Projects

Synopsis

KANAVAL is a visually arresting feature documentary that is set in the present but tells the rich story of Haiti’s past, as we follow a number of carnival performers in the lead up to and during the annual Jacmel Mardi Gras. These performers relate their own personal histories as well as the stories of their carnival characters, representing moments and people from the distant and not so distant Haitian past.
This is not a carnival of sequins and sound systems found elsewhere in the Caribbean, but a celebration of rebellion and resistance resonating through the centuries. Whatever Jacmel carnival lacks in glitz and spectacle, it makes up for in home-grown surrealism and poetic metaphors. The lives of the indigenous Taino Indians, the Slaves’ Revolt of 1791, the establishment of Haiti as the western hemisphere’s first Black Republic in 1804, the debt forced upon Haiti by the French, and more recently state corruption are all played out using drama and costume on Jacmel’s streets during Carnival - or ‘Kanaval’ in Haitian Kreyol.

Synopsis

We meet Mary DeBoutez Zellmer Fenoglio in 2008. She is a loud, charismatic and complex woman in her sixties, born and raised in rural Kansas, USA. She has dreams; of becoming an artist and one day leaving Kansas.

Living with her husband and surrounded by her herd of cats, Mary runs a vibrant roadside curiosity shop out of her front yard and builds giant eye-catching furniture. But rising gas prices have caused business to slump.

We meet Mary’s friends, neighbours and close-knit family and learn about events that have impacted her life; the poverty of her upbringing, the death of her baby son, a domineering ex-husband and the effects of an abusive father. Against these odds she remains positive, energetic and hopeful.

We return 10 years later to find Mary struggling to come to terms with what’s happened in her life in the intervening years. Her beloved husband Kenny has died, as well as her brother and sister, and her business has all but ceased to exist.

Just when she’s at her lowest ebb, she’s introduced to Rusty, a local contractor, and the possibility of a new relationship gives her a glimpse of happiness that she thought had gone forever.

Synopsis

A customer service agent working from home is terrorized by a dissatisfied psychopathic caller.

Synopsis

The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home, triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

Unable to move on from the death of his granny, a filmmaker desperately searches for the right film idea that will finally allow him to let go...
Through a series of stylistically different film ideas Outlets takes you on a journey into the grieving process of a creative brain.

Synopsis

A powerful story of a woman overcoming the trauma of a sexual assault and how she learns to heal herself and reclaim her freedom.

Synopsis

A famous old floating bookshop moored in King's Cross, Word On The Water, finds itself in desperate need of repair. Staffed by eccentric boaters such as Captain James, many of its crew and even patrons find themselves on the edge of society. Having previously survived numerous threats to their existence, their next issue isn't against legal threats or noise complaints, but entropy. After all, the Dutch Barge that is the bookbarge is around 100 years old and they have neglected vital maintenance.
The odds are stacked up against them: the boat has no working engine, they need to travel 30 miles to the repair shop and nobody knows the condition of the hull. To make matters worse their are planned lock closures and they keep on delaying their set-off date. Their captain is a French man, Stephen aka Noy (No-Eye), who has been tasked with masterminding the entire project single-handedly.
His solutions are unorthodox but they make headway. However, their disorganisation leads to issues. Over 6 months, its three owners find themselves pushed to the limits of their endurance. In the process they discover more about construction and friendship than they ever could have expected.

Synopsis

Zindy uncovers a huge secret after being seduced by a mysterious gift, in this modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale ‘The Red Shoes.’

Synopsis

Over the course of a lazy summer afternoon, the cracks in Stella and Luke’s budding relationship are laid bare after Stella’s younger sister Lola suggests that the couple play a game of backgammon.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

Fatigue expressed in an endless sea of content.

Synopsis

The Western Front, 1916. During a night-time raid on a deserted German trench, the fates of four British soldiers collide.

Synopsis

In a future world under strict population control, a strong, independent, fertile Kate is drafted to have a baby. Unlike her best friend Jessica, Kate doesn’t want to be a mother and suffers. Her personal choice is taken away at each step and when she wants to gift her opportunity away to Jessica, she cannot because her fertility is a commodity and the presumed fairness of a lottery is society’s way of maintaining equality and exerting control. While the two best friends are ripped apart, unable to follow their dreams, they succeed in awakening the audience and reveal the faults in the system.

THE DRAFT is meant to evoke a debate around the lacking freedom of choice women still face today. A woman should have complete control over her body but we can be scorned for not doing what others - and society - consider to be our duty, our purpose as women. This film is about what can happen when our right to be childfree by choice is taken from us. Equality demands that we as women and men respect each other’s individuality and choices, whether that’s becoming a mother or not.