Projects

Synopsis

An investigative writer, Manning, visits an old, lonely lady whom she has nicknamed 'Miss Haversham'. However, her present predicament does not concern her, she wants to know about her past - for this is Lady Lucan, wife of the missing peer Lord Lucan ('Lucky' to his friends) who to this day is still wanted for the murder of his young children's nanny. Manning also tracks down one of the policemen, Jarvis, who was heavily involved in the case. Now retired and running a pub aptly named 'The Vanishing Earl', he becomes reflective about the Lucan saga.



As Manning and Jarvis piece together the events that led to the murderous night of 7 November 1974, the story flashes back to London in the early seventies - a period when Lucan's infamous gambling addiction and carefree attitude to money was finally catching up on him. With mounting debts, his marriage in tatters, separated from his children due to custody reasons, Lucan becomes more and more desperate to solve his cash crisis. A shady money lender, Mike Maloney, enters Lucan's life. He suggests a burglary of Lucan's Belgravia home where he would keep the stolen items and Lucan could claim on the insurance.



Jarvis and Manning are getting closer and closer to the truth. Was the death of the nanny Lucan's handiwork or merely a botched burglary carried out by Mike and an accomplice?

Synopsis

Blue Funnel, a contemporary drama set in the Chinese community in Liverpool, follows Daniel as he tries to send his father's ashes back to his ancestral village.


Daniel's father left Hong Kong aged 14 and spent his life as a seaman coming in and out of the Liverpool docks where he married an English girl. The ashes need to return 'home' for his spirit to rest... but Daniel realises he's not sure where 'home' is.

Synopsis

The screenplay was inspired by a remark heard when filming Civil Rights activist Bernadette Devlin for the documentary 'Mother Ireland'. Devlin said that, although the wall pointed to 'Free Derry', she felt that behind the wall women were certainly not free. This is the story of some of those women.





Bogwoman is the tragicomic story of three women. The story is based on research from Derry women who lived through the '60s and it follows the lead character Maureen as she moves from the Bogs of Donegal to the Bogside of Derry. The film focuses on how this naive country woman forges a life in her new community to which she has come to guarantee a future for her young son and to meet and marry her future husband, Barry. The film utilises home movie and archive footage of the time and is an ambitious and innovative attempt to recreate the story of those who found themselves Bogwoman.

Synopsis

An old man is persecuted by a gang of kids on a London housing estate, while a child plays innocently in a neighbouring flat. A new look at the implications of cruelty.

Synopsis

'Breaking the Code' tells the story of the mathematical genius, Alan Turing who, seconded to top secret Bletchley Park during World War II, designed the first computer, which enabled the Allies to crack the German Enigma code and, some would argue, win the war. On Churchill's instructions, Turing was given all the resources he required - and his personal behaviour was tolerated. Turing was a practising homosexual at a time when it was illegal.





At Bletchley, Turing's genius was recognised immediately - as perhaps were his sexual predilections. While discussing the practical applications of his scientific research, Turing speaks what is perhaps the central line of the film: 'I have always been willing - indeed eager - to accept moral responsibility for what I do'. It was that uncompromising stance, plus his unworldly genius which was Turing's strength in scientific research, but his personal undoing.





After the war, Turing continued research, but became progressively entangled in the law after voluntarily reporting a burglary to the police. When asked whom he suspects, Turing suggests a casual male lover. Surprisingly, he confesses to his homosexuality - it was illegal - and is charged. Later, Turing goes on holiday to Corfu and picks up a young Greek boy. Shortly afterwards, Turing commits suicide.





Summarised as baldly as this, 'Breaking The Code' sounds rather bleak: it is not. It is frequently funny, always compassionate and provides real insight into the dilemmas and problems homosexuality in a genius presents; not just to Turing, but to his family and professional colleagues.

Synopsis

Brenda and Alice live in a crumbling Victorian house in Peckham with gloomy, atmospheric interiors, exposed wiring and a jumble of furniture. They are in their eighties and have lived together in the house for over 30 years. Brenda lives downstairs and Alice lives upstairs. Like the Odd Couple their characters are chalk and cheese. This ten minute documentary film is a portrait of their lives and their relationship.

Synopsis

A true story of love, bravery and endurance. A Welsh guardsman, John Elwyn, is captured in the first year of the Second World War, and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Poland. Young and fearless, he refuses to submit to imprisonment and, driven by a burning desire to be free, he escapes again and again, only to be recaptured each time.





But this is not only a war-time escape story. John falls in love with a beautiful Polish girl, Celinka, and the couple are married in a secret wedding ceremony on Christmas Eve. In the turmoil of war, their happiness cannot last and the two are separated within hours of their marriage. Tragically, Celinka is already fatally ill. Her death binds the young soldier to the Polish cause and he joins the Polish Freedom Fighters and fights alongside his adopted countrymen until he is captured again - only to make one last desperate bid to escape.

Synopsis

Andy and Rachel are a young couple of artists who are heavily in debt to their drug supplier. After a long weekend of partying, Rachel finds two men on her doorstep. Unsure of their identity, she lets them inside and soon realises her mistake.

Synopsis

The tragi-comic tale of Flossy the candy floss girl who loses her heart to Luke the Waltzer boy in the fairground. But Bert, the embittered Arcade owner, is set to smash her dreams and prove that like candy floss, love disappears as soon as you bite into it.

Synopsis

Captain Jack is the true story of irascible and irresistable Captain Jack, a Whitby sailor with antipathy for authority, appeal to the ladies and a deep love and respect for his predecessor Captain Scoresby, who sailed from Whitby to the Arctic in 1791. For Captain Jack, Scoresby is Whitby's true hero. Not Captain Cook whose statue stands overlooking the town. The two hundredth anniversary of Scoresby's first trip to the Arctic is coming up. Jack resolves to follow him there and place a plaque.





But before he can assemble a crew or provisions, he finds himself and his beloved schooner, The Yorkshire Lass, forbidden to go to sea. In spite of (or because of?) the Captain's protestations, Inspector Lancing of the Department of Transport finds the vessel unseaworthy and ties her up in red tape.





This doesn't stand in Jack's way, and neither does the motley crew he finally assembles, in the persons of Phoebe and Eunice, two elderly warring sisters; Emmett, a hen-pecked unemployed holiday maker; Andy, the Australian hiker and Tessa, the local lass who stows away to be with Andy - the man of her dreams.





The Captain has everything he needs. With his old friend Barbara running communications from the local caravan park and the fishing fleet to escort The Yorkshire Lass out of the harbour, right under the harbourmaster's nose, the adventure begins.

Synopsis

Catching Fire is a tragic but inspiring love story based loosely on the intense and passionate relationship between Jean Vigo, a young filmmaker, and his wife Lydu.





Set in the early 1930's, Jean and Lydu met at a tuberculosis sanatorium in the Pyrenees. The love that develops between them becomes a liberating force enabling them to confront their illness, live for the moment, challenge the odds and embrace life in the face of great adversity.

Synopsis

When a bet goes wrong, a young man must charm a snake to win back his most treasured possession.