Projects matching: Phil Cox

Synopsis

Five lives, one city, the fate of a nation at war. A civil servant, a tea lady, a motorbike medic and two street boys, five stories weave together in search of freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war from the metropolis of Khartoum Sudan to escape in East Africa.
In 2022 four Sudanese filmmakers, in collaboration with a British director/writer, began documenting the lives and dreams of five citizens in Khartoum. After a military coup brought down the civilian government, a war broke out between the army and the RSF militia that displaced over ten million people. Filmmakers and subjects escaped to East Africa and determined to continue the film another way.
This film is a lyrical and cinematic window for global audiences to emotionally connect into the lives and dreams of the everyday people of Khartoum at a pivotal moment in African history.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere
Official Selection Berlin Film Festival 2025 - European premiere
Berlin Film Festival 2025 - Berlin Film Festival 2025 - Winner - Peace Film Prize

Synopsis

Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She “was the first…” as former husband Miles Davis said. “Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince”. An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the '70s scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles – startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named “Bitches Brew”. She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself.
Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly - she just vanished. Betty Mabry Davis is a global icon whose mysterious life story has until now, never been told. Creatively blending documentary, animation and nonfiction techniques, this movie traces the path of Betty’s life, after years of trying, the elusive Betty, forever the free-spirited Black Power Goddess, finally allowed the filmmakers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations.
Official Selection IDFA 2017 - World premiere

Synopsis

The secrets of Kolkata is revealed by overweight, dance-obsessed, intrepid detective Rajesh Ji. Mixing dance and hit songs with the harsh lives of clients, this originally styled feature documentary provides an entertaining yet poignant look at modern India through the prism of crime.

What happens when a population loses trust in its police and authorities? There is a new phenomenon happening in India today - the boom of the private detective. Poisonings, adultery, fraud and the occasional murder - such are the day to day investigations of Kolkata's Bengali Detective - Rajesh Ji.
 
This film follows the intrepid detective and his motley band of helpers on raids and investigations as they enter the hidden lives of clients, victims and perpetrators. Yet on his off hours, Rajesh indulges his inner dance fanatic as he harbors a dream of becoming an international star - whilst trying to look after his desperately sick wife and small son.