This year we are delighted to host the 2024 FOCAL Awards at the Church House Westminster on June 20th, we hope you can join us. Congratulations to all the shortlisted nominees.
2024 shortlisted nominations
Mei Lanfang's Artistic Impact Abroad 梅兰芳的中国文化走出去
Director:
Yu Weihong
Producer(s):
Wang Min
Footage Archive Producer:
Yu Weihong
Archival Sources:
Shanghai Audiovisual Archives of Shanghai Media Group / Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive / University of South Carolina Libraries
Production Company:
Shanghai Audiovisual Archives of Shanghai Media Group
Country of Production:
China
Original Release:
2023
Synopsis
Mei Lanfang was a great pioneer in promoting Chinese culture to the world. Throughout his lifetime, he committed himself to inheriting and promoting excellent Chinese opera art. Introducing and disseminating Chinese culture to the world through external exchanges was a crucial experience in his artistic career. In 1919, Mei Lanfang, a rising star in the Chinese opera industry, embarked on his first overseas performance tour to Japan, with cultural similarities to China, with his innovative ideas and broadened horizons. In 1930, Mei Lanfang departed from Shanghai to visit the United States, where his Eastern art caused a sensation during his six-month tour. During this time, he filmed his first sound film, Fei Chen-o and the "Tiger" General, and was awarded honorary doctorates in literature from two prestigious American universities. In 1935, he led a delegation to visit the Soviet Union, engaging in profound artistic discussions with Soviet artists. His representation of Chinese art also garnered high praise from Stanislavski, Meyerhold, and Eisenstein. Eisenstein filmed a sound film of Mei Lanfang performing the Peking Opera "Rainbow Pass." Via these endeavors, Mei Lanfang took Peking Opera art to the world, fostering profound friendships with internationally renowned artists through artistic exchanges.
LEVI’S 501 EXPERIENCE - SAN FRANCISCO
Director:
RUFFMERCY aka Russ Murphy
Producer(s):
Jamie Clark
Footage Archive Researcher:
Jared Brown
Footage Archive Producer:
Hazel May
Archival Sources:
Getty Images / Film Supply / Kino Library
Production Company:
My Accomplice / Hazel May
Country of Production:
UK
Original Release:
2023
Synopsis
In honour of its 150th anniversary, Levi’s threw several interactive showcases with music, art and, of course, jeans all around the world, from London to Kuala Lumpur.
RUFFMERCY was asked to collaborate on the Levi’s 501 Experience at the Armoury in San Francisco. His animated video was featured at the exhibition’s entrance.
The “501 Experience” opened with a DJ set by Anderson .Paak, accompanied by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown, as well as an appearance by Mayor London Breed in a red floor-length dress and Levi’s denim jacket. It featured historical exhibits, including the oldest pair of Levi’s jeans from the 1870s.
Black History in 2 Minutes (or so) - "The Origins of Black Basketball"
Director:
Kelsi Lindus
Producer(s):
Robert Smith / Henry Louis Gates, Jr / Dyllan McGee
Footage Archive Producer:
Megan Graham / Jade Edwards-Lovell
Archival Sources:
Getty Images / Pond5 / The Black Fives Foundation / Solomon Sir Jones Films. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library / Newspapers.com
Production Company:
McGee Media / Hidden Empire
Country of Production:
USA
Original Release:
2023
Synopsis
Bill Russell; Michael Jordan; LeBron James. Black athletes have at times been synonymous with the sport of basketball, but it wasn’t always that way. Invented at the turn of the 20th century, basketball was initially played in segregated leagues — that is, until the exceptional talent and contributions of a few standout Black teams, including the New York Renaissance, became impossible for the newly formed NBA to ignore.
In this episode of Black History in Two Minutes (or so) hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. — with additional commentary from author and filmmaker Nelson George and author and historian Claude Johnson — we explore the origins of Black basketball, including a heated championship match-up that helped shift the trajectory of the sport. Black History in Two Minutes (or so) is the new way to immerse yourself in Black history. The digital video series features dozens of condensed, engaging, and factually accurate videos about important historical events and people who have shaped Black history, from the African continent to the foundations of the United States to contemporary freedom struggles.
BBC Motion Gallery / Abkco / KinoLibrary / Radio Whistledown / AP
Production Company:
BBC Studios
Country of Production:
UK
Original Release:
2023
Synopsis
The Rolling Stones Chronicles series, co-produced by BBC Motion Gallery and ABKCO consists of six documentary shorts, each featuring a different ‘60s-era hit song by The Rolling Stones as its soundtrack. The music combines thematically relevant interview clips from the band and contemporary historical figures, interspersed with historical documentary footage of related world events.
Episodes are based around the seismic cultural shifts between 1965 and 1969, of which The Rolling Stones themselves were emblematic.
