Projects matching: Various

Synopsis

In the middle ages there was an outbreak of dancing manias in Europe that lasted hundreds of years. In the 20th century thousands of Chinese men and some women thought that their genitalia were vanishing, while schoolgirls in Belgium thought that they were being poisoned by a certain brand of fizzy drink. Looking at these various cases, and more, the professor takes us on a musical journey through mass hysteria.

Synopsis

A Documentary on Women’s experience of Punk. The present media interest in the 70’s is a pre punk; US dominated vision of the era. The UK experience was of a decadent hippie movement and the apolitical skinhead movement being swept aside by punk. This programme reassesses from a punk women’s perspective, women’s role in this dynamic movement that irreversibly changed the face of society, politics art and music. Director Zillah Minx – Lead singer with punk band rubella ballet since 1976.

Synopsis

Described variously as, "a tour de force of Zizek's fascinating interpretations of fine cinematic moments," and "a rare documentary of unabashed intellectual aggression," this collaboration between director Sophie Fiennes and philosopher and public intellectual Slavoj Zizek represents the first film in a trilogy. Fiennes inventive direction places Zizek within the film moments he is analysing. He is "a genuinely interesting thinker" and "Oh what a brilliantly entertaining host Zizek turns out to be." The brings Zizek's post Freudian psychoanalytic interpretations to some of the more celebrated work in the history of cinema, including David Lynch, Tarkovsky and Hitchcock. Official Selection Sydney Film Festival 2006 Official Selection Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2006 Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2006

Synopsis

'Like Me, Only Better' is a laconic comedy about Neuroses, Catholicism and Prozac. Clive tries to become a better person and to overcome his various Obsessive Compulsive disorders. The film establishes a link between his Catholic upbringing, his childhood imagination and his adult phobias and compulsions. A hand-drawn animation in pencil, it moves between the inner and outer worlds of the main character.

Synopsis

Mini Mayor is a short film focusing on the issues of power and popularity through the eyes of London's youth. The main character goes through a rollercoaster-like experience with authoritative powers as he finds himself in the shoes of the Mayor of London for a day. As he soon discovers, power and popularity have their pros and cons as he experiences the trials and tribulations of dealing with the public in various situations. With it's fresh take on a modern mayor, Mini Mayor hopes to educate both the viewers and filmmakers on what would could happen if today's youth were in the shoes of big decision-makers.

Synopsis

A drama. A comedy. A romance with an edge. Your life can be turned upside down in a day. One ordinary morning, young struggling musician Ashley Branstead (Lorraine Pilkington) suffers a shocking encounter with a stranger. This disturbing assault inadvertently triggers what becomes a very intriguing day with another stranger, her apparent knight in shining armour, seemingly genuine - but odd - Michael (Finlay Robertson). By his subtle and not so subtle persuasions Ashley finds herself spending an enchanting but unusual day with the spontaneous Michael, quickly becoming captivated by his generosity and charm. But all is not as it seems. Ashley begins to suspect that his actions might have an ulterior motive. Who is the mysterious stranger? What are his true intentions and who is he acting for? When his secret is eventually revealed the truth threatens to destroy their whirlwind romance. Some days you wish had never started, then along comes one you hope will never end. Anything can happen in a day.  

Synopsis

An immigrant taxi driver reluctantly takes his female passenger through a number of unplanned stop-offs during a long night-time journey. Various revelations along the way gradually reveal that each struggles with a different side of the same issue. The final location at dawn leaves the two characters changed forever.

Synopsis

'Hello, Night-Wolf here. When I was asked to take part in this documentary about my life I thought 'Yes' I've got a lot to give - let's let the public into the life of a full time costumed crime fighter, however I was not quite prepared for exactly what was involved. Rather than concentrate on my war on evil the film makers saw fit to delve into my past. I mean, sure, I've had 37 (or is it 38?) kid side-kicks die whilst on various missions. And, yes, sometimes the police aren't that enamoured when I offer to assist them. And, well, perhaps I did inadvertently help my arch nemesis escape incarceration and reap bloody carnage on the city, but really - everyone has bad days. I'm also displeased about how much screen time my former partner Wolf-Boy gets (as if he's not on TV enough!), then there's the somewhat candid interviews people give about my effectiveness in halting the criminal element. Until I can put an injunction on the release of this film I urge you to take everything with a pinch of salt - I mean they can do anything with editing nowadays' (Night-Wolf, Cardinal City, 2005).  

Synopsis

She Should Have Gone To The Moon tells the astonishing story of the pilot and pioneer, Jerri Truhill, who was trained in 1961, as part of NASA's top secret Mercury 13 programme, to become one of the First Lady Astronauts. The documentary is about Jerri Truhill's ambition to conquer the unknown and the filmmaker's fascination with a woman who dared to break down all barriers in aviation. Set against a momentous era in American history, the film constructs both an intimate portrait of Truhill and explores a unique chapter in American culture and society. In the film, the sharp-witted Jerri Truhill looks back on her compelling life via a phone call with the filmmaker. This conversation becomes the catalyst for the director's imagining of key events in Truhill's potent narrative and inspires a journey to meet the heroine in Texas. Along the way, the filmmaker places herself in Truhill's story, first wandering across the surreal landscape of White Sands and then suspended in zero gravity inside a water tank. Included are stylized and dreamlike scenes, which are counter pointed by shots from both Truhill's and NASA's film archive. The various strands produce the film's heady timeline, as they circle through real and imagined spaces and merge into a bittersweet interview with Truhill at her home.

Synopsis

When Mob boss Primo Sparazza took out a $1 million contract on Buddy ‘Aces’ Israel (Jeremy Piven), a sleazy magician who agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Vegas mob, word spread quickly throughout the criminal underworld. Bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, smokin’ hot vixens and double-crossing mobsters all joined in the hunt. The FBI, sensing a chance to use Aces to bring down Sparazza, placed him into protective custody – under the supervision of two agents (Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) who were dispatched to Aces’ casino hideout. With all eyes on Tahoe, a wave of various hired 'guns' collide in a darkly comic race to hit the jackpot and rub out Aces, all while the FBI is trying to keep him alive.

Synopsis

It ain't East Coast. It ain't West Coast. This is South Coast. Forget the MTV-sponsored images of ghetto superstars and bling - South Coast is a quintessentially British take on hip hop 30 years after it emerged from the Bronx block parties. Three years in the making; this character-driven documentary features a host of engaging characters including Norman Cook (aka Fat Boy Slim), notorious Train Painter, Aroe and irrepressible MC, Buzz; break-dancers on Brighton's pebbled beach; Brighton's first gay rap crew, grimy MCs in word battles with poets; graffiti art galleries, and laid back but incisive rhymes about British seaside life.  

Synopsis

A year after the premature death of his young wife, from cancer, Ben Wright is struggling to come to terms with his loss. On the anniversary of her death, he is visited by a familiar face from the past who helps him to address his predicament.