Projects in categories: Documentary

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Chelyabinsk, one of Russia's most industrially brutal and polluted cities, 'Harmony' explores social and gender dynamics of Russian youth through the paradigms and preconceptions of the country’s most prominent sports: ice hockey and rhythmic gymnastics.
The two respectively embody Russia’s nationalistic interpretation of hyper-masculine and feminine ideals and are examined through straddling the boundaries of documentary verite and visual art. Here, sport gathers broader meaning —reflecting the traits and obsessions of society as a whole.
Official Selection CPH:DOX 2018 - World premiere

Synopsis

A mixed-race child, Marvin Rees grew up in Bristol's ghettos in the UK with prostitution, violence and poverty on a daily basis. Ever since, Marvin had the desire to go against the injustices he experienced and decides to run for mayor.
As a complete amateur, he steps into the world of politics. Despite his charisma and intellect, his biggest battle is believing anyone will take this black guy from the ghetto serious.
In a tight race, he must accept his loss in front of rolling cameras. Though feeling personally ashamed, losing has even a greater significance as the city carries a history of exclusion and racism.
Bristol was part of the slave trade, was struck by a civil rights movement in the 1960's inspired by Martin Luther King and had the black youth revolting in the 1980's, which caused a nationwide riot. Today it is the increasing fear of muslims that shatters the city.
Despite his doubts, Marvin decides to run again. More professional, stronger and with the vital support of the muslim community. Will he manage to break the circle of history and become the first mayor of African decent of a city in Europe?

Synopsis

THE SEPARATION SYSTEM (2017/18) is a collaborative commission facilitated by FACT’s Veterans in Practice programme, produced by veterans through workshops at HMP Liverpool and HMP Altcourse with artist Katie Davies. Taking the form of both a single channel cinematic film and a two-screen immersive installation, the piece explores the distinct, yet interconnected, spaces of the military, custody and ‘civilian’ life. Exploring these spaces and the experiences within them through the notion of work, an everyday activity that unites these worlds and is familiar to us all, the film communicates what we, as a civilian audience, do not understand about the unique set of relations, actions and responsibilities held by the individuals within these spaces.

Synopsis

A reflection on the nature of time and memory based on the true story of the director’s family escaping the build up to what became known as "The Slansky Trials": the first explicitly anti-Semitic show trial in Eastern Europe.

Synopsis

An architect and filmmaker from Europe visit a town in the highlands of Liberia, once a thriving mining community, now decaying and desolate. These researchers discover through its buildings a story of the promise of prosperity and forgotten injustices. A film about architecture, and the spiritual cost of industrial mining.
Official Selection Cinéma du réel 2018 - World premiere

Synopsis

Immerse yourself in the super-heavy Sheffield doom scene, with concert footage and interviews with Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) and members of Conan, Crowbar and Primitive Man. Heavy metal is a lifestyle. Fans and musicians live for doom and channel their anger into crushing, yet positive live shows.
Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018

Synopsis

In this film about the resistance to progress at the expense of history, Maeve Brennan's wonderfully poignant documentary intertwines three stories of men in contemporary Lebanon.
Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018

Synopsis

An Irish filmmaker grapples with the legacy of his estranged father, the late documentarian Arthur MacCaig, through MacCaig's decades- spanning archive of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Drawing on over 30 years of unique and never-seen-before imagery, The Image You Missed is a documentary essay film that weaves together a history of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’ with the story of a son's search for his father. In the process, the film creates a candid encounter between two filmmakers born into different political moments, revealing their contrasting experiences of Irish nationalism, the role of images in social struggle, and the competing claims of personal and political responsibility.
Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018 - World premiere

Synopsis

Studio 54 was the epicenter of 70s hedonism--a place that not only redefined the nightclub, but also came to symbolize an entire era. Its co-owners, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, two friends from Brooklyn, seemed to come out of nowhere to suddenly preside over a new kind of New York society. Now, 39 years after the velvet rope was first slung across the club's hallowed threshold, a feature documentary tells the real story behind the greatest club of all time.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2018 - Doc Premieres - World premiere

Synopsis

Dame Vivienne Westwood: punk, icon, provocateur and one of the most influential originators in recent history. This is the first film to encompass the remarkable story of her life, her fashion, her activism and her cultural importance, as she fights to maintain her brand‘s integrity, her principles – and her legacy.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2018 - World Cinema Documentary Competition - World premiere

Synopsis

Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage compiled over the last 22 years, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan musician's remarkable journey from immigrant teenager in London to international popstar M.I.A., an artist who continues to shatter conventions.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2018 - World Cinema Documentary Competition - World premiere

Synopsis

“How can you be criminalised for being born the way you are?” asks George Montague, a 96 year old WWII veteran, beginning this documentary. His words echo through the film.
“ARE YOU PROUD?” meets key campaigners and investigates the organisations and events that have contributed to substantial progress within the western LGBTQ+ liberation movement, focussing on the history of Pride in the UK. It celebrates that progress, whilst exploring the controversial questions over the continuing relevance of the Pride march, and highlights the international battles still to be fought.
Combining archive footage, interviews, vox pops and reportage, the film guides us through the history of the Gay Pride movement in the UK. We meet founders of the Gay Liberation Front, founding members of Stonewall (The UK’s leading LGBTQ+ lobbying organisation), the organisers of various Pride marches across the UK, groups such as Black Pride, Trans Pride Brighton and Queer Picnic. The film celebrates the progress that has been made, we are also reminded of “the fact that there are an increasing number of people out there who feel emboldened in hating queers.”