with interviews with Native people, Coloring the Media takes us on a journey and asks how the past can affect the present and shape the future for Native Americans and also for people of color. As Black and Asian people living in Britain speak about their experiences and the struggles they face today, we see how the language of film set into motion in the early 20th century still plays an important part in the portrayal of people of colour.
Coloring the Media offers a refreshing investigative insight into the past and present. For future generations it offers a solution of change through the voices of people, and asks one important question: 'What is it going to take to make this change happen, now, today?'
 

Synopsis

Julius has lived in London nearly all his life and has witnessed the city changing. Life hasn’t been great, but now he’s up for promotion. He’s worked for the company for 15 years and thinks he has a good chance of landing the job. But he also has a secret which threatens to jeopardise everything - his daughter has charged him with abuse.

Things begin to go wrong for Julius when he is made redundant and finds himself on the scrap heap: 55 years old, divorced, unemployed and facing jail. As far as he’s concerned life isn’t worth living and he decides to end it all. But then he meets an Angel and decides to take her with him as he says goodbye to the city he loves. This sets off a chain of events that not only jeopardises his case, but also the very life he wishes to end.

With nothing to lose, Julius’ unfulfilled dreams become the battleground for a journey of discovery that delves into his fractured mind and the underbelly of his urban environment, forcing him to face the demons that beset him and the realisation that sometimes it’s harder to take the easy route.