A film about the handful of streets around the Cowgate, Edinburgh, which have long housed a proud Irish diaspora. A film about folk music and its power to connect people.
Musician Aidan O’Rourke, from the celebrated folk trio Lau, lives in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. During lockdown, Aidan got to know three of his octogenarian neighbours, all called Margaret, and listened to their stories. Aidan brings together a group of sensational Irish and Scottish folk musicians and explores through music and storytelling what home and belonging mean.
Featuring a stunning original soundtrack by O’Rourke and live performances by Liam Ó Maonlai, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Comac Begley, Róisín Chambers and Aoife Ní Bhriain.
Aidan O’Rourke is a fiddler and composer. Raised in Argyll, his roots are Scottish and Irish but his music roams the edges of those traditions.
Becky Manson is a filmmaker from Orkney. Interested in routine, repetition, and ritual, she tells small stories that speak to universal themes.
Mark Cousins has directed twenty feature films. His themes are cinema, cities, recovery, walking and looking. Among many he has won the Prix Italia, the Stanley Kubrick award, the EFA's Innovation award, a Peabody.
Thriller writer Ben, struggling for inspiration, retreats to an isolated rural cabin to start on his latest novel and to escape the growing tension with his boyfriend Jamie. Working late into the night, he wakes to find a wounded man in the cabin, claiming to be a hunter whose car had broken down nearby. Intrigued and attracted to the mysterious and handsome intruder, Ben decides to secretly use him as inspiration as the antagonist for his new book: a savage murder believed to have taken place in the very cabin he has rented. As the man begins to help him enact increasingly dangerous and detailed scenarios for the story’s captive protagonist, Ben becomes aroused by the prospects, but finds himself rebuffed by a homophobic slur. Searching the man’s car, he uncovers stolen property belonging to several other young men hinting he may be a serial killer, a perfect twist for Ben’s novel. Discovering his own car sabotaged, and unable to escape, Ben enters a lethal game of cat and mouse. But it’s only when the fate of Ben’s boyfriend Jamie is revealed that Ben’s dark, erotic, fantasy becomes a stark, inescapable, reality.
An old lady living lonely and isolated is waiting for her daughter to come over for tea. As the waiting drags on and her loneliness gets more and more intense, plants start sprouting everywhere in her kitchen. At first the old lady is angry at the plants but eventually starts to embrace them and accept them as her new company after her daughter cancels last minute.
A young girl, Isobel, is in hiding with her father. She has supernatural abilities that are yet to be revealed. Her father is tricked into coming out of hiding by his step daughter, only to be captured and imprisoned by an unknown organisation trying to use Isobel to their advantage.
All Charlie has ever wanted is a normal teenage existence - at least that's what she thinks. Now one extraordinary night will make her reassess what truly matters.
Recent polls indicate politician and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Barghouti could be elected the next Palestinian president, meaning Israel would be holding a country's leader behind bars. Following what was seen by many as an unlawful arrest and imprisonment, Barghouti has spent his time reading, lobbying and continuing the fight for freedom and peace for his country. A unifying, charismatic character, it’s understandable why his popularity is seen as a threat. Through the eyes of his dedicated wife Fadwa and their family, alongside notable activists and leaders, MARWAN - TOMORROW'S FREEDOM captures the spirit of an indefatigable campaigner for justice and the will of a people fighting for their freedom.
Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2022 - Rebellions - World premiere
We follow Sam Batley a poet/photographer who admitted himself into an abstinence based recovery centre in Liverpool, where he wrote a poem about his young-adulthood of addiction. With the help of the other former addicts at the centre he turns this poem into a short film; throughout the making of this film and the practices of the centre we explore the importance of self-expression, connection and the power of art to heal.
We move through each resident at the house and learn how being introduced to art, sport & culture has given them a sense of purpose and connection. Wayne, at 60's taken up acting after appearing in the film. Darren, in and out of prison, now manages a mental health football team. Zoe runs a fitness and meditation centre for women.
In an impassioned speech at the premiere of the short film we learn what recovery means to Sam, “It brings hope, life and joy, not just for me but for my family too’. We then delve into the spoken-word experimental short film about Sam’s addiction, this brings clarity to the importance of the centre and the connection it brings to its residents, one day at a time.
Štefan Pongo is a Roma lorry driver. Fifteen years ago he emigrated with his family to the UK from the Czech Republic to protect them from racial discrimination.
The children have graduated from universities and the family is doing well. Mission completed. But the echoes of hate carry over from the old country.
When the Czech president claims that the Roma are work-shy, angry Štefan issues an appeal asking for photos of Roma working. Thousands are sent and Štefan becomes a well-known media figure. He produces vlogs, organizes demonstrations and humanitarian aid. He establishes a voluntary agency and fights an online battle with the 'haters'. All which comes at the cost of lost time with the family. Štefan's spirited wife, Iveta, has had enough. Will it be possible to institute some form of harmony in the life of the most famous Roma lorry driver?
Four flatmates share a flat, the Universe is on their laptop. SHAPES is a dark and delirious comedy, a collection of scenes and episodes from a painful everyday life, exploring the idea of sexual repression at the time of social media.
10 year old Stanley lives an isolated life on a farm with his mother, Minnie. One summer day, two strangers arrive on the property. Though a cause for initial apprehension, the visit may bring something Stanley longs for - connection.
For twenty seven years, TS Eliot corresponded with Emily Hale, an American drama teacher, whom he met while studying at Harvard. She was his confidante, his beloved and his inspiration. The letters he wrote her were donated to Princeton University on the agreement, set by Eliot, that they would not be made publicly available until 50 years, after both their deaths. Now, on the centenary of the first publication of Eliot’s epic poem 'The Waste Land', these recently released letters show the important role Hale played in his creative process.
Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2022 - Memories - World premiere
