Projects matching: Ian Bonhôte

Synopsis

This film follows the growth of the Afrocentric Black is Beautiful movement of the 60s and 70s through the lens of Kwame Brathwaite, pioneering Harlem photographer and its unsung godfather. Kwame Brathwaite spent his life documenting black American history, photographing and befriending some of its biggest stars over his lifetime. He also founded grassroots fashion shows he called "Naturally" that celebrated natural black beauty and Afrocentrism in a time when it was deemed controversial, and heralded a new dawn for blackness across the globe. Forgotten by history until his son uncovered his vast archive of photos in the 2010s, the film covers the revival of Kwame's legacy in the last few years of his life. Family, friends and artistic admirers championed Kwame's work in a bid to put his name on the map before his passing in 2023. Kwame's story weaves together the story of the black experience, cultural icons and activism, taking a Forrest Gump journey through the biggest names and moments in American culture. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025 - Official Competition - World premiere Official Selection DOC NYC 2025

Synopsis

Never-before-seen home movies and extraordinary personal archives reveal how Christopher Reeve went from unknown actor to iconic movie star as the ultimate screen superhero. He learned the true meaning of heroism as an activist after suffering a tragic accident that left him quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2024 - Premieres - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2024

Synopsis

Ecstatic lipsynching in downtown bars is a far cry from Donna’s Baptist upbringing in San Jose; now in her seventies, her estranged siblings haven’t even seen her in a dress. Donna is offered a chance to co-write a play about an overlooked episode in queer history, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, in which transgender women Donna knew stood up against police harrassment. She writes a character to be played by a young transgender activist. Praised for her writing and emboldened by her new friends, she heads out of the city to meet her sister Gloria… This intimate and uplifting film is beautifully observed by director Jay Bedwani and features mesmerising moments recalled by Donna in her emerging writer’s voice. Donna is a film that shows the strength that can be drawn from your community and proves: it’s never too late to find your métier and truly blossom.

Synopsis

“My shows are about Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll. It’s for the excitement and the goosebumps. I want heart attacks. I want ambulances.” (Alexander McQueen) ‘Lee’ Alexander McQueen’s rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale laced with the gothic. An unremarkable working-class boy from East London, he harnessed his demons and went on to become a global one man fashion brand and one of the most iconic artists of the century. How did this punk rebel overturn the silver-spoon world of Paris haute couture, ushering in the heady, revolutionary era of ‘Cool Britannia’? And why, at the height of acclaim and power, did he shockingly put an end to it all? Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this film is an intimate revelation of McQueen’s own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerising genius of profound influence. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2018 - Spotlight Documentary - World premiere

Synopsis

Set in the world of illegal bike-racing, the film charts the journey of a young woman whose brother is killed on the streets of London in a hit-and-run, and who then must push herself to her mental and physical limits to find justice.