Projects in genres: Drama

Synopsis

Essex boy Jim is so beautiful you’d think a Greek sculpture had just come to life. But, with no future in the cultural desert that is his small town and the prospect of fame, fortune and cultural stimulation beckoning in Soho, like many before him, Jim journeys to London. On his first night, Jim is robbed and left penniless. He spends the night in an intricately made DIY cardboard box home with a homeless kid who suggests he join ‘The Raconteurs’ – a coterie of male escorts whose unique selling point is their encyclopedic knowledge of the arts. What follows is Jim’s comic descent from unsuccessful escort, to artist’s muse and art authenticator – a journey complicated by a rare psychosomatic condition called ‘Stendhal Syndrome’ which renders him painfully oversensitive to art. Jim’s encounters with paintings by artists such as Caravaggio cause fainting and hallucinations. But while this condition threatens to bring about his downfall it might also open up new opportunities if Jim is willing to grab them. Official Selection BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2018 - World premiere

Synopsis

A short documentary about the only helpline in the UK for gay farmers. Through a series of recorded telephone conversations and reconstructive visuals, the film uses the helpline as a lens through which to view the experiences of LGBTQ people in the British farming community. In a world that prizes traditional masculinity and in which ideas of ancestry are fundamental, being gay can be isolating. Candid, intimate and shocking, the film offers a snapshot of a group of people bound together by circumstance, but so often disconnected from each other. Official Selection CPH:DOX 2018 - International premiere

Synopsis

Mary is a young woman in search of a new way of living. Constricted by the hierarchies of the day, Mary defies her traditional family to join a new social movement led by the charismatic Jesus of Nazareth. She soon finds a place for herself within the movement and at the heart of a journey that will lead to Jerusalem. An authentic and humanistic portrait of Mary Magdelene, one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood spiritual figures in history.

Synopsis

In this adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, both the staging and the interpretation of this classic play are radically reinvigorated for a contemporary audience. In a godless world of moral relativism, we follow Macbeth’s inner journey from his position as an assured warrior hero, to his nadir as a bereft, lonely, insecure and guilt-ridden king. Driven by his ambition, which he attempts to justify by a desperate appeal to supernatural signs and influences, Macbeth finally recognises his personal culpability, casts aside his self-excusing acts of self-deception, and dies bravely and defiantly, bleakly aware of the fragility of his own humanity. Shakespeare's genius encompasses a deft and fluid ability to weave complex poetic threads that bind together the outer material story, and the inner psychological narrative. We have created sequences of cinematic poetry to work in sympathetic engagement with the actual poetry at such moments – not just summoning the Shakespearean imagery in newly visualised form but allowing the stream of Shakespearean imagery to suggest other directions of travel for the film’s account of Macbeth’s inner world. Our film language is as dexterous, fluid and imaginative as the spoken language is at such moments.

Synopsis

Gillian, a wanna-be-author, is pressured to move beyond her meandering writing career and get a more stable job. She decides to mount a 'Shakespeare by the Sea' festival, an ambitious plan that could have tricky ramifications for her marriage. Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2018 - Visions - World premiere

Synopsis

Jess is super excited to attend her step-sister’s wedding and truly become part of the family, but after only recently finding out about her existence, her step-family are less than delighted about her presence on the big day. Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2018 - Narrative Shorts Competition - World premiere BIFA Awards 2018 - Winner Best British Short Film

Synopsis

Sam looks forward to happy family life with girlfriend Jennifer and rediscovered teenage son Mark. Complications ensue when best friend Jonathan meets an early demise. Unfazed by Sam’s decision to bury Jonathan in their herb patch mystic lodgers Trevor and Tracey hatch a plan to reanimate Jonathan, a fact unknown to Sam who now struggles to hold onto Jennifer and avoid encounters with the police fuelled by nosey neighbour Mrs Burd. With twists and turns at every corner this ZomCom love story gives a new meaning to the concept of survival.

Synopsis

A drama centred on three people: Sarah is a barista who finds the love of her life in Mark. Her mother Barbara depends on Mark to keep her in Sarah’s life while resenting her daughter’s deep love for him. When severely traumatised by the sudden death of Mark Sarah’s relationship with her mother finally cracks. Now faced with losing her struggle to cope Sarah feels Mark’s presence return. Based on true events, the story of a love that transcends this realm and the strength of human character in survival.

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Meet Marty, a young man dealing with life, loss & love…oh & he has OCD. As the walls of Marty’s mind begin to close in on him & his “perfect” day, we realise the subconscious sacrifices he makes to keep his anxiety at bay.

Synopsis

Three enslaved girls are immersed in beautiful surroundings, hidden beneath this beauty lies a dystopian society pushing the girls to perfection.

Synopsis

It's nearly time for the county pig fete, but an old farmer is having trouble with his piglet... British comedy with Sir Ian McKellen, David Bradley, Mark Bonnar and Rebecca Front.

Synopsis

When a Japanese fighter pilot crash-lands on the tiny remote Hawaiian island of Ni'ihau, he is met with courtesy and traditional Hawaiian hospitality from the locals - until they discover he was part of the recent attack on Pearl Harbor. Based on a True Story.