Projects with status: Complete

Synopsis

'Bohemian Rhapsody' is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury's lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
A chronicle of the years leading up to seminal band Queen's appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985.

Synopsis

Focusing on the now-legendary 1953 tour which the ageing comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy embarked on in the twilight years of their fame. Once the world’s favourite double act, but now diminished by age, and their golden era a distant memory, Laurel & Hardy set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953.
As they crisscross the country, attendances are disappointingly low. But they’ve always been able to make each other laugh, and as the charm and beauty of their performances shines through, their audiences laugh too, and they re-connect with legions of adoring fans, old and new.
The tour becomes a hit, but Laurel & Hardy can’t quite shake the spectre of Stan and Ollie’s past; and long buried ghosts, coupled with Oliver’s failing health, start to threaten their precious partnership.
A portrait of the most tender and poignant of creative marriages begins to unfold, as the duo, aware that they may be approaching their swan song, try to rediscover just how much they mean to each other.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Closing Night Gala

Synopsis

A troubled foster kid uses his scathing word skills to become an unlikely rap battle champion. But when he doorsteps his biological mother after ten years in care, he is forced to face his toughest opponent yet: his past.
'8 Mile' meets 'Boy A', 'VS.' is an inspirational rites of passage drama set in the exciting UK rap battling scene.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Create Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

Filmed over a 22 year period, NO IFS OR BUTS delivers a portrait of Soho barbershop, Cuts, an iconic London hub for street fashion and pop innovators. Guided by freewheeling founders James Lebon and Steve Brooks, who met when one was a rockabilly and the other a New Romantic, the salon moved from early ’80s postpunk roots to become a hip-hop club and communal hub for DJs, photographers and style icons. But the film "is not just about the haircut", delivering an intimate portrait of Steve struggling with a traumatic past that threatens to derail the Cuts universe. The film traces profound and often tragic change in the hairdressers' lives within the wider context of the UK's political and cultural landscape- an anthem to the promise of youth and the friendships that endure over a lifetime.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - World premiere

Synopsis

Formed by Camberley twins Matt and Luke Goss, teenage pop sensations Bros tasted brief but massive success in the late 1980s, becoming the youngest band to headline Wembley. Both brothers moved to America following the group’s break-up, with drummer Luke becoming a Hollywood actor (he’s appeared in two Guillermo del Toro films) and singer Matt enjoying several Las Vegas casino residencies. Despite a tense and fractured relationship, last year the pair attempted an ambitious London reunion. Documenting the conflict and understanding that is born of an unfathomably close genetic bond, After the Screaming Stops is an affectionate and frequently funny portrait of life on the comeback trail. Never less than fully committed, the siblings’ serious dedication generates more than a touch of Spinal Tap-esque grandiosity. (LFF brochure)
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Create Strand - International premiere

Synopsis

Tina, a busy mother of three, can barely find any time for herself. With her husband on nightshifts, her eldest daughter being bullied at school, her parents’ relationship on the rocks, not to mention juggling her own full-time job, she feels life overwhelming her. But things are about to get even more complicated when the reappearance of a former school rival forces Tina to face up to some difficult memories. Determined to regain control, Tina steps into the boxing ring and discovers how to fight for herself. The ever-charming Hynes proves herself as adept behind the camera as she is in front of it, crafting an effortlessly warm and witty family drama that proves we all have a lot to learn about ourselves, no matter our age. (LFF brochure)
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Journey Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

A playful interview with the uncredited female creator of the Doctor Who theme music; her electronic sounds and flamboyant personality were way ahead of their time.
An unconventional portrait of an unconventional British electronic music pioneer, exploring the idea that this extraordinary composer lived outside of time and space as other people experience it.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Create Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

Over the course of a night out in a queer club, Raf struggles to find his place among the crowd until he stops trying to force the narrative and just lets himself go with the music.
Official Selection Berlinale 2019 - Berlinale Shorts and Generation 14plus - European premiere

Synopsis

Created exclusively with original footage from the Imperial War Museums' film archive and audio from BBC archives, director Peter Jackson brings the First World War to life in a way never seen before. Using the voices of the veterans combined with original archival footage to bring to life the reality of war on the front line for a whole new generation. Footage has been colourised, converted to 3D and transformed with modern production techniques to present never before seen detail.
Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, and Imperial War Museums, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Documentary Special Presentation - World premiere
Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2019 - Perspectives

Synopsis

In one of the most dangerous towns in America, a commune of activist nuns called The Sisters of the Valley run an illegal cannabis farm. They use cannabis to make medicine for everything from epilepsy to cancer, in the face of opposition from the authorities, the sheriff and local cartels. Newsweek claimed in August 2016 that legal cannabis could be the first billion-dollar industry not dominated by men; their leader Sister Kate could well be the first woman to break that barrier.

Synopsis

A young woman discovers her future by looking into her family’s past.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Experimenta Strand -World premiere

Synopsis

Where does the character end and the actor begin? This debut feature from UK artist-filmmaker Richard Squires, is a creative documentary that employs 'Clovis', an animated antihero (voiced by 'Kids in the Hall's' Mark McKinney) as a means to explore the particular “voice” casting of cartoon villains in the late 1960s. Through the lens of one of Hollywood’s hidden queer histories, this documentary offers a contemplation on the psycho-social relationship between villainy and hysterical male laughter; the use of voice as a signifier of ‘otherness’ and the frequently uneasy symbiosis of character and actor.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere
Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2019 - Bright Future - International premiere