Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

In this evocative and unique experimental documentary, award winning filmmaker Jill Daniels explores her memories of violence 30 years ago hitchhiking through the Basque country. She searches for the places she hopes will jolt her fading memory. Merging past and present, documentary and fiction she recreates her journey. Diving further into this world she discovers other women, Maria and Aitziber, also changed by violence. Maria is a photographer who lives alone and has survived a car crash but her niece was killed. Her dead father was sentenced to death in the civil war in Spain and she holds close his prison diary. Aitziber is a young Basque nationalist who spent five years in prison and for five days after her arrest was tortured by the Spanish police. Together these stories, build a mosaic of impressions of the past and present. As Daniels comes to the end of her journey she realizes she can't be free of the past. She has come full circle.

Synopsis

A Man's Story profiles Ozwald Boateng, his design, his business, his personal life. Charismatic, glamorous, hard-working and very humanly flawed, Boateng's personal and professional triumphs and set-backs are the fascinating heart of this film which is set against a back-drop of models, movie stars and fabulous locations. As a black and heterosexual man Boateng breaks the stereotypes of the fashion industry. He is his own original. A Man's Story has been filmed by director Varon Bonicos since 1998.

Synopsis

Champion roller skater, cyclist and swimmer: Ralph Settle refuses to let old age get the better of him. Now 88 and a widower, everyone on the streets of Cornwall knows him by sight as “The Banjo Man”.

Synopsis

Taking its name from an alternative reading of the name for the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kannon, KanZeOn, which can be translated as "she who hears the cries of the world", is an unorthodox but utterly magical meditation on sound and the ritual and philosophical role it plays in Japanese Buddhism. Filmed in Kyushu, the film looks at, and more importantly listens to, three very special Japanese musicans: Akinobu Tatsumi, the young Buddhist priest and custodian of a temple outside of Kumamoto City who moonlights as a hip-hop DJ while indulges his love of beat boxing in the remote forests; Eri Fujii, who has devoted her life to the mastery of the sho, a rare and ancient Chinese bamboo wind instrument evoking the cry of the phoenix, and Akihiro Iitomi, a master of Noh theatre and a kotsuzumi drum player whose love of jazz almost matches that of his passion for Japan’s traditional performing arts. As a documentary, KanZeOn does not seek to explain as much as to enlighten, taking the viewer on a hypnotic sensual journey from the timeless to the modern by way of a mystical parade of images that resonate seamlessly with the sounds.

Synopsis

This film was made collaboratively with three former child soldiers in Nepal. They tell their stories of why they joined the Maoist rebel war and take us back to their homes in the stunning mountains in remote districts of Nepal to meet their families and explain why they feel they had to join.

Synopsis

The magnificent lagoon of Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean, is at the very heart of local life. The Mahorans are aware of this and try to protect it. From the wooded mountain top to the mangrove and into the sea, we came across dedicated men, women and children, turtles and sea cucumbers, right down to the vibrant coral reefs shimmering below in the turquoise water. The lagoon of Mayotte is a cradle of hope : to build a future that will be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Synopsis

'Hurricanes to Murmansk' is the story of the only British engagement on the Eastern Front in World War Two. At Stalin’s request following the German invasion of Russia in June 1941, Churchill sent a Royal Air Force Wing with Hurricane fighter aircraft, on board the first Arctic convoy to Russia in August 1941. Its purpose was to protect the strategic port of Murmansk – the vital supply route to the Soviet Union for the remainder of the war – and to train Russian pilots to fly British aircraft. This secret Anglo-Soviet operation – suppressed during the Cold War – is rediscovered 70 years on through interviews with surviving veterans, historians Antony Beevor and Richard Overy, and unique archive film and stills.

Synopsis

How do you grieve when you are in your late twenties? Four years ago, the filmmaker lost his sister. Kristof decides to visit his parents to ask them how they cope with the absence. Back in the UK, an unexpected visit questions memories of her.

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If you think you know how a General Election is run by watching mainstream media or a shiny floored leaders' debate, then think again. When Labour voter and award-winning filmmaker, John Walsh switched sides and became a Conservative candidate he lifted the lid on the real-life world of political campaigning. With unprecedented access and never-before-seen footage of a candidate’s campaign from the inside. Controversial feature film ToryBoy The Movie made explosive discoveries about the now disgraced former Labour MP Sir Stuart Bell, outed as “Britain’s Laziest MP” but that was just the start…… This acclaimed film received award nominations and great reviews from across the political spectrum when it hit cinemas.

Synopsis

Roger Sargent's behind-the-scenes documentary of The Libertines reunion concerts at Reading and Leeds festivals in 2010 starting with the NME cover shoot announcing the events following the band through rehearsals and warm up shows to the final show at Reading Festival. Honest and revealing interviews with each member of the band along with a tour around The Libertines' haunts in the East End of London with singer Carl Barat creates a personal and intimate film about, arguably, Britain's most influential band of the past decade.

Synopsis

“Ballet dancers get dodgy feet from dancing and I get dodgy hands from making their shoes!” Ballet shoes may be worn by delicate girls, but they’re crafted by burly men whose hands tell another story... We delve into the world of professional ballet dancing seen through the eyes of a shoemaker who desperately strives to save the dancer as much pain as possible by making the shoes as well as he can. Meanwhile, a seasoned dancer talks of the pain she went through dancing at the highest level. An undiscovered world behind the pomp and perfection.

Synopsis

By vividly recounting the TT's legendary rivalries and the Isle of Man's unique road racing history, this 3D feature documentary will discover why modern TT riders still risk their lives to win the world's most dangerous race. The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the greatest motorcycle road race in the world, the ultimate challenge for rider and machine. It has always called for a commitment far beyond any other racing event, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice in their quest for victory. A story about freedom of choice, the strength of human spirit and the will to win. It's also an examination of what motivates those rare few, this elite band of brothers who risk everything to win. The vision of top commercials director Richard de Aragues, this promises to be one of the most thrilling films of 2011.