Projects matching: Rob Walker

Synopsis

Two artists in Walthamstow set out to take their street off the grid, kickstarting a solar-powered energy revolution.
Inspired by lockdown mutual aid initiatives, artist-activists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn decided to turn their street into an energy-generating powerhouse – a prototype for a new way of living, with the hope of galvanising a wider push towards sustainable alternatives. Directed by the duo, POWER STATION charts their turbulent journey, from pitching the idea to their neighbours and sleeping on the roof of their home to raising finance and launching a bid for a Christmas number one single. By turns funny and heartwarming, Powell and Edelstyn’s film is a vibrant portrait of their local neighbourhood, and a charming testament to the power of art in changing minds about what could be possible.
Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025

Synopsis

What are the borders of the United Kingdom? Roaming landscapes filmed in 16mm reveal physical traces of different boundaries throughout the nation. People encountered while filming lend their voice to stories from Brook House, a large immigration detention centre on the outskirts of London. A contemplation on the ways migration is perceived and controlled across the country.

Synopsis

Ferroequinology, literally meaning the study of iron horses, is a documentary about railroad photography. Two artists set out on journeys across America to capture traces of locomotives in the nation’s landscapes, intimate stories from passengers onboard and the experience of slow travel in today's increasingly fast-paced society.

Synopsis

Artist/filmmaker team of Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell set off to understand the world of debt. It turns into a community movement which opens it own bank, produces its own currency and then buys £1 million worth of predatory debts, which are blown up in the shadow of London’s financial district. Filmed over five years, it is a story which takes in debt resisters in the US, leading international economists and a rich cast of people from the filmmakers’ diverse local community. At a time when most people – including politicians – do not understand how money comes into existence this film pulls back the veil on the dark world of debt with wit and insight. As one would expect from the makers of HOW TO RE-ESTABLISH A VODKA EMPIRE (BFI London Film Festival 2011) the film mischievously plays with the documentary form as the filmmakers move from behind to front of camera, in an entertaining range of character. A film to inform, enrage and inspire.
Official Selection Hot Docs Festival 2021 - Artscapes - World Premiere

Synopsis

A sympathetic but searching portrait of Frank Ryan (1902-1944) IRA activist in Ireland, International Brigade Volunteer in Spain and Nazi collaborator in Berlin. Ryan enters a Faustian pact with a Nazi regime he believes will assist in forging a united Ireland. His collaboration is justified by the republican motto: "My enemy's enemy is my friend". But the former radical and internationalist pays a heavy price for this pact. The film raises important questions about collaboration between the IRA and the Nazis in World War II. It opens up a long suppressed debate about Irish neutrality in that war. Drawing upon Ryan’s correspondence and using a rich mix of period archive combined with live action - with a striking portrayal of Frank Ryan by Dara Devaney - the film makers tell a story of tragic proportions and probe the enigma that was Frank Ryan.

Synopsis

Lou may have Down’s Syndrome but is more than capable of looking after herself. She lives with her controlling sister Ashley, who always gets what she wants. When a new man comes into their lives, the sisters become love rivals, bringing their relationship to a head.

Synopsis

The story of the Irish and Finnish miners of Butte Montana who in opposing US involvement in WW1 found themselves up against not only the war profiting Anaconda Copper Company but the US state. The story, narrated by Martin Sheen, is told through the eyes of a young Pinkerton agent sent to Butte to spy on the radicals and to break their strike, who might just be writer Dashiell Hammett.

Synopsis

A man, a woman, a pair of shoes.

Synopsis

Lost in a daydream, an innocent young man gets a come-on from a sexy siren. Engaged in the pursuit of this bewitching vision, a lost shoe invites a display of athletic daring from our lovestruck hero.
A story of desire and determination. "Cinderella with a twist".

Synopsis

After Quentin Tarantino set the precedent, working in a video store is fast becoming an established alternative route into the film business. David Logan dreamed up the screenplay of darkly comic thriller Circus while he was toiling away behind the counter of his local shop. Director Rob Walker, who shared an agent with Logan, read the script and responded immediately. "The story is such a rich mosaic filled with sharp funny references," enthuses Walker.

Producer Alan Latham, who came on board when Walker sent him the script, puts Logan's script squarely in Tarantino territory, describing it as "putting Miami into Brighton, giving it a European/US feel". But when Latham and producing partner James Gibb set out to find backers, they discovered this transatlantic slant was a double-edged sword. "Initially British companies said the story was too convoluted," says Gibb. "But the project soon generated heat with several US studios showing interest. In the end Columbia beat off the opposition."

The script's distinctive style also helped bring on board John Hannah to star as the lead Leo, a conman who masterminds one last scam. "When I first read it," says Hannah, "I had no idea what was going on, but it was brilliant." His early commitment to the film helped get it off the ground. Leo's glamorous wife, Lily, is Famke Janssen, whose international career took off with GoldenEye. Other casting decisions were more offbeat, including British entertainer Brian Conley as a vicious gangster and comedian Eddie Izzard at a sadistic loan shark.

Circus shot on location in Brighton and around London, and at Shepperton Studios in spring last year. It was released in the UK in May this year.

Synopsis

Conman Leo (John Hannah) and his glamorous wife, Lily (Famke Janssen), are the coolest of couples. They dream of an escape from the drudge of everyday crime in the seamy underbelly of Brighton. They want out. Leo and Lily are going for the dream, the one way boat trip to Cuba!

The scam of a lifetime is about to begin with Leo wildly turning the tables to keep one step ahead in this web of deceit and intrigue. Drawn into the net is a sadistic bookie call Troy (Eddie Izzard) who is chasing Leo for repayment of his betting debts, while a simple-minded Goliath called Moose (Tiny Lister) is looking for his girlfriend and asks Leo to help. Added to this is Bruno (Brian Conley), Leo's father figure and fitness-freak gang boss who is out to play another game by another set of rules - and don't forget the eccentric convert to fashion, Julius (Peter Stormare) who along with Leo and Lily is caught up in the most dangerous game of all, the game of cross, double cross and triple cross. It's insane, but it's the only game in town.

Synopsis

A dark, character-driven thriller with a sense of humour, Dead Bolt Dead is set in the sharp-suited, brutal world of London's organised crime. The story, which takes place over the course of one night, charts what happens after one gang tries to take out its rivals - and fails.



The result is two separate hostage situations, which become increasingly claustrophobic and desperate as the night wears on. The tension is leavened with dark humour and a splash of country and western music.



The film is the debut feature from a precocious duo: 19-year-old producer Paul de Villiers, who also wrote the screenplay, and director James Rogan, who is just 18. "I think I'm the youngest film director in the country," says Rogan, who learned his craft through the Children's Film Unit, working on four features for television over four years.



Despite their youth, the pair managed to get French distributor Filmsdistribution on board to handle international sales when they took to film to Cannes in May. The cast includes British television regulars James Laurenson and Neil Stuke, who can also be seen in Rob Walker's Circus. Rogan and de Villiers also managed to persuade Neneh Cherry and GUM to contribute two original songs to Edmund Butt's moody soundtrack.



Rogan and de Villiers are not hanging around to see how their first theatrical feature goes down. They already have their next two films in pre-production, Presence Of Mind for Mosca Film and Club 18-30 for Turnwheel Films. The movies are scheduled to shoot back to back starting in October.