Project Detail

A Song Can't Burn

Synopsis

The Syrian war has raged on for over seven years, leaving hundreds of thousands of children traumatised - many of them living in refugee camps having fled the country. Professor and musician Nigel Osborne has been working in such situations since 1992, when he discovered the positive effects music therapy was having on children in Bosnia affected by such trauma.
Since then Nigel’s techniques have been developed and are now utilised as part of a creative arts programme delivered to children traumatised by war - but how do these methods work, and do they really make a difference to the lives of children who have experienced unspeakable horrors and pain at such a young age?
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2019

Details

Year: 2019
Type of project: Shorts
Running time: 12 min
Director: Roscoe Neil
Producer: Martin Ball
Executive Producer: Majid Hussain
Editor: Roscoe Neil
Screenwriter: Roscoe Neil
Director of Photography: Dave Galloway

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

A Penny Appeal production in association with Yusuf Islam Foundation

Penny Appeal

Martin Ball
Victoria Chambers
40 Wood Street
Wakefield
WF1 2HB

Sales Company

c/o Martin Ball

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

An intimate portrait of a women's group in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The documentary follows the women as they collaboratively create a stage production. Through writing sessions, rehearsals, and candid conversations, the women craft a performance rooted in their lived experiences - stories shaped by addiction, family fracture, and encounters with the justice system. The documentary follows the evolving group dynamic, capturing moments of vulnerability, frustration, and unexpected humour as the women negotiate what it means to share such personal stories in a public space for the first time.

Northern Irish Woman Director

The Archivist

Director: Rob Curry, Tim Plester

Year: 2026

In a battle against time and technology, can Britain's greatest living folklorist find a home for his vast archive of irreplaceable audiovisual material?

Music Scottish Sport

Hematology

Director: Ben Young