SPINE
The Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation — Yearbook 08/09
18/04/2008 15:50:10 FRONT_COVER_HIRES.indd 1
SPINE
REALLY...
1 ABOUT US
Hello... Thank you for picking up this book. It tells the story so far—what we’ve achieved in our first three years with our 40 films, our festival, our partnerships and our ambitious online initiatives. We are delighted to have the continued support of Channel 4. They share our conviction that documentaries have a unique role to play in reflecting on the way we live and challenging our ideas, assumptions and fears about the past, present and future of the world.
IN FACT, WE’D SAY DOCUMENTARIES ARE THE ONLY FILMS THAT MATTER. REALLY. Documentary films are just beginning to show us the global impact they can have—changing minds, hearts, lives, influencing governments and press and inspiring individuals to work for change. The media landscape is transforming fast and we are committed to going beyond TV to find new ways to create, fund and distribute ambitious, really world changing documentary. It’s a challenging time and an exciting one. The future offers unlimited possibilities and fortune favours the brave. We need partners to help us achieve our goals—if you are interested in being one of them, we’d really, really like to hear from you. You can meet the team and find our contact details on page 6.
Jess, Katie, Maxyne and Beadie Foundation team
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3 ABOUT US
ABOUT US
The Foundation is a new social entrepreneurship organisation created in 2005 and supported by Channel 4 in the UK. Our mission is to build a creatively ambitious and diverse future for British documentary. We do this by creating brilliant films that impact globally, engaging new partners and helping to build new business models for filmmakers to deploy.
1WT ÂżNOU YKP CYCTFU CVVGPVKQP CPF RWUJ VJG FQEWOGPVCT[ HQTO HQTYCTF Funding successful independent films Identifying and developing talent Re-thinking training models
CREATING REAL FILMS
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS $GECWUG VJG QNF QPGU CTG DTQMG CPF VJGTG CTG PGY QRRQTVWPKVKGU HQT FQEWOGPVCT[ ÂżNOOCMGTU VQ GODTCEG Hosting a world class Festival of ideas for the whole sector Brokering new funding and distribution opportunities Trialing new online payment systems Experimenting with new distribution models
$GECWUG YG CTG LWUV FKUEQXGTKPI YJCV C RQYGTHWN OGFKWO HQT EJCPIG ÂżNO ECP DG Turning films into campaigns Running conferences to share learning Lobbying government and other agencies Promoting documentary in the UK
MAKING REAL IMPACT
ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS &QEWOGPVCT[ KU IQQF HQT GXGT[QPG 9G YGNEQOG RCTVPGTU VQ CORNKH[ QWT TGUQWTEGU CPF CODKVKQPU HQT RTQLGEVU VJCV OCVVGT Engaging the Third Sector in documentary Engaging brands Building a network of support Creating web tools that encourage collaboration
“
Great documentaries, like all good works of art, enable us to see and understand more of the world than we’d be able to simply though our own senses. They give us an extra pair of eyes.” Alain de Botton, Philosopher
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7 ABOUT US
ABOUT US
MEET THE TEAM
“
The Foundation team are independent minded, energetic, smart, savvy, passionate and committed – an unbeatable mix of qualities” Peter Dale, Head of More4 Over the past 3 years we have assembled a team working at very high productivity levels across all of the organisation’s output. We have unparalleled international contacts which allow us to leverage major funding and distribution deals for our filmmakers, both on an individual basis and annually at the BRITDOC festival.
JESS SEARCH CHIEF EXECUTIVE
BEADIE FINZI BRITDOC FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
MAXYNE FRANKLIN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
KATIE BRADFORD EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
MATT JONES FINANCE DIRECTOR
jess@britdoc.org
beadie@britdoc.org
maxyne@britdoc.org
katie@britdoc.org
matt@britdoc.org
Jess was a Channel 4 commissioning editor for 5 years where her commissions included My Foetus, The Texas Season, Alt TV, Adam Ant: The Madness of Prince Charming, Dying for Drugs, Unknown White Male and new writers series Coming Up. For the Foundation she has executive produced We Are Together, Living with the Tudors, How Is Your Fish Today? and The End of the Line. She was a founder of Shooting People, the world’s largest filmmakers’ network and is currently doing an MBA at Cass Business School.
Beadie is the BRITDOC festival director, overseeing content and logistics for our annual Oxford event. She also helps to run the various training programmes at the Foundation and provides editorial input on selected films on the slate. Beadie still works as a documentary filmmaker. She was the producer on Unknown White Male, selected for Sundance and made the Oscar shortlist in 2006. Beadie has just finished directing a feature doc on food aid The Hunger Season for More4, NHK Japan, SBS Australia and YLE Finland.
Maxyne works on Foundation projects from the idea stage to completion, festival strategy and distribution. She is also the Film Programmer for the BRITDOC Festival which screens 20 of the best feature documentaries from the last 12 months. Previously Maxyne was Assistant Editor, Documentaries at Channel 4 commissioning the 3 Minute Wonders and co-curating the Outside Zone.
Katie works across the Foundation’s slate of films, from selection of projects through to distribution strategy and oversees the Foundation’s online projects, including USEFILMS. She also runs the Pitching Forums at the BRITDOC Festival. Previously, Katie worked in TV production, most recently on 50 Greatest Documentaries for Channel 4 and at indie production company Monkey for over four years, helping with the set-up phase of the company in 1999 and then in development and production.
Matt has worked almost exclusively for the independent sector in a variety of management and accountancy roles. In recent years he has specialised in accounts. In addition to looking after the finances for the foundation and all other BRITDOC activities Matt continues to work with a number of UK independent production companies. He is currently studying part time towards ACCA professional qualification.
WE ARE PROUD TO BE SUPPORTED BY OUR NON-EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS:
ADVISORS TO THE BOARD
MIKE FIGGIS FILM DIRECTOR
JOHN BATES ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL
KEVIN LYGO DIRECTOR OF TELEVISION, CHANNEL 4
CHISTOPHER HIRD EXEC PRODUCER (CHAIR OF THE BOARD)
CONTACT PETER DALE HEAD OF MORE4
Unit 2 Durham Yard Teesdale Street, London E2 6QF +44 (0)207 033 2560 info@britdoc.org www.britdoc.org
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9 ABOUT US
ABOUT US
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHANNEL 4
The Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organisation. Channel 4 has been our founding sponsor and our inspiration from day one. We share the same belief in the importance of public service content to British culture and society. We also share a modern and innovative approach to problem solving.
“
Channel 4 is proud to support the BDFF and its ambition to ensure a creatively ambitious and diverse future for British Documentary”
Andy Duncan, Chief Executive, Channel 4
The Channel has an option to broadcast any of the Foundation funded films that can work for their audiences. They view the films once completed and through this mechanism many of our films have been shown on Channel 4 or More4. Other films are less suited to a broadcast distribution but each film has an individual distribution and outreach strategy devised for it (film festivals, DVD release, art gallery exhibition, online distribution etc). Wherever they travel, they carry the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation logo on them. One of our films, Steal This Film II will not be broadcast but has been downloaded free online over 650,000 times in the first 10 weeks of its ‘release’. With Channel 4’s help we are seeding a vibrant independent documentary community from where our future theatrical, TV and online documentary stars will emerge.
“
Documentary needs a modern, forward-looking, independent champion and the Foundation is the answer to that prayer” Peter Dale, Head of More4
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11 ABOUT US
ABOUT US
STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT
“The British Documentary Film Foundation provides essential support to the filmmakers who carry on this great history of documentary making in this country.” RT Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism
“BRITDOC is playing a vital role in making British documentaries once again the envy of the world. Their projects have wit, heart and rigour, bringing a keen cinematic eye to remarkable and urgent true life stories.” Jason Solomons, Film Critic
“The Foundation supported us at a critical stage in the production process. As a result, we managed to complete the film, launch it at Sundance and subsequently get it out to the world. The work they do is crucial in breathing life into independent film. Viva BRITDOC!” Nick and Marc Francis, directors Black Gold
“We have a fantastic tradition of documentary making in this country which BRITDOC seeks to preserve. More than just being entertainment, documentaries can provide a unique voice for stories that would otherwise not be heard.” Tessa Jowell, former Secretary of State, Department of Culture, Media and Sport
“The Foundation is essential in helping to ensure a creative future for documentary filmmakers in the UK by exploring new ways to get funding and distribution.” Kim Longinotto, award winning filmmaker
“Documentaries have made a vital contribution to the UK’s rich tradition of factual programming and to our culture more widely. I am delighted to offer my support to BRITDOC and its laudable aim of examining how documentary films can survive in our changing media ecosystem.” Ed Richards, Chief Excutive, OFCOM
CREATING REAL FILMS
15 REAL FILMS
MAKING REAL IMPACT
CREATING REAL FILMS
MAKING REAL IMPACT
The Foundation exists to fill in the creative gaps, deliberately funding films that fall between traditional TV and film funding. Every year we award over £500,000 in grants to British directors (or directors based in Britain) with an unstoppable passion for their work.
40 FILMS, 120 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL SCREENINGS, 24 AWARDS… British filmmakers are amongst the best in the world and the Foundation exists to foster their talent and help them to develop both their craft and their careers as directors. It is our firm belief that we have to take risks and back independent voices to maintain a heathly creative balance in filmmaking. Our grants support filmmakers across the board from first timers to Emmy award winners. We are proud to be working with a range of voices, 28% of them female and 17% from ethnic minorities. The Foundation funds films differently to televison. Our structure enables us to produce high quality work at low cost. This is because we are leveraging the passion of the filmmaker rather than buying a product. We are in the unique position of being able to offer seed funding to ambitious projects. In our experience, this usually gives other funders the confidence to come on board. In this way, we have seen our £926,148 of film funding leverage an additional £1,219,000 from other sources—over £1 matchfunding for every £1 of our investment. A full list of films funded and the filmmakers we have worked with can be found on page 55
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17 REAL FILMS
REAL FILMS
GRAND JURY PRIZE
BEST FEATURE FICTION FILM INT’L WOMAN FILM FESTIVAL
SUNDANCE 2007
SPECIAL MENTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
ROTTERDAM FILM FESTIVAL 2007
BRITDOC
PESARO FILM FESTIVAL 2007
FRIBOURG
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
JURY PRIZE
INT’L FILM FESTIVAL 2007
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
SUCCESS STORY: HOW IS YOUR FISH TODAY? – XIAOLU GUO
SUCCESS STORY: TALK TO ME – MARK CRAIG
Xialou’s Guo’s debut feature doc is difficult to categorise. Documentary bleeds into fiction in a tale about a young man in southern China on the run across country after he murders his lover in a fit of passion. Sitting at his desk in Beijing, a scriptwriter is writing that same man’s story. It is through his characters that his life gains its weight, meaning and freedom.
Filmmaker Mark Craig had approached all of the major broadcasters with his passion project based around 20 years of collected answer phone messages but to no avail. When the Foundation opened its doors 3 years ago, Mark was our first signing. Since completion, his delightful, honest and funny short film has played at numerous festivals and even won him a Sheffield Grierson Award for Innovation.
“
Xiaolu Guo’s itinerant quasidoc has a strong sense of composition, a wealth of local colour and an unusual narrative method” Variety Magazine
“
Xialou’s work is as politically passionate and important as anything by more obvious polemical filmmakers. And a lot more fun to watch too!” Time Out Magazine
The film’s beautiful cinematography belie its £30,000 budget and its unique blend of fact and fiction have made it hard to pigeon hole for festival screenings. It has won numerous awards in both fiction and non fiction categories including a special mention at the Sundance Film Festival. On the back of the success of How Is Your Fish Today? Xiaolu has recently taken up a fellowship with the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation.
WINNER
SHEFFIELD GRIERSON INNOVATION AWARD OFFICIAL SELECTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
OFFICIAL SELECTION
HOTDOCS
FULL FRAME
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC OFFICIAL SELECTION
SILVERDOCS
WINNER
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL
In his own inimitable words:
“
They make decisions fast, support and encourage you to be better than you thought you could be. As a filmmaker they have given me wings with which I intend to fly. BRITDOC funded a project of mine that no one would, and bugger me, it won a Grierson!” Mark Craig, director Talk To Me
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19 REAL FILMS
REAL FILMS
RE-THINKING TRAINING MODELS
We believe it’s part of our job to help build the creative community
“
I don’t think any other singular organisation in the UK has been more important to my career” Tina Gharavi, Foundation grantee
To boost the creative economy we need to build a community to share ideas and learn from each other. We have complemented the creative process with unique and bespoke training. Our filmmakers already have the creative skills to make fantastic films. What they need is support and guidance to forge sustainable creative careers; which is why our philosophy is to invest in filmmakers, not just single projects. Once a Foundation grantee; always a Foundation grantee.
CREATIVE CAPITAL
BREAKOUT
Summer 2007 saw the Foundation hosting the first Creative Capital Professional Development workshop outside of the US. An innovative 3-day workshop that has been running successfully in the US for a number of years; the goal of the workshops is to provide a cohesive structure that will help filmmakers to organise, plan, and sustain their creative careers. The workshop used an integrated approach to cover the topics of marketing, public relations and fundraising with a particular emphasis on strategic planning and breaking patterns of crisis management. Following on from this we have been holding quarterly meetings with the Creative Capital grantees to actively encourage the sharing of information and support networks.
The Breakout course was a year-long professional development scheme for black and minority ethnic writers and directors ready to make successful low-budget commercial fiction films and feature-length documentaries. Under the guidance of international film industry mentors and trainers, film projects have been developed with production partners Warp X on the fiction films and the Foundation developing the documentary filmmakers and films. These have recently completed development and are actively seeking funding. Breakout was supported by: UK Film Council, Skillset, Sceen East and UEA Norwich.
MAKING REAL IMPACT
22 REAL IMPACT
ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS
MAKING REAL IMPACT
ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS
FILMS ARE STILL THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO CONNECT ISSUES TO PEOPLE Films are the best medium for changing hearts, minds and lives, by bringing stories and issues to the widest possible audiences. Films inspire people to engage; with the characters, with the stories, with the issues. Over the past 3 years, we have become experts in creating real impact around our films. We will add to best practice in this area—by continuing to work on big, new films with a social purpose—and share what we have learnt through conferences, bespoke filmmaker workshops and online. Our films have inspired people to engage and to act. To give money. To change the way they invest money. To try and change law and influence policy. To question the status quo. To care more about the world around them. We believe passionately in films that can effect change like this, which is why we work with filmmakers and partner organisations who share this passion for films which make a real impact. Photography by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, courtesy Paradise Row, London
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One of the first projects to receive a grant from the Foundation, Black Gold is an exposé of the multi-billion dollar coffee industry. It follows the struggle of the head of an Ethiopian coffee growing collective attempting to find a fair price for his high quality coffee in the face of the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade.
“
We wanted to urgently remind audiences that through just one cup of coffee, we are inextricably connected to the livelihoods of millions of people around the world who are struggling to survive.” Nick and Marc Francis, directors Black Gold
REAL IMPACT
REAL IMPACT
SUCCESS STORY: BLACK GOLD NICK & MARC FRANCIS
The film has caused a huge stir on its UK/ US cinema release and many brands and corporations have helped to publicise the movie including ATM Coffee and Café Direct. The public are now asking questions about buying policies of companies and blogging about their experiences on the internet. Others have pulled out stocks in large multinational companies and re-invested them into more ethical trading companies. The effects of the attention lavished on Black Gold sent shudders through the various global corporate coffee giants’ head quarters. Starbucks went into a defensive brace position and the directors believe Black Gold helped prompt a recent meeting between the chief executive of Starbucks and the Ethiopian prime minister.
“
Remarkable – a moving but scandalous story. Black Gold has extraordinary power” The Daily Telegraph
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SUNDANCE
WINNER
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
LIBERTAS
SAN FRANCISO
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
BERLINALE
FILM FESTIVAL
BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION
THE TIMES BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
OFFICIAL SELECTION
IDFA WINNER
INT’L DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
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“
An incredible piece of work” Bono
Filmed over three years, We Are Together (Thina Simunye) tells the remarkable and moving story of 12 year old Slindile and her friends at the Agape Ophanage in South Africa who use music to overcome hardship and loss in the face of adversity. Through the charismatic lead character, this film succeeds in giving a human face to the African AIDS crisis.
“
A film is unique as it has an hour or so to really personalise and humanise a problem, and ultimately this means people leave caring much more about the issue.” WINNER WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD AUDIENCE AWARD Paul Taylor, Director We Are Together TRIBECA EDINBURGH INT’L FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
BEST MUSIC FILM
IDA AWARDS
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
WHISTLER
FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
AMNESTY INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
REAL IMPACT
SUCCESS STORY: WE ARE TOGETHER PAUL TAYLOR & TEDDY LEIFER
The film’s producers have now partnered with EMI and (RED) in the UK for its cinema, DVD and soundtrack release. Palm Pictures and the ONE campaign will be handling the US release. It will also screen on Channel 4 and HBO.
“
We Are Together is a powerful
and emotional tool in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It offers a refreshing sense of hope and strength in the face of such adversity”
The ONE campaign We Are Together is supported by the charity Keep A Child Alive. All proceeds from the film and soundtrack are being donated to an education program for the children of the Agape orphanage through the RISE foundation. On the back of festival screenings alone, the RISE Foundation (set up by director Paul Taylor and producer Teddy Leifer) has already raised over £150,000.
WINNER
SHEFFIELD
GRIERSON AWARD
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
IDFA
WINNER
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
ONE WORLD INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD AWARD AUDIENCE
EDINBURGH EDINBURGH INT’L FILM FILM FESTIVAL FESTIVAL INT’L
WINNER
BEST MUSIC MUSIC FILM FILM BEST
IDA IDA AWARDS AWARDS
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY BEST
WHISTLER WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
AUDIENCE AUDIENCE AWARD AWARD
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FILM
WINNER
SHEFFIELD GRIERSON AWARD GRIERSON AWARD
WINNER
AUDIENCE AUDIENCE AWARD AWARD
IDFA
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3 JULY 2007 LONDON SOUTHBANK CENTRE DISC ONE
In 2007 we organised the Media and Tourism; Orlando Bagwell, Ford Working Films backed up by case studies Conference, to actively connect filmFoundation; Adam Oakley, Artois; Tim from filmmakers whose work have actively makers and Third Sector and to raise Suter, OFCOM; Robert West, Working created change such as Nick and Marc awareness of the power of documentaries. Films; Karen Brown, Action Aid and Dr Francis’ Black Gold and Brian Woods’ The Dying Rooms. The day brought together nearly 200 Daniel Glaser, Wellcome Trust. policy-makers, filmmakers, foundations, In order to share this learning and charities and companies working At the conference’s heart is inspiring and ONE SESSION TWO documentary as a tool HARNESSING THEto learn how SESSION further promote for global change to incentivising British organisations to follow HOW THE WHOSE JOB IS PUBLIC POWER OF FILM TO for change video of all the sessions are successfully exploit the power of film as a the American model of funding and AMERICANS DO IT SERVICE CONTENT? CHANGE THE WORLD presented on our website and DVDs global advocacy tool. outreach and to this end we presented have been sent to hundreds of other talks from key American participants organisations unable to participate in Key partners and speakers on the day who have pioneered these strategies the day. included the RT Hon Margaret Hodge MP, such as Orlando Bagwell from the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries Ford Foundation and Robert West from
Peter Dale, Head of More4, talks to Orlando Bagwell of the Ford Foundation about how and why the Foundation spends $5 million every year on documentary production, distribution and related outreach programmes.
Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP (Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Toursim), Anthony Lilley (Magic Lantern Productions), Karen Brown (Action Aid) and Steve Perkins (Ofcom) debate the future of public service broadcasting.
REAL IMPACT
REAL IMPACT
THE MEDIA CONFERENCE
ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS
33 NEW PARTNERS
ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODEL
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS
ENGAGING THE THIRD SECTOR IN DOCUMENTARY The Third Sector, who have relied on television to bring the issues which drive them to public attention, need to respond actively to a changing media landscape by becoming involved in content creation. In this new world, charities, foundations, brands and companies with CSR agendas can join the commissioning editors, partnering with passionate directors and producers and together forging new models for funding, distribution, outreach and participation.
MATCH FUNDING Working in documentary is our core competency and we are partnering with other organisations to find and develop films that are key to their current campaigns. We have recently teamed up with the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to fund a film around the issues of surveillance and privacy in the UK.
THE GOOD FORUM To further partnerships between filmmakers and the Third Sector, we are launching the Good Forum. This pitching event will bring together filmmakers working on socialpurpose projects with some of the most interesting potential funders from the UK (Oxfam, Christian Aid, NVCO etc) and abroad (Fledgling Fund, Sundance Documentary Film Program, Participant Media, Ford Foundation, AOL) Photography by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, courtesy Paradise Row, London
34 NEW PARTNERS
SUCCESS STORY: THE END OF THE LINE RUPERT MURRAY
Based around the book of the same name by esteemed journalist Charles Clover and directed by celebrated director Rupert Murray (Unknown White Male), The End of the Line is a searing and sobering investigation into how we are overfishing the world’s natural resources and causing irreversible damage. If we do not act now, within our lifetimes the world’s oceans will be empty of fish. This big budget film represents a new model in the UK for campaigning films. The seed funding from the Foundation not only enabled the team to begin development and shoot key scenes whilst waiting for additional finances to come through, but also reduced the risk to other financiers by giving the project our editorial stamp of approval.
The film has subsequently received major funding from Oak and the Waitt Foundation and the producers have pulled together an expert team of commercial and charitable partners. The aim of all of these partners—including WWF, Oceana, The Marine Conservation Society, Marviva and advertising agency Leo Burnett—is to create a high impact campaign and marketing strategy around the film’s release in 2009.
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37 NEW PARTNERS
NEW PARTNERS
Because documentaries are good for business
Adventures in Recycling ENGAGE BRANDS
Brands are increasingly aware of filmmaking in general and documentary in particular as a marketing, brand engagement and CSR tool. The Foundation regularly meets brands and agencies to open up new possibilities. In the last 18 months we have worked with Studio Artois in a myriad of ways. Not only have they backed both The Media Conference and the BRITDOC Festival but they have invested in film to further the message of recycling in a bid to raise awareness amongst consumers on the need to conserve resources.
“
We believe that film, specifically documentary, is an excellent medium for conveying important social messages to individuals and the wider community. Film can get people to think differently and encourage people to take action and make a positive change” Adam Oakley, Director of Marketing, Artois
Artois partnered with BRITDOC to invite filmmakers to submit ideas about recycling in a bid to raise awareness among consumers about the need to conserve energy. The competition was advertised widely in general and industry press with over 200 filmmakers submitting ideas. Colour not accurate INT093/03B - marklovell - StudioArtois_route 2 - 30/5/2007
Four films were commissioned which showed the fantastic range that can be achieved with short form films whilst all hitting the target of raising awareness. These films were screened in Channel 4’s 3 Minute Wonder slot, gaining an audience of over 4 million before showing at film festivals and online.
THE RESULTING FILMS WERE SCREENED ON CHANNEL 4 TO AN AUDIENCE OF 4 MILLION AND HAVE BEEN SCREENED AT NUMEROUS FESTIVALS AND ONLINE SAVE YOURSELF DIR: DANIEL BARLEV
THE RECYCLED HISTORY OF RECYCLING DIR: HOLLY ELSON
1000 CANS OR BUST DIR: MIKE ARNOTT
SURF RESCUE DIR: TOM ELDRIDGE
38 NEW PARTNERS
USING THE WEB TO CONNECT PEOPLE
USEFILMS is an online campaigning tool that links filmmakers to change-makers through the issues that drive them both. Films can catalyse change, spread truth, alter public opinion, drive fundraising and influence law and policy—but to do any of these things, filmmakers need partners. Successful partnerships ensure that films hit their mark and engage participation and outreach with the right audiences. USEFILMS enables these vital collaborations.
Ultimately, USEFILMS will incorporate films, filmmakers, campaigners and issue-led organisations from around the world to become the perfect global tool—linking filmmakers everywhere with audiences and partners anywhere. USEFILMS will launch in late 2008.
USEFILMS acts as a dating service, helping filmmakers and campaigning organisations to find each other, using online profiles where each can tag the issues that interest them. USEFILMS will also promote inspirational social purpose films, offer case studies of successful campaigning partnerships and set out strategies on how organisations can use film effectively. Photography by Jet. www.jetshot.com
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS
Photography by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, courtesy Paradise Row, London
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EVERYTHING IS CHANGING Funding documentaries used to be simple—pitch to all the major broadcasters. Distributing them was even easier—television took care of it all. The new media landscape has changed everything. As the old ways of doing things disappear, new ways of doing things are suddenly possible thanks to new technologies and new ways of thinking. Experimentations abound—Robert Greenwald asks his audience to pay for the film upfront before he goes off and makes it, others ask for voluntary donations after they have finished. Documentaries with fan-based audiences are successfully going straight to DVD, new online distributors are offering to split advertising revenues directly with filmmakers, whilst brands are becoming content commissioners, paying for and owning content via sponsorship. At the foundation we are working to create new opportunities for British filmmakers—our festival introduces them to the world of international funders and distributors and we continue to experiment with online distribution and payment models to great success.
NEW MODELS
BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS
45 NEW MODELS
800 DELEGATES ANNUALLY 100 INTERNATIONAL BUYERS OVER $2 MILLION INTO BRITISH FILMS
“
BRITDOC is where documentary films are born, bringing together the most diverse and influential group of filmmakers and financiers in the world” The Independent
“
Three of the most productive days of the year” Andrea Meditch, Vice President, Discovery Films
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47 NEW MODELS
NEW MODELS
To extend the reach of the Foundations ambitions and to truly position Britain as a world class home of documentary, in 2006 we launched the BRITDOC Festival.
Key elements include:
Our aim is to provide a setting and a discussion conducive to filmmakers and financiers meeting in a non-pressured and creative environment. In previous years, million dollar film deals have been struck on the lawns of Keble College.
One to One Surgeries for filmmakers with high-end festival programmers, distributors, sales agents and press agents
BRITDOC is about the business of documentary and designed to connect British filmmakers with the people, British and International, who can get their films MADE and SEEN.
Pitching Forum with 14 international commissioning editors and foundation heads looking for projects to fund
Masterclasses on a wide range of subjects from new distribution models to the art of editing for feature documentaries Would Like To Meets introducing filmmakers to potential partner organisations, charities and NGO’s British, International and Short Film competitions to inspire creativity On-line marketplace to buy and sell films
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49 NEW MODELS
NEW MODELS
FESTIVAL SUCCESS STORY: IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON DAVID SINGTON
FESTIVAL SUCCESS STORY: HEAVY LOAD JERRY ROTHWELL At BRITDOC 06 director David Sington met producers and broadcasters who would help turn his TV commission into a cinematic experience. The new feature length version of In the Shadow of the Moon was born and soon became a Sundance award winning film which was picked up by a major US theatrical distributor.
Jerry Rothwell’s pitch for his feature doc Heavy Load was a great success. “It’s fair to say that the pitching forum at BRITDOC made this film happen”. After the pitch he had half a dozen follow-up meetings with panel members and IFC US eventually came through with a six-figure offer which enabled the film to get made. Jerry also secured a deal with YLE Finland.
“
The advantage of funding a film this way, with several partners, is that in the end you have more control over it, more creative freedom. Taking the foundation funding route also allows you to make films with a social purpose that no longer have a place in TV schedules.” Jerry Rothwell, director
Now completed, Heavy Load will be having its world premiere at the SXSW festival before screening at BRITDOC 08.
“
This is rapidly becoming a must-attend event for the documentary film industry” The Times
50 NEW MODELS
TRIALING NEW ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEMS
Because the old ones don’t empower independent filmmakers
VoDo The foundation has partnered with Jamie King and Jan Gerber to create a prototype application called VoDo. VoDo (short for Voluntary Donations) aims to provide new revenue streams for filmmakers and musicians, whose work is currently being distributed with and without permission over various Peer 2 Peer filesharing systems such as Bittorrent. The makers of VoDo believe that the massive increases in storage space, bandwidth and interconnectivity are making copyright restrictions impossible to enforce and that any tightening of copyright legislation is likely to prove ineffective. They therefore believe that new payment models must be explored. VoDo works on the basis that any creative ‘work’ can be recognised from its unique algorithms. VoDo would sit as a software update for existing media players such as Quicktime, RealPlayer, VLC and others. Once in place, the software would check whether the work being played was listed on its database and, if so, offer the consumer the chance to make a donation. The project has the potential to revolutionise the way we think about rewarding creativity.
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Because filmmakers want their films to be seen as widely as possible
SUCCESS STORY: STEAL THIS FILM II JAMIE KING DOWNLOADED 650,000 TIMES AND COUNTING As part of the drive to find new models of distribution for documentary, the Foundation supported not only the content of Steal This Film II but the director’s innovative DIY distribution strategy—to give it away for free. Professor and activist Jamie King has become a figurehead for the opposition in the war against file sharing. Steal This Film II explains how and why the war has been lost and the huge potential of new avenues of grassroots distribution, file-sharing and piracy that fly in the face of the old established Hollywood models. The film’s provocative message and distribution strategy has attracted a huge amount of press and has been discussed everywhere from cybergeek blogs to the BBC’s ‘Today’ programme. In line with the film’s polemical argument, Steal This Film II is only available to view via free download.
NEW MODELS
NEW MODELS
EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW MODELS OF DISTRIBUTION
OUR FILMS
Since 2005, we have supported over 40 brave, passionate, campaigning, artistic, esoteric and unique films. They have won awards, been released in cinemas, shown on television, screened to politicians, raised money and challenged conventions. We are very proud of all of them and want to share them with you.
Photography by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, courtesy Paradise Row, London
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AFGHAN STAR DIR. HAVANA MARKING
FEATURE
| IN PRODUCTION
10 years ago in Afghanistan you risked imprisonment or even death if you sang, danced or even listened to music… Now there is a new phenomenon taking the country by storm. Based on Pop Idol, the TV series Afghan Star has won the nation’s heart, allowing Afghans to rediscover their musical and artistic culture. As the drama of the elimination rounds unfold, this film will explore the issues of gender, democracy, free press, and above all the power of music in this scarred and fragile nation.
ALIVE DAY
A development grant from the Foundation allowed the team to go to Afghanistan and begin filming. Since then, the film has been commissioned by More4.
DIR. TOM ELDRIDGE
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
Given a brief discharge from hospital, 12 severely injured US Iraq war veterans join a white water rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. For all of these soldiers, this trip represents a monumental step. Visually stunning, this is a powerful and purposefully apolitical film. Each soldier tells a compelling story, revealing the reality of the war in Iraq and the uncertainties they now face back in the U.S.
This is Tom Eldridge’s debut feature and he is an undoubtedly an emerging new talent.
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“A wake-up call to world’s coffee giants; A British film urges drinkers to boycott companies making billions at expense of poor farmers” The Times
“EXCELLENT – angry, goodhumoured and essential” Observer
“REMARKABLE – a moving but scandalous story. Black Gold has extraordinary power” The Telegraph
BLACK GOLD DIR. NICK & MARC FRANCIS
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SUNDANCE
WINNER
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
LIBERTAS
SAN FRANCISO
THE TIMES BFI
OFFICIAL SELECTION
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
OFFICIAL SELECTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
INT’L DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FESTIVAL
BRITDOC
WINNER
BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
IDFA
The award-winning Black Gold strikes a knock-out blow against the multi-billion dollar coffee industry, demonstrating the enormous power of documentary as a tool for social change. It follows the struggle of one Ethiopian coffee grower, attempting to find a fair price for his high quality coffee in the face of the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade.
BUKOM: THE FIGHTING SPIRIT
Black Gold has screened at 13 film
festivals so far, including Sundance and the London Film Festival. The film has also had a worldwide cinema release with screenings across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Latin America, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Africa and the Asian Pacific.
DIR. GEORGE AMPONSAH FEATURE
| COMPLETED
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
Bukom is the story of a Ghanaian fishing
village with a proud fighting tradition, which has become a hub for new boxing talent. The film becomes a ‘fish out of water’ allegory as commercial sports interest begins to destroy the conditions that make the town so effective at producing fighters. Three fighters go head to head in a bid to escape Ghana for a dream life in the rings of Europe and America and to earn the respect of their tribe.
British-Ghanaian documentary filmmaker George Amponsah received seed funding from the Foundation and went on to find full funding from ITVS in the US. Bukom will screen in a series of independent cinemas in 2008.
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FEATURE
CHOSEN
Chosen is testament to the power
DIR. BRIAN WOODS
of a compelling story, simply told. It deals with a subject often whispered but rarely spoken about—the sexual abuse of schoolboys by teachers in British public schools.
| COMPLETED The film’s strength lies in its simplicity. Just 3 characters—Tom, Mark and Alistair—tell us their stories straight to camera, intercut with photographs from their childhood. 30 years on, their candid interviews reveal how they were groomed, how abuse goes undetected, and why we need to listen. Brian captures these naked confessions with sensitivity and unprecedented openness.
Brian is a multi-award winning director, with 7 Emmys and a BAFTA to his name, who has shown enormous commitment to telling this story since meeting the contributors three years ago. Chosen has been entirely funded through a production grant from the Foundation, after Brian had struggled to find funding from the major broadcasters. The film will screen on More4 in the UK in Autumn 2008.
DANCING IN EAST LONDON DIR: TOM HUNTER
SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
Dancing in East London is a short
documentary charting a day in the life of one dancer in east London through the different dance forms practiced in the area. An updating of colourful Hollywood musicals, a day-in-the-life romp like Jacques Tati’s Playtime, a heaven-to-hell journey influenced by Victorian tableau paintings, Dancing in East London is a 24-hour voyage through London’s East End, featuring the area’s real venues, dancers and events.
Tom Hunter is an artist working mainly in photography. The majority of his work combines documentary and staged photography, and places it in an art context. His work is often particular, but not exclusive, to the Hackney community he knows as neighbours and friends in East London. He has exhibited work both nationally and internationally, in solo and group shows. Tom is represented by the Green on Red gallery in Dublin and the Yancey Richardson gallery in New York.
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DRUM ROOM DIR: MIRANDA PENNELL
SHORT
| COMPLETED
The empty spaces of an ambiguous building open up to reveal a group of aspiring musicians as they play together, alone. Filmed within a Music school, Drum Room focuses on the contradictory aspects of a regimented training environment which promotes an art form (Rock music), whose ethos is most often identified with individualism and rebellion. The video frames the ‘inner world’ of the performers and their embodied experience, against a contrasting outer-reality.
THE END OF THE LINE
Filmmaker and artist Pennell’s remarkable short has played at numerous art film festivals, art galleries and fairs, including London’s Tate Britain.
DIR. RUPERT MURRAY
FEATURE
If we sit back and do nothing, the world’s oceans will be empty of fish within our lifetimes. The End of The Line is a searing and sobering investigation of how it is happening, who is to blame and what can be done about it.
| IN PRODUCTION Based on the book by Charles Clover, who also consults on the film, this is Rupert Murray’s second feature documentary. With Clover’s rigorous journalism and Murray’s incredibly visual cinematic style, this is set to be a stunning and compelling film.
After seed funding from the Foundation, the film has subsequently received major funding from Oak and the Waitt Foundation and the producers have pulled together an expert team of commercial and charitable partners. The aim of all of these partners—including WWF, Oceana, The Marine Conservation Society, Marviva and advertising agency Leo Burnett—is to create a high impact campaign and marketing strategy around the film’s release in 2009.
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EVERY OTHER FRIDAY DIR: SAM HUNT
SHORT
| COMPLETED
Every other Friday for 25 years, Albert O’Conner (Albie) has run a disco at the Barrow-In-Furness Catholic Church Hall for those in the area with mental or physical disabilities. Albie himself suffers from severe learning disabilities and over the decades the disco has become central to his world. With a ramshackle collection of home made flashing lights and an old tape player, the disco may not look like much to an outsider, but ‘Albie’s Disco’ has had a profound impact on many of the most vulnerable people in one of the most isolated and deprived wards in the UK.
FAREWELL SONG
This touching short film by first time filmmaker Hunt not only looks at the impact Albie’s disco has had on its attendees but also on Albie himself.
DIRS: ARTHUR & LUTHER JONES
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
SYRACUSE FILM FESTIVAL
SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL
GLOBIANS FILM FESTIVAL
Since the communist takeover in 1949, China’s orchestras have been controlled and funded by the government. But as market economics returned to the Mainland in the 1990s, the arts had to learn to stand on their own and many orchestras closed. The film follows three world-renowned recording artists and performers of Chinese traditional music as they prepare for a major new concert outside of government control featuring new material that will take Chinese music to wider audiences.
Farewell Song has played at festivals
across Europe and America and was awarded the Special Documentary Prize at the Syracuse Festival. The film will be released for online distribution in 2008.
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GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS DIR. MARC HAWKER
FEATURE
| DEVELOPMENT
Gross National Happiness looks at life in
Bhutan as the King prepares to gamble his throne and hold the country’s first ever election. The King has volunteered to abdicate power in order to empower his people and embrace democracy. The film aims to uncover how democratised the country can be and whether these intentions will be corroded by corporate and international interests.
This is Marc Hawker’s first feature as director and a chance for him to develop his lush cinematic style. His previous credits include producing David LaChapelle’s feature Rize and producing and shooting the highly acclaimed Living Goddess.
FEATURE
GUCA
Guca is the name of a small village in
DIR. MILIVOJ ILIC
Serbia, which for over 40 years has been home to the annual national trumpet festival. Once a small local affair, it now attracts crowds of over 200,000 and is legendary across the Balkans. Milivoj Ilic’s account of the place, the people and the competitors in 2005 is as exuberant, joyous and noisy as the festival itself. The film captures the brilliance and the machismo of the performances at a festival where young men do battle with brass bands.
| COMPLETED
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
EAST END FILM FESTIVAL
The film follows two young players, the main rivals for the coveted ‘Golden Trumpet’. Both learnt to play as boys from their fathers, who also competed, in a country where mastering traditional skills is held in higher esteem than the path to modernisation. You’ll never look at a trumpet the same way again. Guca has been bought for broadcast
by Al Jazeera and Discovery.
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H2NY DIR: MICHAEL LANDY
SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
Landy’s short documentary follows his attempts to recreate Jean Tinguely’s classic piece Homage to New York. This extraordinary work was originally designed to self-destruct in front of a live audience on March 17th 1960, in the sculpture garden of MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art). Landy’s quest is thwarted by copyright issues and in the end he is unable to complete the re-creation. Instead he decides that his film about the quest must instead self-destruct. The one time showing/destruction of the film is scheduled to take place in London as a major live Arts event.
HALF LIFE – A FILM FOR CHERNOBYL
Michael Landy’s work incorporates drawing, installation, sculpture and video. He is represented by Thomas Dane in London and recent solo exhibitions include Semi-detached (Tate Britain, May 2004), Welcome to My World – built with you in mind
(Thomas Dane Gallery, Dec 2004/ Jan 2005) and Breakdown (2001), in which Landy systematically destroyed all of his 7,227 possessions.
DIRS: DAVID BICKERSTAFF & PHIL GRABSKY SHORT
| COMPLETED
WINNER BEST SHORT FILM
IDA
CINEQUEST
DOCUWEEK
CALGARY
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FESTIVAL
LONDON DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Based on Mario Petrucci’s awardwinning poem for Chernobyl, Heavy Water, this haunting film tells the story of those who dealt with the world’s worst nuclear disaster at ground level: the fire-fighters, the soldiers, the ‘liquidators’ and their families. The poems are cut together with revealing archive and evocative location footage of the ghost town of Pripyat and the surrounding exclusion zone, and read by actors Francine Brody, Juliet Stevenson, David Threlfall and Samuel West.
Directors Grabsky and Bickerstaff travelled to the exclusion zone to film the deserted town and the interior of the destroyed reactor. They have made an intensely moving film, which, rather than relating the technical details of the world’s biggest ever industrial accident, emphasises the effect of the disaster on the people of Chernobyl.
“Recent and archive footage is hauntingly combined, encouraging us to look beyond the enormity of the disaster” The Times
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“Xiaolu Guo’s itinerant quasidoc has a strong sense of composition, a wealth of local colour and an unusual narrative method” Variety Magazine
“Xiaolu’s work is as politically passionate and important as anything by more obvious polemical filmmakers. And a lot more fun to watch too.” Time Out
HERE’S JOHNNY DIRS: KAT MANSOOR, ADAM LAVIS, & WILL HOOD
ONE HOUR
| COMPLETED
SXSW 08 FILM FESTIVAL
A fantastic visual assault on the senses, Here’s Johnny enters the surreal world of celebrity graphic artist Johnny Hicklenton as he battles against Multiple Sclerosis. Filmed over 5 years by the Animal Monday collective, we see Johnny’s health decline as he continually tries new medicines and lives in an increasing state of immobility. This honest, moving and viciously funny film sees Johnny open up his life to the camera, as his artwork becomes his main creative escape.
HOW IS YOUR FISH TODAY?
Through the brutal and visceral artistic expressions of his brilliant and troubled imagination we learn about the disease that he cannot escape from.
DIR. XIAOLU GUO
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
GRAND JURY PRIZE
BEST FEATURE FICTION FILM INT’L WOMAN FILM FESTIVAL
SUNDANCE 2007
SPECIAL MENTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
ROTTERDAM FILM FESTIVAL 2007
BRITDOC
PESARO
FRIBOURG
FILM FESTIVAL 2007
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
JURY PRIZE
INT’L FILM FESTIVAL 2007
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
Xialou’s debut feature doc is difficult to categorise. Documentary bleeds into fiction in a tale about a young man in southern China on the run across country after he murders his lover in a fit of passion. Sitting at his desk in Beijing, a scriptwriter is writing that same man’s story. It is through his characters that his life gains its weight, meaning and freedom. The film’s beautiful cinematography belie its £30,000 budget and its unique blend of fact and fiction have made it hard to pigeon hole for festival screenings. It has won numerous awards in both fiction and non-fiction categories including a special mention at the Sundance Film Festival.
Following the success of How Is Your Fish Today? Xiaolu is currently on a fellowship with the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation.
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IN SEARCH OF THE ANTI-CHRIST DIRS. JAMIE CAMBELL AND JOEL WILSON
FEATURE
| DEVELOPMENT
Filmmaking duo Jamie and Joel attempt to make sense of the US by immersing themselves in Rapture Theory rhetoric. Little known in the UK, over half of the population of the United States is said to firmly believe that the world is going to end in a highly specific and violent way.
It is said that people in the highest echelons of US government are rapture theorists; if this is the case, how do their beliefs affect their foreign policy decision-making? Jamie (an ex-fundamental Christian himself) and Joel take a journalistic yet provocative look at America today. The film is being co-produced with US based Cactus Three and Bugle B.
JOURNEY TO THE MOON DIR: KUTLUG ATAMAN
SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
Journey to the Moon explores an
urban myth that in 1957, a group of villagers from Turkey’s remote Black Sea coast were conned by a local politician into believing he would build a spaceship factory in cooperation with the US, in return for their votes. Ataman’s film explores the idea that these naive villagers were the victim of American style westernisation in Turkey in the late 50s and perhaps amongst the first unsuspecting victims of the early stages of globalisation.
Kutlug Ataman has pursued a career both as a filmmaker and artist, working with single and multiplechannel installations and receiving critical acclaim for his films, which document the lives of marginalised individuals. His work has been exhibited worldwide, including shows at MOMA in New York, KUBA at the Old Sorting Office in London and the Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain in 2004. Kutlug is represented by the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York.
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KIMMIE DIR. HAZEL CHANDLER
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
When war broke out in Liberia in 1989, Kimmie Weeks was just eight years old. Aged 10, he spent six months in a refugee camp and almost starved to death. When he recovered, Kimmie dedicated his life to helping other children in his country. At 17 he exposed the Liberian government’s use of children as soldiers, and as a result his life was again threatened. Director Hazel Chandler followed Kimmie, now 23 and a political exile living and studying in the US, as he returned home to Liberia for the first time in five years. Chandler’s film gives a voice to this courageous character and confronts us with the injustices that he continues to fight.
KING OF SOUTH SHIELDS
Kimmie is a personal journey of
confusion, lost money, old enemies and ultimately peace. A strange kind of road movie set against the backdrop of two countries pulling themselves out of war—Sierra Leone and Liberia.
DIR. TINA GHARAVI
SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
Featuring never before seen archive and Super 8 footage, King of South Shields reminisces about the day that Mohammad Ali came to Tyneside in 1977 to have his wedding blessed. Filmmaker Gharavi uses archive photographs to seek out the young Yemeni-British boys who were attendant at the wedding and uncover the impact that this event had on them, their lives, faiths and sense of identity as young children in the emergent Arab-British identity
The film also features an interview with Ali’s daughter Hana who sees some of these images of the marrage for the first time herself and discusses her father’s influence and legacy.
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LIFE AFTER THE FALL DIR. KASIM ABID
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
Life After the Fall is a unique insight into
modern day Iraq, eloquently portrayed by Iraqi director Kasim Abid, who returned to his native country shortly after the fall of Saddam following an absence of 30 years. Shot over five years, this film shows the director reuniting with his family in 2003. They had survived dictatorship, war and sanctions and were ready for change.
As the film unfolds Abid’s family struggles against growing despair as the country falls apart and violence moves ever closer to them. What is most fascinating and different about the film is its rare perspective, so different from the usual Western viewpoints about Iraq. Through wonderful characters, we gain a real understanding of the issues that are facing Iraqi citizens on the ground.
LIVING WITH THE TUDORS DIRS. KAREN GUTHRIE & NINA POPE
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
SARASOTA WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
SXSW 08 FILM FESTIVAL
With unrivalled access, artists Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope go native in the UK’s oldest and largest historical re-enactment at Kentwell Hall in rural Suffolk. There they meet a core of fiercely loyal and protective re-enactors whose real life stories form a fascinating counterpoint to their chosen 16th century roles. This beautifully crafted, funny, and sometimes dark film is ultimately about human existence, community and modern day living as it asks what are they escaping from—and to.
After its debut screening at BRITDOC 07, Living with the Tudors was subsequently
picked up for European broadcast and international festival screenings. In the UK, the film is set for theatrical release in Summer 2008 through Soda Pictures.
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THE MADMAN AND THE CATHEDRAL DIR. JAMES ROGAN
ONE HOUR
| IN PRODUCTION
On October 12th, 1961, Don Justo Gallego Martinez laid the foundation stone of a cathedral in a small town just outside of Madrid. A peasant, with no architectural training, no construction experience and no tools, Justo turned his back on the fields and started building. He had no blueprints and no planning permission. He had not even seen many cathedrals. All he had was the unshakeable conviction that God wanted him to build a cathedral.
Rogan has been following Justo for 3 years as the spectacle of the cathedral continues to grow and amaze. Now in his eighties, Justo’s health and mind are beginning to fail him and the miracle of Justo’s achievement is matched only by the miracle he needs to finish the project.
THE MAZE DIR. DONOVAN WYLIE
ONE HOUR
| IN PRODUCTION
BAFTA award-winning filmmaker and Magnum photographer Donovan Wylie charts the story of the Maze prison in Northern Ireland, from being a shining example of the architecture of containment—designed to exert control and power over all its political prisoner inmates—to a mere holding centre in which the everyday prisoners were virtually autonomous, and finally to the empty landscape it is about to become.
Filmed over 2 years and counting, with the demolition dates being continually changed, Wylie has been shooting evocative and beautiful helicopter shots to fully appreciate the architectural destruction whilst at the same time reflecting on the destruction of the prison system.
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MOVING TO MARS DIR. MAT WHITECROSS
ONE HOUR
| IN PRODUCTION
Moving to Mars tells the story of two Karen Burmese families who have been housed in a refugee camp on the Thai borders since fleeing the repressive regime in Burma fifteen years ago.
Having accepted that they can never return to their home country, the families are due to be relocated to Sheffield, England. The film depicts their moving and often humorous struggles with twenty-first century Britain, whilst examining their tragic pasts.
OCTOBER MUMBLING
Moving to Mars is the debut feature for director Mat Whitecross and producer Karen Katz. Whitecross co-directed The Road to Guantanamo with Michael Winterbottom and edited 9 Songs.
DIR: LEE KERN
ONE HOUR
October Mumbling is a suburban epic poem in film. Maverick filmmaker Lee Kern captures a sense of time and place by bringing together a discordant compilation of images and narrative styles.
| IN PRODUCTION The film explores Kern’s love for the natural world in a way that is both heartfelt and intimate, without losing his trademark penchant for unexpected comedy. Whether it be his meditation on bad nature books or his encounters with midges, Lee brings the audience closer to the world in new and unusual ways.
Louis Theroux said of Lee’s work: ‘not documentaries in the usual sense—they are something unto themselves—zesty, playful and they have heart.’ We agree.
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REAR PROJECTION: A DEFINITIVE BACK STORY DIR: MARK LEWIS SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
A short documentary exploring the fabulous history and unique technique of cinematic rear projection, the method by which ‘the real’ was introduced into studio films. Through interviews, anecdotes and employing rear projection, this film will tell the story of the Hansards, who, through their small family-run business, provided rear projection for most of the classic Hollywood movies from the 1930s onwards. A film celebrating a unique piece of cinematic history and an art form which has all but died with the onset of digital technology.
Mark Lewis makes (short form) films and photographs for gallery installation. His work investigates the pictorial possibilities of the moving image. He has previously worked with rear-projection in his installations and hopes to incorporate rear-projection as a narrative device in his film. Mark is represented by Galerie Cent 8 in Paris and has exhibited his work worldwide, including a recent solo show at FACT in Liverpool.
REUNION DIR: MONICA MAGYAROSY
ONE HOUR
| COMPLETED
Filmed over a Memorial Day Weekend in Buffalo, New York—Reunion is a heartfelt, touching and frequently funny portrait of the very first reunion of an extended Jewish family. On the face of it no earth shattering events take place (eating, talking, bowling etc) but at the same time everything “happens”. In a wider context, the film is also about identity and what it means to be part of a family. It explores people’s need to belong, to “have a story, know the whole story” and understand how they “fit into all this”. Ultimately, it’s also about their need to leave something of themselves behind, and be remembered.
The film has been picked up for broadcast by More4 and Magyarosy is currently developing her first feature doc.
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SARGY MANN DIR: PETER MANN
SHORT
| COMPLETED
BRITDOC
LONDON DOCUMENTARY
MELBOURNE INT’L DOCUMENTARY
VOYAGES EUROPEAN
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
WINNER FESTIVAL
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FESTIVAL
Sargy Mann is an inspiring story about one artist’s battle to continue painting as his sight, his connection to the visual world that is his inspiration, fails him. First time director Peter Mann provides a unique and very personal insight into how his father has rediscovered his creative process and continued to create beautiful pieces of art to the surprise of everyone, no less himself.
SMALL TOWN BOY
To date Sargy Mann has screened at the Contemporary European Documentary Festival, Melbourne International and the London International Documentary Festival.
DIR: MOBY LONGINOTTO
SHORT
| COMPLETED
IDFA
BRITDOC
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
HAMPTONS
TORONTO
GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FILM FESTIVAL 2007
FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2007
For 15-year-old David, there’s no doubt whatsoever about his sexual orientation but in the small town in England where he lives, not everyone is so accepting. This wonderful short follows David Birch as he prepares to ride through his small country village as the first ever gay male carnival queen. For over a hundred years the annual summer carnival has been a celebration of traditional family values in the village but this year the festivities are going to be turned on their head. Under huge pressure from the locals who feel he is bringing shame on the village, David is proud of his identity and stands strong against the faces of bigotry and disapproval.
The film marks Moby’s first depature from commissions for mainstream television, and has been a rocketing success on the festival circuit, playing at thirty festivals worldwide including the UK, Europe, America, Poland and even as far afield as South Korea.
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THE SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES DIR: EVA WEBER
SHORT
| IN PRODUCTION
The Solitary Life of Cranes is a unique
and mesmerizing view of London from high above the ground—through the eyes and words of crane drivers. From their elevated positions, crane drivers are the unsung chroniclers of our ever-changing metropolis, observing the ebb and flow below.
Within the loose structure of a day, starting with the drivers climbing up at dawn and ending with them coming down after a nightshift, this short film observes the city as it awakens with a bustle of activity, through the action of midday, until it calms down again deep into the night. Throughout, the drivers will share their thoughts and reflections on London and life in general.
SOONER OR LATER DIR. PAUL CRONIN
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
Using contemporary footage and archived out-takes of Haskell Wexler’s 1969 feature Medium Cool, Sooner or Later takes a lyrical look at the life of the star of Wexler’s film, Harold Blankenship, and his family. The Blankenships live in West Virginia, one of the tenth poorest counties in America.
Cronin’s film attempts to show outsiders how the poorest people in the world’s richest nation live. It is a universal story, a glimpse at family and community life; of the economic deprivation and natural desolation that the region has suffered in recent years. It is also the ultimately inspiring tale of how one loving and close-knit family has fought against these hardships and become a vital resource for the community itself.
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SPECKY DIR: ANNE-CLAIRE PILLEY
SHORT
| COMPLETED
PALM SPRINGS
RAINDANCE
SHEFFIELD DOCFEST
FULL FRAME
BIRDS EYE VIEW
BRITDOC
FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
WINNER
BRITDOC FILM FESTIVAL 2006
This quirky short film muses about whether short-sighted people could have survived the Stone Age without glasses. Through a series of experiments involving her ‘specky’ relatives, the director illustrates how speckies see the world and finds out whether she can improve her own speckiness through ‘eyerobics’.
The film marks Pilley’s first foray into directing and has been a great success on the festival circuit, nominated for the BBC Films Most Promising UK Talent at Birds Eye View and playing at numerous other festivals. Highlights include Raindance, Full Frame, Australian International Film Festival, and Sheffield Doc Fest. As a result, Pilley has recently been entered for the Scottish BAFTA’s New Talent Award.
STAR STRUCK DIR. JAMIE JAY JOHNSON
FEATURE
| IN PRODUCTION
This feature pop-umentary follows the 2007 Junior Eurovision contest—a subject which will indulge director Johnson’s love of heroic losers and allow his quirky sense of humour to shine. It also promises to provide an insight into both what it is to be young and talented and—with entrants from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia and Belgium—what it means to be European today.
The outrageously talented Jamie Jay Johnson’s debut feature documentary marks the first partnership between the Foundation and the UK Film Council. The film is being produced by Stephen Wooley and Elizabeth Karlsen’s Number Nine Films and is scheduled for theatrical release in 2009.
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“STF The most important film of 2007” Industrial IT Group
STEAL THIS FILM II DIR. JAMIE KING
ONE HOUR
| COMPLETED
Professor and activist Jamie King has become a figurehead for the opposition in the war against file sharing. Steal This Film II explains how and why the war has been lost and the huge potential of new avenues of grassroots distribution, file-sharing and piracy that fly in the face of the old established Hollywood models. The team behind the film, or the ‘League of Noble Peers’ as they are known, intended the film as a rallying call to ‘bring new people into the leagues of those now prepared to think creatively about the future of distribution, production and creativity’.
In line with the film’s polemical argument,
TALK TO ME
Steal This Film II is only available to
DIR. MARK CRAIG
view via free download. In the first 48 hours alone, over 150,000 people had downloaded it. 4 months on, at the time of going to print, that number had risen to 650,000 and keeps on growing.
SHORT
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WINNER
SHEFFIELD GRIERSON INNOVATION AWARD OFFICIAL SELECTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRITDOC
Talk to Me has had an amazing film OFFICIAL SELECTION
FULL FRAME
OFFICIAL SELECTION
EDINBURGH
WINNER
BRITDOC OFFICIAL SELECTION FILM FESTIVAL 2006
FILM FESTIVAL
“The cleverness of this work was that it gave a complete portrait not only of the callers, but also of Mark, a handsome, twenty-something drummer. It conveyed a real sense of noncommunication and of life’s dramas happening to other people while golden youth is having a good time.” Telegraph
FILM FESTIVAL 2006
HOTDOCS
SILVERDOCS
In 1985, Mark Craig bought an answer machine. He then kept every message it recorded... for 20 years! Talk To Me is a personal life journey from long-haired graduate to grey-haired middle age, conveyed entirely by real answer machine messages recorded over two decades. Visuals comprise a large collage of photos and ephemera all shot in one continuous take.
festival life, screening at over twenty festivals and picking up its fair share of awards along the way, including the prestigious Grierson Innovation award at Sheffield Doc Fest. The film was screened on More4 in the UK in 2007.
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OUR FILMS
OUR FILMS
“An uplifting film” Screen International
“Crowd pleasing and inspirational” Variety
“An incredible piece of work” Bono
FEATURE
TRES PESOS
Tres Pesos offers an intimate insight
Tres Pesos reflects how these
DIR. RUTH CROSS
into the lives of Cuban reggaeton musicians living in the neglected outskirts of Havana and the relentless hunger for success that absorbs them.
particular young people are striving to create opportunities for a better life for themselves and their families, in a country whose future stability is uncertain.
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LONDON
INT’L DOCUMENTARY
FESTIVAL 2008
This beautifully shot portrait captures the atmosphere and poetry of ordinary details in profound close-up and invites the audience into the lives of the characters for a brief moment in time.
WE ARE TOGETHER DIR. PAUL TAYLOR PROD. TEDDY LEIFER
FEATURE
| COMPLETED
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
EDINBURGH INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
BEST MUSIC FILM
IDA AWARDS
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
WHISTLER
FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
AMNESTY INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
SHEFFIELD
GRIERSON AWARD
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
IDFA
WINNER
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
ONE WORLD INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
The debut feature for first time director Paul Taylor and producer Teddy Leifer powerfully demonstrates the effects of HIV in South Africa through the ultimately uplifting story of one orphanage. The film has already become one of the most awarded documentaries in recent years, winning at 13 international festivals, including audience awards at Tribeca and Edinburgh Film Festivals (beating fiction features) and a Sheffield Grierson Award. The film’s producers have partnered with EMI and (RED) in the UK on the cinema, DVD and soundtrack releases and Palm Pictures and the ONE campaign in the US. The film will also screen on HBO and Channel 4.
We Are Together is supported by the
charity Keep a Child Alive. All proceeds from the film and soundtrack are being donated to the children through the RISE foundation, set up by Paul Taylor and producer Teddy Leifer. So far over £150,000 has been raised from festival screenings alone, ahead of the US and UK theatrical releases.
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THE WORD WAS GOD DIR: MARK BOULOS
SHORT
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ART BASEL SWISS ART PRIZE
BLOOMBERG SPACE
ZOO
ART FAIR
Filmmaker and artist Mark Boulos’ short film looks at language, religion, and the ecstasy of prayer: the film contrasts the last village in Syria where Aramaic—the language of Christ—is spoken, with Caribbean Pentecostalists in East London who speak in tongues as they pray.
In keeping with Boulos’ art credentials, the film was created to sit outside of traditional documentary distribution and has instead been positioned as an art work. It was first presented at the EAST International Art Exhibit at the Norwich Gallery before going on to international galleries and art fairs.
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD DIR: MIKE BONANNO & ANDY BICHLBAUM
FEATURE
| IN PRODUCTION
This film is about disasters and risk—the risk that big business is prepared to take with our lives. Political pranksters the Yes Men have been called “the Jonathan Swift of the Jackass generation” by author Naomi Klein. They infiltrate the world of big business and smuggle out stories that are shocking and hilarious.
Both directing and starring in the film, Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum (the Yes Men) set out via a series of audacious stunts to test the idea, passionately held by neo-cons, corporate leaders and the British and US governments, that the profit drive alone can solve the world’s problems.