Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies

Director: Patrick Forbes

Year: 2023

How far would you go to defend the idea of an open press? This documentary is the extraordinary story of a man who risks everything to preserve freedom of speech in Russia. In December 2021 Dmitry Muratov is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the editor-in-chief of Russia’s only independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. Six of his journalists have been murdered, after their reports displeased the state. In February 2022 Russia invades Ukraine. In early March, using the cover of a documentary film festival, Muratov secretly negotiates free passage for forty journalists with the Latvian government. Then he returns to Moscow to look after his paper and its remaining staff. In May he announces that he is going to auction his Nobel medal and give the money to Ukrainian refugees. Days later, he is on a train. Suddenly a masked attacker pours red paint all over him. The paint is laced with acetone. Dima’s eyesight is permanently damaged. Undaunted, he goes ahead with the auction. And on June 21 Muratov’s medal sells for a record $103 million. To this day, he refuses to leave Moscow, whatever the pressure on him and his team. "Putin stands for death. I stand for life." Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2023 - World premiere

Director: Patrick Forbes

Year: 2020

Who killed Wanda Lopez? The young store clerk was brutally hacked to death as she worked at a gas station in Corpus Christi TX one cold November night in 1983. Six years later, 27 year old Carlos DeLuna was executed for her murder. All along he protested his innocence, refusing to plead guilty. DeLuna said another 'Carlos' did it. At trial the prosecution derided his claim, saying the other Carlos was "A Phantom". DeLuna was right. The real killer was Carlos Hernandez, a psychopathic drifter with a string of violent assaults on women to his name – a man all too well known to the police and the D.A. This film conclusively proves that the US judicial system killed an innocent man, uncovering crucial evidence that demonstrates Carlos DeLuna’s innocence, beyond any reasonable doubt. THE PHANTOM is a searching, enraging examination of one of the darkest episodes in the history of American justice. It shows how a young man from a poor Hispanic background had no chance, faced with a judicial system bent on vengeance. Supreme Court Justices have already said this case calls the death penalty into question. THE PHANTOM proves them right.

Director: Julian Konczak

Year: 2025

Following a pilgrimage through the sacred sounds of India – a land of many faiths, including Vedanta, Islam and Buddhism. Using striking visual material accompanied by an evocative, multi-layered soundtrack, the audience is taken on a unique sonic journey through the sacred sound practices of many of the world’s key religions. A combination of interviews, performances, and natural sounds creates a rich, immersive cinematic experience. With an intimate, direct camera style, viewers can get close to the many spiritual practitioners, musicians, and meditation teachers who form the fabric of the journey. Bubbling hot springs, subtropical nocturnal symphonies of insects, and harsh, frozen mountain winds combine with mantra chanting, classical Hindustani music, and the dynamic temple sounds of drums and trumpets. This audiovisual tone poem invites you to experience heightened sensory awareness and the transformative, healing power of sound.