see 2011 - the brighton documentary film festival
DESCRIPTION
With masterclasses, debates, screenings and Q&As, See is well and truly established on the festival calendar as the south coast’s one-stop event for all things documentary.TRANSCRIPT
Buy Tickets Festival Discounts
Venues
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Tickets are available from the Komedia website:
www.komedia.co.uk/brighton
Friday - an evening withKim Longinotto: £10 / £8*(includes masterclass, screening of Pink Saris and Q&A)
Saturday: £42 / £20*Sunday: £38 / £18*Weekend (Sat/Sun): £65 / £30*
Session tickets can be bought on the door but are subject to availability.For more information please visit: www.seefestival.org
Take advantage of the discounts available to See Festival ticket holders at the following recommended places to eat and drink…
Komedia
The Old Courtroom
Duke of Yorks
44 – 47 Gardner StreetBrighton, BN1 1UN
118 Church Street,Brighton, BN1 1UD
Preston CircusBrighton, BN1 4NA
Venue located North of the map.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen:20% off food & drinks or Buy 1 GBK burger or main course salad and getanother for only £1
112 Church Street: 10% off food, lagers & bitters
Temptation:10% off food to eat in
Hell’s Kitchen:10% off food
Riki tiks:Happy Hour drink prices all day (12.00 - 21.00). Join the See team Saturday night!!
Carluccio’s:2 courses £9.95. 3 courses £12.45. Add a large glass of Sicilian Sicani wine for £3.50
Ten Green Bottles:10% of everything(wine shop/bar)
Infi nity Foods:10% off hot drinks
The Courtyard:15% off everything
©2011 Google – Map Data
*Concession price – ID needed.
2 See Festival 2011
— Now in its sixth year, See is well and truly established on the festival calendar as the south coast’s one-stop event for all things documentary. We are delighted with this year’s line up which includes fi lms and fi lm-makers at the peak of their creativity - ‘Donor Unknown’ by Jerry Rothwell and Hilary Durman, ‘Enemies of the People’ by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, and ‘On the Streets’ by Penny Woolcock are just three of the countless fi lms on offer. See is the home of young fi lm-makers, and also those breaking new ground in their craft. We hope you enjoy the four days in Brighton as much as we will, and that you grab the opportunity to speak to the directors and producers on hand at the various Q+A’s being held over the weekend, as well as the seminars and debates that make SEE one of the most exciting weekends in the world of documentary. Enjoy!
David Notman-Watt(Festival Founder and MD of back2back productions ltd)
Get Involved
The See Team
Thank YouBrochure Design
Cover Photograph
See Festival is organised and curated by back2back pro-ductions ltd. If you would like to fi nd out more about the festival or submit an entry for 2012 please contact us.
Thanks to all the helping hands that were involved in making SEE 2011 happen. With special thanks to Olive Edwards, Michael Dawson and Lauren Simpson.
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t: +44 (0) 1273 227700e: [email protected]
Amy EdwardsFestival Manager
Jack HarveySee Co-ordinator
Rebecca ColemanSee Co-ordinator
Sandra SpighelSee Assistant
Gary SimpsonDesigner
Gary Simpsont: +44 (0) 7752 197999e: [email protected]
Dan Mountfordwww.fl ickr.com/danmountford
— Now in its sixth year, See is well and truly established on See is well and truly established on See
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See Festival 2011 3
4 See Festival 2011
Opening Night –Thurs 24th
BAFTA presents a screening ofDonor Unknown followed by a Q&A in association withScreen South
Duke of York’s PicturehouseBrighton, BN1 4NATickets: £8/7 ConcessionsBox Offi ce: 0871 902 5728www.picturehouses.co.uk
Director: Jerry RothwellDuration: 78 mins plus Q&AThursday / Duke of York’s Picturehouse / 7.00 pm
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Donor Unknown follows the story of JoEllen Marsh as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150. JoEllen, 20, grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers and a burning curiosity about her anonymous donor. When she discovers an online registry which connects donor-conceived children, JoEllen manages to track down a series of half siblings from the same donor, spread across the US. Then she hears from Jeffrey Harrison, living in a broken-down RV with four dogs and a pigeon in a Venice Beach car park. In the 1980s, Jeffrey supplemented his meagre income by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank. His number was Donor 150. Offi cially selected by the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and Sheffi eld Doc/Fest, this funny, moving and surprising fi lm is a uniquely 21st century story which raises intriguing questions about identity, family, fatherhood - and the strange power of genetic connections. Producer Al Morrow will be attending the screening, and BAFTA nominated Director Jerry Rothwell and BAFTA winning Producer Hilary Durman will join us for the post screening Q&A.
A Wild Hide
Beating The Bomb
Director: Natalia WhitesideDuration: 24 minsSunday / Komedia / 10.00 am / Free Screening
Screening followed by CND Q&ADirectors: Wolfgang Matt & Meera PatelDuration: 71 mins plus Q&ASaturday / Komedia / 5.45 pm
A Wild Hide is a character portrait with an underlying environmental theme. It is a story about a Brighton-based artist who is a secret rebel: in his spare time he commandeers small pockets of land for building dens in, illegally. The dens are beautiful; they are inspired by Nature and created out of natural and recycled materials. The fi lm takes us deep into the English countryside and below the surface of accepted mainstream society.
Beating the Bomb covers 50 years of the Peace Movement in Britain against the historical and political backdrop of the atomic age. Now called ‘nuclear deterrent’, nuclear weapons have shaped the power structures that rose out of the rubble of WWII and underpin them to this day. The fi lm charts the efforts of indi-viduals and organizations to rid Britain of its nuclear weapons system from past to present. It also frames the nuclear weapons issue within the wider context of global justice.
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Boat Dreams
Sunday / Komedia / 10.00 am / Free Screening
Director: Sasha AndrewsDuration: 8 minsSunday / The Old Courtroom / 10.00 am
A cautionary tale of three characters whose do-it-yourself projects have got out of hand. Unable to afford a fully functioning boat, each has bought a landlocked craft in varying degrees of dilapidation. We watch as they work on their ultimate escape project.Will they break out of the boat graveyard or remain on land, their vessels an alternative shed - a place for dreaming with no destina-tion necessary?
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BurigangaDirector: Michelle CoomberDuration: 12 minsSunday / The Old Courtroom / 5.30 pm
An intimate portrayal of four lives thatcoalesce around the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, featuring night-time fire breathers, an ancient floating hotel and a beautiful political exile. The film captures the rhythms of this incredible waterway.
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The Bristol Bike ProjectDirector: Alistair OldhamDuration: 18 minsSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 1.30 pm
Over 400 people are registered as asylum seekers in the English city of Bristol. The £25 they receive per week from the British Government only just covers basic foods, but taking public transport is out of the question and they have no choice but to go everywhere on foot. Until, that is, a project initiated by locals to provide them with old and abandoned bicycles found in the city. Those who cannot legally work are offered the opportunity to spend their time construc-tively repairing bicycles and to possess their own bike. This film maps the journeys of two asylum seekers who came to the Bristol Bike Project and now work on, and ride, their own bikes, and draws together different threads of cycling, recycling and political asylum.
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See Festival 2011 7
Destino: A Contemporary Dance Story
The Elephant Without a Tail
Enemies of the People
Exit to the Beach
Screening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Caswell CogginsDuration: 55 mins plus Q&ASunday / The Old Courtroom / 11.50 am
Director: Gary McQuigginDuration: 7 minsSaturday / Komedia / 5.45 pm
Directors: Rob Lemkin & Thet SambathDuration: 95 minsSunday / The Old Courtroom / 7.45 pm
Director: Saul AbrahamDuration: 37 minsSunday / Komedia / 10.00 am / Free Screening
Destino: A Contemporary Dance Story celebrates the potency of the arts to bring people together across generations and across ethnic divides; a power to challenge fate, to change lives. Filmed on location in London and Addis Ababa, the film traces the build-up to the performances in both cities of Destino, an unforgettable collaboration between Dance United and Sadler’s Wells in March 2009, and features new works byRussell Maliphant and Hofesh Shechter. Staged as a tribute to their extraordinary journey from the streets of Addis Ababa to that iconic stage, Destino starred Junaid Jemal Sendi and Addisu Demissie in a production that was hailed by the press as perhaps the most ambitious community dance project ever staged. The film weaves together sequences of preparation, rehearsal and performance and juxtaposes them with fascinating insights into the nature and power of contemporary dance.
The film reflects on the shifting nature of the urban landscape of a working class area in South London currently being redeveloped and gentrified. The film is without narration or indeed any traditional documentary forms of engagement with the people and the lives that it portrays. The various manifestations of utopian prospects on the landscape are portrayed by depicting the area’s architecture and through a processed found soundtrack.
The Khmer Rouge ran what is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most brutal regimes. Yet the Killing Fields of Cambodia remain unexplained…until now. In Enemies of the People, the men and women who perpetrated the massacres break a 30-year silence to give testimony never before heard or seen. Sambath is on a personal quest: he lost his own family in the Killing Fields. The film is his journey to discover not how but why they died. In doing so, he hears and under-stands for the first time the real story of his country’s tragedy.
Brighton is a city that is, to a degree, built upon a reputation substantiated by façades. For the majority of people who do not per-manently reside here, it is largely observed as a place of escape. Whether this means a weekend soaked in alcohol, a short break during the summer or, more poignantly, a place to search for a new existence in a new environment, it is easy to get ‘lost’.
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8 See Festival 2011
High on HopeHeal Our WomenScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Piers SandersonDuration: 72 mins plus Q&ASaturday / Komedia / 7.45 pm
Director: Rachel CloseDuration: 32 minsSunday / Komedia / 10.00 am / Free Screening
Using archive, interview, animation and actual footage of the warehouse parties,High On Hope tells the story of the last British youth movement to threaten the establishment - Acid House. An incredible journey by a group of friends from small gatherings to warehouses filled with 10,000 people is only part of the story. As they dance in cavernous northern mills left derelict after the Thatcher years, we see a generation lost amidst greed and recession, fighting for their own happiness, strongly connecting with where we are today. A 10-year labour of love for director Piers Sanderson, this film has been made in the same way as the parties themselves were put together – with passion, innovation and a collective approach.
Documentary about a troubled community in western Cape Town called Lavender Hill. An intimate portrayal of a local charity set up to help women and children in the community, seen through the eyes of the charity workers and the women they are helping. Philiza Abazafi Bethu (Heal Our Women) is a non profit organisation set up to help survivors of gender based violence as well as refugee women, and HIV patients.
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See Festival 2011 9
My Kidnapper
Miracle in West Brom
Screening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Mark HendersonDuration: 83 mins plus Q&ASunday / The Old Courtroom / 3.15 pm
Screening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Billy DosanjhDuration: 23 mins plus Q&AFriday / The Old Courtroom / 5pm / Free Screening
My Kidnapper is an emotional journey into a kidnapping, told from all sides. This deeply personal, authored documentary follows Mark and three of his fellow hostages as they return to the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern Colombia, the place where they lived out their worst nightmares. As they travel deeper into the jungle, they discover the truth behind what happened to them, come to understand how they all dealt with the ordeal and finally confront two of their kidnappers.
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This is a film about my parents. My mother, a housewife for 30 years, and my father, owner of a car salvage yard. After recent events I was led deeper into their marriage than I’ve ever been before. For the first time I’ve asked ques-tions, hoping to make peace with their history.
Khul’Director: Lucy BennettDuration: 24 minsSunday / Komedia / 12.00 pm
This poignant and moving film examines how the ancient Egyptian divorce law of khul’ is helping women in modern day Cairo to escape from abusive marriages. 47% of married women in Egypt are affected by domestic violence but whilst khul’ is a crucial law, it can come at a high price. Following the stories of three women, the film explores how khul’ has both helped and hindered them and asks what more now needs to be done.
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10 See Festival 2011
No Easy Time
The New Kings of Nigeria
Screening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Will WoodwardDuration: 29 mins plus Q&AFriday / The Old Courtroom / 5.00 pm / Free Screening
Screening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Elizabeth StopfordDuration: 74 mins plus Q&ASunday / The Old Courtroom / 1.20 pm
Jaja of Opobo was a 19th century slave who rose up to become a legendary king, before being kidnapped by the British. 140 years later Jaja’s great-grandson, and heir to the throne, returns to Lagos - and becomes the voice of Big Brother Nigeria. But on the set of The Apprentice, Walter is faced with a dilemma: are the values of ruthless materialism - being a ‘king of bling’ - really what he, or his country, wants to embrace? Walter realises that being a king is not something you are born into, it is something you do - and discovers the vision of his great grandfather, KIng Jaja of Opobo.
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Deep in the heart of the Devon countryside lies a unique therapeutic prison unit where the prisoners run the therapy sessions them-selves. This film follows three inmates on the unit, Tim, Karl and Matt, as they struggle to change their patterns of violence and drug addiction while looking down the barrel of release into the outside world. Winner of the Student Award at The Sheffield International Festival in 2010
On the StreetsScreening followed by Editor’s Q&ADirector: Penny Woolcock Duration: 89 mins plus Q&ASaturday / Komedia / 12.00 pm
All of us who live in cities walk past home-less people every day. We see them sleeping in doorways, begging in front of torn paper cups with little handwritten notices, selling the Big Issue, pushing old shopping trolleys full of plastic bags or shuffling around dirtier, shabbier and with a bit more luggage than most people. “Luggaged up” they call it on the streets. Film maker Penny Woolcock spent eight months in that parallel world, befriending people and finding out where they eat, sleep and socialise. “Food is the least of our problems,” says Derek and over the months making her film Woolcock realised that the very real problems of homeless people have very little to do with the lack of a roof over their heads or a bed to sleep in. Their problems come from their past lives and are less easy to remedy. Despite the efforts ofdifferent charities to move people into homes, the street is often where they feel safe and know best.
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2-day project development and pitching workshop for documentary fi lmmakers and factual cross-platform creatives seeking UK and interna-tional commissions. This exceptional networking opportunity is led by international pitch trainer Christina Burnett of Wide Eye Pictures.
Join your fellow delegates for a drink and a mingle at Riki Tiks. See ticket holders are entitled to Happy Hour drinks all day until 9pm. The offi cialSee Festival party will be taking place in the bar from 7pm Saturday night so come and join us.
Screening of Donor Unknown followed by a Q&A session with Jerry Rothwell (Director) and Hilary Durman (Producer).
Full event details on page 4
The Engine Room Pitch Workshop
Saturday night drinksat Riki Tiks
Opening Night:Thursday 24th February
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24th & 25th February / Cost: £65Booking essential, email Floury Crum: fl [email protected] for details.
10am
11am
12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm
4pm
5pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
9pm
School of Doc11.30 am / Free Event
University DocsShowcase1.00 pm / Free Event
Komedia The Old Courtroom
Page 22
Kim LonginottoMasterclass6.45 pm / Page 22
Pink Saris8.00 pm
Page 16
Page 22
10am
11am
12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm
4pm
5pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
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Komedia The Old Courtroom Komedia The Old Courtroom
MusicDOC1110.00 am / Free Event
Page 22 Page 22
On The Streets12.00 pm
Chris AtkinsMasterclass 2.15 pm / Page 23
Spreading the love…12.00 pm
Page 11
Don’t Shoot I’ma Filmmaker 15.45 pm
Page 23
Beating the BombWith Short: The Elephant Without a Tail5.45 pm
Pages 5 & 7
High On HopeWith Short: Small Protests7.45 pm
Pages 8 & 18
Crowd Funding10.00 am
Page 23
Shelter in PlaceWith Short: The Bristol Bike Project1.30 pm
Pages 17 & 6
Shed Your Tearsand Walk AwayWith Short: Windows3.30 pm
Pages 17 & 19
Starsuckers5.30 pm
Page 18
Out of the Ashes8.15 pm
Page 15
Short films:Exit to the Beach / Page 7Heal Our Women / Page 8A Wild Hide / Page 510.00 am / Free Event
Documentary& Development12.00 pm
Destino11.50 pm
Page 23
Florencia Di ConcilioMasterclass2.00 pm
Christopher HirdMasterclass4.00 pm / Page 23
Page 23
Outside The CourtWith Short: Boat Dreams10.00 am
Pages 15 & 5
Page 7
New Kingsof Nigeria1.20 pm
Page 10
My Kidnapper3.15 pm
Page 9
When ChinaMet AfricaWith Short: Buriganga5.30 pm
Enemies ofthe PeopleWith Short: Skateistan7.45 pm
Pages 19 & 6
Page 7 & 18
14 See Festival 2011
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Funding, Distribution and Exhibition for Independent Documentary Filmmakers
Do you want to make a name for yourself in feature documentary? This is your opportunity to hear from the professionals and understandhow to build your name and get your work distributed and released.
University Centre Hastings Lecture TheatreSaturday February 19th | 12 – 3pm
This event is free of chargebut booking is essential
Tel: 01424 [email protected]/mediaenterprise
Going It AloneSpeakers:Sarah MossesProducer, Good Screenings
Chris HarrisHead of programming for independent
Picture House CinemasCinema Chain
Anna GodasCEO of leading distributors Dogwoof
David BondDirector of feature documentary Erasing Davidand co-producer at Green Lions Ltd
Joseph Bull & Luke SeomoreDirectors of feature documentary Isolation
Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation
Out of the AshesDirectors: Tim Albone & Lucy MartensDuration: 86 minsSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 8.15 pm
Against a backdrop of war and poverty,Out of the Ashes traces the extraordinary journey of a team of young Afghan men as they chase a seemingly impossible dream, shedding new light on a nation beyond that of burqas, bombs, drugs and devastation. This documentary follows the Afghan cricket team in their quest against the odds to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. It follows the squad over two years as they go from playing in their shalwar-kameezes on rubble pitches to battling their way around the globe and up the international league tables.
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Outside the CourtScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Marc IsaacsDuration: 60 mins plus Q&ASunday / The Old Courtroom / 10.00 am
They arrive, they smoke, they wait: armed robbers seeking redemption, life-long thieves, addicts, witnesses and anxious relatives. Hard exteriors hide soft centres, old lives exist in young bodies - ordinary people awaiting judgement on an unlovely stretch of pave-ment outside a London magistrates’ court. Whilst waiting for their cases to be heard they reveal their lives, the w of the human soul are laid bare. Tense and intimate conver-sations with the filmmaker illuminate stories that the magistrates hear daily. A French alcoholic expresses intense remorse at having taken two kitchen knives on to the streets to attack a security guard. An addicted man, banned from seeing his
—only son, hopes for a jail sentence and a chance to dry out. Afraid of losing their children to prison, suited fathers attend to offer them emotional support. Filmmaker, Marc Isaacs, spent six months outside Highbury Magistrates Court and, in doing so, demonstrates how the eye of the camera has the ability to delve much deeper into character and motivation than the eye of the law. Consequently, the more we get to know the characters in this film, the harder it is to make easy judgements. Whilst the court must judge, the filmmaker need not.
16 See Festival 2011
Pink SarisScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector Kim LonginottoDuration: 96 mins plus Q&AFriday / The Old Courtroom / 8.00 pm
Synopsis by Carol Nahra
“A girl’s life is cruel...A woman’s life is very cruel,” notes Sampat Pal, the complex protagonist at the centre of Kim Longinotto’s latest foray into the lives of extraordinary women. Sampat Pal should know – like many others she was married as a young girl into a family which beat her often. But unusually, she fought back, leaving her in-laws and eventually becoming famous as a champion for beleaguered women throughout Uttar Pradesh, many of whom find their way to her door. Rekha, a 14 year old Untouchable, is3 months pregnant and homeless – unable to marry her unborn child’s father because
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of her low caste. Fifteen year old Renu’s husband from an arranged marriage has abandoned her and she’s threatening to throw herself under a train. Both young women, frightened and desperate, reach out for their only hope - Sampat Pal. Pink Saris is an unflinching and often amusing look at these unlikely political activists and their charismatic leader. In extraordinary scenes, we watch her launch herself into the centre of family dramas, convinced her mediation is the best path for these vulnerable girls. Her partner Babuji, who has watched Sampat Pal change over the years, is less certain...
See Festival 2011 17
Shed Your Tears and Walk AwayDirector: Jez LewisDuration: 88 minsSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 3.30 pm
A real life drama about why, in the beautiful and quirky rural town of Hebden Bridge, filmmaker, Jez Lewis’ childhood friends are killing themselves. Beginning with a personal quest for understanding, the film moves into a year-long drama of human tragedy and redemption as principal
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Shelter in PlaceScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Zed NelsonDuration: 48 mins plus Q&ASaturday / The Old Courtroom / 1.30 pm
It is the vast sprawling complexes of oil refineries and petro-chemical plants that help make the Texan economy one of the biggest in the world. But does the wealth come at too high a price for the local community? Texan industries are legally permitted to release millions of tons of toxic pollutants into the air each year, plus thousands of tons more in “accidental” or “unscheduled” releases. When these incidents happen, local residents are told to stay in their homes and tape up their windows and doors. This procedure is called “shelter in place”.
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character Cass comes to terms with his own mortality and attempts to lift himself out of his cycle of self-destruction. This core narrative carves an upward arc through an intimate study of a place often described as paradise, but which harbours an undertow of lethal hedonism and disillusionment.
18 See Festival 2011
Small ProtestsDirector: Zillah BowesDuration: 10 minsSaturday / Komedia / 7.45 pm
With nothing but a toothbrush in his back pocket, nineteen year old Rabbit decides to change the world one protest at a time. Together with his friends, he squats in the empty home of a local politician during the British MPs’ expenses scandal.
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StarsuckersScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirector: Chris AtkinsDuration: 109 mins plus Q&ASaturday / The Old Courtroom / 5.30 pm
Starsuckers is a darkly humorous and shocking exposé of the celebrity obsessed media, that uncovers the real reasons behind our addiction to fame and blows the lid on the corporations and individuals who profit from it. Directed by Chris Atkins, BAFTA nominated for Taking Liberties, Starsuckers exploded into the news in October when it emerged that the team had been sell-ing fake celebrity stories to all the British tabloids. This became a news sensation in its own right, and was followed by the darker revelation that Atkins had secretly filmed four journalists for three Sunday tabloids trying to buy medical records. The filmmakers also stung Max Clifford, who the film shows boasting about his clients on undercover camera. When Clifford found out, he hired the infamous law firm Carter Ruck and threat-ened to injunct the film which would have prevented its release. The film ends with a damning critique of Bob Geldof’s Live Aid and the star-studded Live 8 concerts in 2005.
—Skateistan - To Liveand Skate Kabul Director: Orlando Von Einsiedel Duration: 10 minsSunday / The Old Courtroom / 7.45 pm
A film about the lives of two young skate-boarders from Afghanistan. The Skateistan project is Afghanistan’s - and the world’s - first co-educational skateboarding school. The school engages growing numbers of urban and internally displaced youth through skateboarding and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education and personal empowerment. Skateistan represents an oasis where children can be children and where they can build the kinds of cross-cultural/class relationships that Afghanistan needs for future stability. A touching ray of light from a country that is only ever in the news for all the wrong reasons.
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See Festival 2011 19
When China Met AfricaScreening followed by Director’s Q&ADirectors: Marc Francis & Nick FrancisDuration: 75 mins plus Q&ASunday / The Old Courtroom / 5.30 pm
After decades of Western aid, Africa remains the poorest continent in the world, with many countries desperate to pull themselves out of poverty and into the 21st century. Zam-bia’s Trade Minister recognises that China is keen to provide the development fast-track that Zambia so desperately wants to be on, and is travelling to China to hustle for new investment. Award winning filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis (Black Gold) again take us to the grassroots of globalisation by alternat-ing between observing the diplomacy and rhetoric of government visits, with life in the Chinese-Zambian projects already under-way, where language and cultural barriers abound. From the major road project, where funding is threatened due to the spreading global financial crisis, to Liu Changming’s farm, where he keeps a close but disdainful eye on his African workers, it is up to the viewer to decide if China is indeed the close friend, reliable partner and good brother of Africa that it claims to be.
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WindowsDirector: Ruth CookDuration: 4 minsSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 3.30 pm
An opening into the lives of five homeless East Londoners that offers new understandings of the way we perceive street life. A collaborative project produced by homeless participants.
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Synopsis by Carol Nahra
University Docs ShowcaseFREE EVENTFriday / Komedia / 1.00 pm
Part 1
Get it Out of Your HeadDirector: Matthew MacNeill Duration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Meeting House LaneDirector: Skye McCannDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Liam SparkesDirector: Ben TaylorDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Malo’s Mother and I Director: Kerensa BushellDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Get It Out of Your Head follows The Vinyls as they struggle to get together the prepara-tions for their last gig of 2010.
Brighton’s South Lanes attract many visitors. Living above a shop in Meeting House Lane, I’m somewhat of a secret neighbour. Follow me as I delve into the history of The Lanes, look behind the shop façades and enter the world that continues in Meeting House Lane past opening hours.
An artistic documentary about Liam Sparkes, a well respected tattooist. Liam originally started tattooing on his own body, and then friends but was quickly recognised and instantly sought after by others.
Malo’s Mother and I is a touching and personal documentary which gives a rare opportunity to see into the day of a young student mother trying to balance the responsibilities of motherhood and student life whilst still trying to find time for herself.
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New Members WelcomeDirectors: Jackson Ducasse, James Scott,Michael Botwright, and Oscar Gordon LyonsDuration: 12 mins / Sussex UniversityTwenty years on from its heyday, the Brighton Trades and Labour Club is no longer in the shape it once was. The deadly combination of the smoking ban, falling supermarket alcohol prices and the death of local industry have hit club accounts hard. Have the club’s members lost faith in this once proud institution? And will the club go down without a fight?
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Part 2
HomeDirector: Christopher BaronDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
EvacuationDirector: Rosie Roylance-WhiteDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
360 SecondsDirector: Hannah JenningsDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Leave only FootprintsDirector: Ian CoulsonDuration: 6 mins / University of Brighton
Home is a short film that offers a fleeting glimpse into Brighton’s famed homeless underbelly.
During The Second World War governments responded with mass evacuations of children from major urban centres. Many of these chil-dren were sent out into the countryside but a less documented destination had children removed from their families and sent out of harm’s way to the other side of the world.My Nana was one such child.
The film reveals the reactions of five students to being filmed in a confined space for 360 seconds. Participants were asked to sit in front of the camera, not leave the shot, and to say or do what they felt. The situation provoked reactions of confession, nervous talking, humour and sheer awkwardness.
This film explores the myth and controversy that is urban exploration. Urban explorers are a community of photographers and filmmakers who explore and document abandoned buildings and places in the hope of capturing the beauty of desolation contained therein.
Facing FaithDirector: Daisy WhicheloeDuration: 25 mins / Sussex University
StorkDirector: Agnes StrikaiteDuration: 25 mins / Sussex University
Facing Faith follows MC Tempo, a Brighton-based Christian rapper who before he found God, was a lost soul treading a dark path. Working as an Evangelist for Brighton’s City Mission, he raps on street corners, at school assemblies, and even in night clubs to spread his faith. However, MC Tempo’s Christian beliefs are extreme. The documentary explores 21st century Evangelism in Brighton, statistically ‘the UK’s most Godless city.’
Four years ago in a small village in Lithu-ania, Stase found a newborn stork after he was thrown from the nest. Now Dina is the pride of local inhabitants and Stase says that she can’t imagine them being separated. However, local authorities have suggested she take the stork far away from the village so that he could live in the wild. The story reveals the incredible bond between a bird and a woman, as well as the beauty and hardships of rural life.
22 See Festival 2011
School of Doc
MusicDOC11
Kim Longinotto Masterclass
University Docs Showcase
Crowd Funding
We can film anythingHosted by Fiona AdamsFriday / Komedia / 11.30 am
Music documentary, history and practicePanel: Dunstan Bruce (Dandyfilms), Jon Spira (Anyone Can Play Guitar) and Jon Stewart (BIMM). Saturday / Komedia / 10.00 am
Cutting your teeth in the industryFriday / The Old Courtroom / 6.45 pm
Hosted by Lizzie Thynne & Monika LindFriday / Komedia / 1.00 pm
Charlie Philips (Doc/Fest), Gregory Vincent (Sponsume), Michael Troughton (WeFund), Lauren Simpson (Just Do It Producer), and film-maker Bronwen Parker-RhodesSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 10.00 am
FREE EVENT
FREE EVENT
FREE EVENT
This year Shoot It For Yourself Productions is showcasing the very latest films produced by young people in the South East. A wide range of young people, ages 10–18, from schools including Downs Juniors, Balfour Juniors and Varndene College, will be invited to present, discuss and screen their latest work. This will be the session for fresh ideas from the brightest, youngest talent in town.
This panel brings together documentary makers, historians and musicians to explore, and enjoy the current explosion in music documentary making. The films discussed look at music as a performance, as a scene and as an industry and together they help us define Rockumentary as a form.
NFTS graduates interview Kim Longinotto on her early day experiences of getting into the industry including the highs and lows of a notoriously difficult industry to crack.
Brighton and Sussex Universities are pleased to present a showcase of provocative, enter-taining and engaging documentary work by students. After the screenings, there will be a Q&A session with the filmmakers as well as feedback from established filmmakers.
Crowd Funding is all about raising finance for your films from your community, online and offline. In this session, Sheffield Doc/Fest presents an introduction to crowd funding, talking to the crowd funders themselves, as well as filmmakers who have first hand experience in this area of DIY funding.
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See Festival 2011 23
Documentary & Development
Chris Atkins Masterclass
Florencia Di Concilio Masterclass
Don’t Shoot I’m a Filmmaker Christopher Hird Masterclass
Spreading the love…
An insight into the partnershipPanel: Lucy Bennett, Nick Francis, Kat Mansoorand academics Tessa Lewin, Andrea Cornwalland Kate Hawkins. Sunday / Komedia / 12.00 pm
Speaking outSaturday / Komedia / 2.15 pm
Composing music for filmHosted by Marc FrancisSunday / Komedia / 2.00 pm
Saturday / Komedia / 3.45 pm Why documentaries matterSunday / Komedia / 4.00 pm
Exploring new ways to think about distributionSaturday / The Old Courtroom / 12.00 pm
Filmmakers reflect on their experiences of working in collaboration with development organisations. They will discuss their material and talk about the process of partnership, ethics and the overlaps between Development and the Arts.
Documentary filmmaker Chris Atkins’ polemic Taking Liberties (2007) detailed with sharp wit the Blair government’s attack on civil liberties and was nominated for a BAFTA. Chris went on to direct Starsuckers (2009), an exposé of celebrity culture and those that profit from it. Hitting the headlines once again his hoax urban fox hunting film, posted online last summer, caused a furore in the national press. This session is about the “do’s and don’ts” when taking on the powers that be!
Acclaimed film composer Florencia Di Concilio has worked with a variety of award winning directors and has scored over 20 feature films and documentaries for ARTE, BBC, HBO and the Sundance Channel. In this ses-sion, Florencia will share anecdotes, show scenes from her films, and discuss various aspects of film composition, including the director/composer relationship and how to interpret what they want, the use of orches-tration, placing music in film and knowing when not to use music at all.
For many filmmakers some stories are too dangerous to even consider, but there are a few who will take a risk to ensure we get to see the truth. This panel will look at different ways filmmakers approach, and cover, stories in the most difficult regions and circum-stances in the world.
Christopher established Dartmouth Films in 2008 with an express interest in eschewing TV production models and working on films that make a difference. Talking about his experience as a producer and the routes he has taken, he will discuss some of the successes and failures of projects past and present; why he’s inspired by new and emerging directors; and why you should always listen to the producer.
This session will focus on alternative distribu-tion, looking at the many possibilities for filmmakers to get their work seen and create real impact. What (free) tools are available for you to use? What partners should you be seeking to support your project, and what can you offer them? Sarah Mosses will discuss the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation’s Good Pitch event as an introduction to audience engage-ment and how to set realistic campaign goals and measures for tracking success.
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24 See Festival 2011
unit 3, clifton mewsclifton hill, brighton, bn1 3hr
t: +44 (0) 1273 227700f: +44 (0) 1273 227777
back2back is an independent production company creating challenging and thought-provokingtelevision programmes