Projects matching: Various

Synopsis

A meditative, immersive tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor and pioneering filmmaker F. Percy Smith. Smith worked in the early years of the 20th century, developing various cinematographic and micro-photographic techniques to capture nature's secrets in action. Working in a number of public roles, including the Royal Navy and British Instructional Films, Smith was prolific and driven, often directing several films simultaneously, apparently on a mission to explore and capture nature's hidden terrains. This film is an interpretative edit that combines Smith's original footage with a new contemporary score by tindersticks to create a hypnotic, alien yet familiar dreamscape that connects us to the sense of wonder Smith must have felt as he peered through his own lenses and seen these micro-worlds for the first time. (LFF brochure) Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2016 - Sonic Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

An intimate and vivid account of a young girl’s real and fantastical adventure in a remote forest one evening. Glasgow-based artist-filmmaker Margaret Salmon's debut feature is not only a loving homage to classic children’s films such as Ray Ashley’s 'Little Fugitive', Jean Renoir’s 'The River' and Albert Lamorisse’s 'The Red Balloon', but draws from nature studies of the past, such as Mary Field’s 'Secrets of Nature' series. Shot on 35mm in various locations around Scotland, Salmon draws inspiration from a range of cinematic movements as well as wildlife documentaries to produce a lyrical and sensual portrait of a child’s eye perspective on the natural world. (LFF brochure) Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2016 - Experimenta Strand - World premiere

Synopsis

A feature length film exploring themes of identity, culture and the construction of history. Shot on 35mm film in various Californian deserts that provide a stage in which to re-enact the negotiations of an archaeologist from Cairo with a members of tribe who guard ancient culture hidden in tombs lost in the desert. The scenario for the film was adapted from the 1969 Egyptian film 'A Night of Counting the Years' directed by Shadi Abdel Salam, creating a layered story that echoes from ancient Egypt to the diversity of desert ecology and recent archaeological digs for lost Hollywood film sets. Working in collaboration with the musician and composer Tom Challenger a new choral composition was created and recorded for the film, drawing on traditional and modern acoustic techniques to reflect the shifting sands of the desert landscapes.

Synopsis

The divisive and clandestine world of Crop Circles comes under threat when an ambitious TV Journalist investigating their creation plans to expose the truth. To call Honeystreet a village is generous but this tiny canal side hamlet not far from Stonehenge is Crop Circle Grand Central Station. Frustrated Brazilian TV Journalist Lara has been sent on a "nonsense mission" to the heart of the English countryside with Yossi, a war-torn Cameraman, to discover the truth about these mysterious formations. There they meet long-term investigator, the elusive and broken Hatter, desperate to reconnect with his son Dean. Only the local barmaid Aideen seems to know the truth about this clandestine world, but if she does she's in no hurry to tell. As they explore the various formations that appear overnight they are drawn deeper into the enigma of hovering lights, Celtic mythology, ancient monuments, irate landowners, UFO enthusiasts and researchers of these unexplained events to discover both the beauty and the danger in the truth they seek. 5 lost souls - each hoping to solve the unexplained phenomenon whilst resolving their own darker issues. The answers are written into the ground...

Synopsis

Filmed over a number of years both in Alberta, Canada, and Glasgow, UK 'Movable Type: Under Erasure' features various forms of communication technology, cultural re-enactment sites, and a petroglyph of a car at ‘Writing-on Stone’ or Áísínai'pi, which in the language of the Blackfoot nation means “it is pictured” or “it is written". This specific petroglyph was identified as ‘graffiti’ attributed to European settlers until a photograph was discovered in 1998 and the provenance of the carving was confirmed. The title refers to both the ‘movable type’ of the printing press and to Jacques Derrida’s concept of ‘sous rature’ which he developed (following Heidegger) in his book Of Grammatology (1967). The monologue was written, and voiced, by the theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak who translated 'Of Grammatology' into English in 1976. The first screening of 'Movable Type: Under Erasure' was at The Showroom, London.

Synopsis

Two young, straight, Premier League footballers share a hotel room the night before a key match. Out of nowhere, one kisses the other. The emotional impact of this ‘pass’ plays out through the next ten years of their lives – a decade of success and failure, secrets and lies, in a sporting world where image is everything. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2016 - Debate Strand

Synopsis

"Because she´s been alone for a long time and there´s no one else, she might as well live on the moon." This film piece is about existence, about being present and in the ´now´ of the moment which the film conveys as it seamlessly glides through various states of day and night.

Synopsis

'Hannibal in Rafah: A Reconstruction of One Bloody Day in the 2014 Gaza War from User Generated Videos' A detailed reconstruction of the events on one day in Rafah, Gaza during the 'Hannibal Directive', drawing on material produced by the Forensic Architecture project. The project stemmed from an examination of the Israeli army’s response to the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin and its implementation of the Hannibal Directive – a controversial command designed to deal with captures of soldiers by unleashing massive firepower on persons, vehicles and buildings in the vicinity of the attack, despite the risk to civilians and the captured soldier(s). "Because our investigation team was denied access to Gaza, Forensic Architecture developed a number of techniques aiming to reconstruct the events from hundreds of images and videos recorded by professional and citizen-journalists. The images were thereafter located in a 3D model of Rafah. This resulted to the Image Complex, a device that allowed us to explore the spatial and temporal connections between the various sources and reconstruct the unfolding of events. Forensic Architecture... also located witness testimonies, delivered after the war, within this 3D model, and corroborated the reported events with other audio-visual material." The resulting report was presented as a Human Rights case by Amnesty International. 'Hannibal in Rafah: A Reconstruction of One Bloody Day in the 2014 Gaza War from User Generated Video' is a selection of clips taken from the project, composed and brought together in a text presentation. Official Selection Berlinale 2016 - Forum Expanded - Visionary Archives

Synopsis

Routes Jukebox: The Documentary’, tells the story of the ever-evolving Liverpool music scene since the 1940s and its influences and connection with other music cities such as New York, Detroit, Nashville and Kingston. From the influx of Gaelic sounds and rhythms that came to the city with the mass Irish migration to the importing of Rock N Roll records from the United States via the historic Cunard line to the rise of Merseybeat, Punk and House Music, ’Routes Jukebox’ touches on the various social and cultural factors that led to the creation of such an prolific and enduring music scene. Additionally, the documentary touches on the stories of the oft-forgotten links between Liverpool music and Motown and Reggae.

Synopsis

The Cusp of Your Credenza is a wandering speculation through various material encounters. A woman presents a number of scenarios that involve the ingestion or ejection of substances. From toenails to statuary, muffins to monuments, The Cusp of Your Credenza wonders how we place ourselves bodily in a material world.

Synopsis

A witch conspires to teach important lessons to various characters of popular children's stories including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel.

Synopsis

The film focuses on a few intimate family destinies from various social categories: a recently widowed young doctor; a school canteen cook and her son; a driving instructor and his wife, a Czech language teacher; and their closest relatives. Not everyone in this story dies, but they all have to cope with loss and mortality.. "Angels" pinpoints and describes the important details that make up a life, moments that can be just as humdrum as fatal, little things that change the course of life.