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2025 FOCAL Awards 2025 Shortlisted Nominees

Shortlisted

American Experience: Fly With Me

Director:
Sarah Colt / Helen Dobrowski
Producer(s):
Helen Dobrowski
Footage Archive Researcher:
Talia Moore / Jackson Byrne / Leah Ford
Footage Archive Producer:
Helen Dobrowski
Archival Sources:
Getty Images / British Pathé / Kinolibrary / New York University Tamiment Library / San Diego Air & Space Museum
Production Company:
Sarah Colt Productions / AMERICAN EXPERIENCE/GBH Boston
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

For women in the 60s and 70s, being a “stewardess” offered a life of unparalleled glamor and adventure, but also one of systemic harassment and discrimination. Thanks to the bravery and political savvy of an early generation of flight attendants, the skies became the frontlines of a fight for gender equality and workplace equity.

"Fly With Me" tells the story of the women who changed the world while flying it.

Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae

Director:
Yvonne Russo
Producer(s):
Yvone Russo / Amy Kaufman / Caroline Waterlow
Footage Archive Researcher:
Amy Kaufman
Footage Archive Producer:
Amy Rockefeller
Archival Sources:
Estate of Lan Brooks Ritz / Kevin McKiernan, Journalist / CBS Veritone / ABC News Videosource / NBC
Production Company:
Laylow Pictures
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

This historical docuseries examines the murder of Annie Mae Aquash - a Mi'kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, Canada, a mother of two daughters, a teacher, and a revolutionary who fought for Indigenous rights in the 1970s whose death went unsolved for almost 30 years. Set between the sweeping landscape of American politics in the volatile 70s and the present-day search by Annie Mae's daughter to uncover secrets from the past, this is a fascinating story of murder, intrigue, love, and betrayal that contextualizes Annie Mae's story within the larger story of the struggle of Native and First Nations women in their own communities that continues even today. Annie Mae’s story has been reduced to headlines focused on only the most gruesome parts of the crime story; the series sets out to portray her as a flesh and blood person - a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and to intertwine her personal story with a historical context that lead to the formation of AIM.  The series explores history rarely covered by mainstream news and reveals a secret war waged by the government against the Indigenous activists and illuminates the importance of tribal justice.

The Zelensky Story

Director:
Michael Waldman
Producer(s):
Louis Lee Ray / Jecca Powell
Footage Archive Researcher:
Val Semenikhina / Serhiy Solodko
Footage Archive Producer:
Peter Scott
Archival Sources:
Office of the President of Ukraine / Kvartal 95 / 1+1 (Ukraine) / AP / Reuters Screenocean
Production Company:
72 Films (A BBC Open University Partnership)
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

This three-part series tells the extraordinary story of Volodymyr Zelensky – the Ukrainian comedian who played the Ukrainian president in a hit TV show before he was elected as the real president of his country and then led his country through Vladimir Putin’s full-scale Russian invasion.  

With intimate access to the president, his wife, their friends and members of his inner circle – and featuring archive that’s never been seen before in the West – the series spans over three decades. It charts Zelensky’s story, and that of his wife, in parallel with the Russian president Vladimir Putin, as Putin’s actions put their two countries on a collision course.

Spotlight - The Secret Army

Director:
John O'Kane
Producer(s):
John O'Kane
Footage Archive Researcher:
Chris Morrisson
Footage Archive Producer:
Jeremy Shields
Archival Sources:
BBC Television / RTÉ Television / CBS News / C-SPAN / Kan - IPBC Channel 1 (Israel)
Production Company:
BBC Northern Ireland, Current Affairs Dept
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

“Are there any Troubles stories left to tell? MacIntyre has discovered a new one – and it makes for a gripping, ripping yarn.” – The Irish Times


At the height of the Northern Ireland conflict, the Irish Republican Army made an extraordinary decision: to make a film. In 1972, the IRA allowed a small group of American filmmakers to record gunmen and bombers openly planning and carrying out attacks. The resulting documentary, The Secret Army, looked like a propaganda coup. And then the film disappeared.


Five decades later, its rediscovery by a BBC researcher sent journalist Darragh MacIntyre on a quest to find why the film had been made and crucially – when many important IRA figures had been filmed openly – why it had virtually vanished from the historical record. MacIntyre uncovers a world in which the IRA thought they were in control – winning their conflict and manipulating a documentary that would show what they wanted to show. But the evidence trail begins to reveal hidden intricacies, alongside the shadows of British Intelligence, the CIA, and even Mossad.


The Times; the documentary was “worthy of Le Carré”.


The Observer, “a tale with more plot twists than Argo".

Red Fever

Director:
Catherine Bainbridge / Neil Diamond
Producer(s):
Lisa Roth / Brittany LeBorgne
Footage Archive Researcher:
Marika Lapointe / Rebecca Lessard / Marina Miller
Footage Archive Producer:
Ana Paula Castillo Mendez
Archival Sources:
Cumberland County Historical Society / University of South Carolina Moving Images Research Collection / Library of Congress / Reuters Screenocean / Northwestern University Archives
Production Company:
Rezolution Pictures
Country of Production:
Canada
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Red Fever is a witty and entertaining feature documentary about the profound yet hidden Indigenous influence on Western culture and identity.

The film follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he asks, “Why do they love us so much?” and sets out on a journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that is all over pop culture.

Why have Indigenous cultures been revered, romanticized, and appropriated for so long, and to this day? Red Fever uncovers the surprising truths behind the imagery so buried in history that even most Native people don’t know about them.

A Return to Memory

Director:
Donald McWilliams
Producer(s):
Anette Clarke / Kat Baulu / Ariel Nasr / Nathalie Cloutier
Footage Archive Researcher:
Alison Burns
Footage Archive Producer:
Donald McWilliams
Archival Sources:
National Film Board of Canada / Library and Archives Canada / BFI National Archives / Ottawa Art Galerie / Family members personal archives
Production Company:
National Film Board of Canada
Country of Production:
Canada
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

“We learned to work with chaos.”

The intrepid women who helped create Canadian cinema come to vibrant life in A Return to Memory, a documentary masterwork illuminating their vital but little-known role in establishing Canada’s National Film Board.

Juxtaposing a dazzling array of archival material with dynamic animation by NFB infographics artist Mélanie Bouchard, director Donald McWilliams evokes the heady wartime years, when women played a key part in transforming the NFB into a major international studio.

With men engaged elsewhere in the war effort, hundreds of women pursued careers at the newly formed public producer—and pioneering figures like Evelyn Spice Cherry, Red Burns and Jane Marsh Beveridge made movie history, creating work that spoke to the world with a distinctive Canadian voice.

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown

Director:
Marian Mohamed
Producer(s):
Laura Spence / Alec Webb
Footage Archive Producer:
Glenn Wood / Dinah Rogers / Jo Marshall
Footage Archive Assistant Producer:
Molly Schneider
Archival Sources:
California Historical Society / NBC / Oddball Films / Hue Fortson / Don Como
Production Company:
72 Films
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

CULT MASSACRE: ONE DAY IN JONESTOWN tells the story of an idealistic religious organization led by the infamous Jim Jones, who set out to establish a utopian community in Guyana. What began as a peaceful movement seeking social justice ultimately spiraled into a mass casualty that left 918 dead. Told by survivors and eyewitnesses, along with rare footage and rare recordings of Jones, the powerful series takes an immersive look into the final harrowing hours leading up to one of America’s darkest chapters.

Documerica, auto-portrait d'une nation au bord de l'abime (Documerica, Self-Portrait of a Nation on the Brink)

Director:
Pierre-Francois Didek
Producer(s):
Benoit Tschieret / Guillaume Vincent / Thierry Commissionat
Footage Archive Producer:
Charlotte de Luppe
Archival Sources:
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA / KINOLIBRARY / PRELINGER ARCHIVES / CBS VERITONE / The Associated Press / NARA - US National archives
Production Company:
LES FILMS EN VRAC / KARAMOJA PRODUCTIONS / RING PROD
Country of Production:
France / Belgium
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

A handful of photographers look back on the Documerica Project, a long-forgotten epic photo survey of the American environment launched in the early 1970s at the height of environmental awareness. Embodying a moment of truth in a country that had reached the limits of its American Dream, the images of Documerica bear witness to a missed meeting with History. And beyond that, they announce the world in which we live today.

So Surreal: Behind the Masks

Director:
Neil Diamond / Joanne Robertson
Producer(s):
Daniel Morin
Footage Archive Researcher:
Ana Paula Castillo Méndez / G̱wa̱nti'lakw Hunt Cranmer / Joanne Robertson
Footage Archive Producer:
Rebecca Lessard
Archival Sources:
Royal BC Museum / National Museum of the American Indian / Art Resource / Umista Cultural Center / Association Atelier André Breton
Production Company:
Rezolution Pictures
Country of Production:
Canada
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

So Surreal: Behind the Masks is a feature documentary that traces the storied journey of Indigenous masks from the far reaches of Turtle Island (North America) into the hands of European Surrealists, influencing the work and worldview of some of the most well-known modern artists and writers of all time including Max Ernst, André Breton, Roberto Matta and Joan Miró – all while following the dramatic quest to return a mask that was brutally stolen from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people on Canada’s northwest coast over a century ago.

Part caper, part road trip, part spiritual journey, So Surreal: Behind the Masks follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (Reel Injun, Red Fever) as he travels coast-to-coast and across the Atlantic and back, gradually piecing together this groundbreaking global story of influence, reconnection and restitution.

Shot in Surrealist style featuring interviews with renowned contemporary Indigenous artists along with eccentric art dealers and Surrealist scholars, So Surreal: Behind the Masks is a compelling detective story that brings audiences into the complex world of repatriation, while revealing the original meanings and importance of these ceremonial masks and how they came to influence one of the most iconic art movements of our time.

Jim Henson: Idea Man

Director:
Ron Howard
Producer(s):
Brian Grazer / Ron Howard / Sara Bernstein / Margaret Bodde / Justin Wilke / Mark Monroe / Christopher St. John
Footage Archive Researcher:
Kelsey Arlington / Leila Wikel / Rich Remsberg / Amilca Palmer
Footage Archive Producer:
Vanessa Maruskin
Archival Sources:
The Jim Henson Company Archive / National Archives / UMD Digital Collections / DC Public Library, Star Collection © Washington Post / Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Production Company:
Disney Branded Television / Imagine Documentaries
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

“Jim Henson Idea Man” takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and beyond. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard captures Henson's restless creativity, ambition, and artistic evolution in the style and spirit of his complex subject, an artist who revolutionized television, inspired generations, and created some of the world’s most beloved characters. Featuring new interviews with Henson's closest collaborators and children, as well as never-before-seen materials from his personal archives—including home movies, photographs, sketches, and diaries— Howard brings us an entertaining and insightful look at a man whose boundless imagination changed the world.

In My Own Words: Billy Connolly

Director:
Mike Reilly
Producer(s):
Michelle Crowther
Footage Archive Producer:
James RM Hunt
Archival Sources:
SIR BILLY CONNOLLY / BBC / ITV CLIP SALES / FREMANTLE MEDIA ARCHIVE / BFI ARCHIVE SALES
Production Company:
Whisper Films
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Neither Parkinson's disease or age have diminished Billy Connolly's wit or wisdom in this astonishingly intimate self portrait of the stand-up pioneer turned cultural icon.

Told in his own words, with unflinching honesty and access to superlative archive, this is not the well trod story of his celebrated career in stand-up, but rather a surprising and delightful meditation on the joys of growing older and wiser, as he looks back on his triumphs and shortcomings as an entertainer, husband and father.

He talks about the failing of his first marriage, his profound kinship with Robin Williams, the pressure he put on himself to rise to the challenge of working alongside Dame Judi Dench and his abiding love of Pamela Stephenson, his wife of 35 years.

The confusion and loneliness he felt as a child trapped in a violent home is palpable, likewise is his joy in finding a place where he belonged in the Clyde shipyards. It's revelatory watching the discomfort he feels viewing his early work in the 1970s grow to something approaching pride in his later stand up. But it's his observations on love and stoicism in his relationships that linger long after the credits roll.

In My Own Words: Alison Lapper

Director:
Poppy Goodheart
Producer(s):
Victoria Holden / Kira Philips
Footage Archive Producer:
Emma Haw
Archival Sources:
Alison Lapper private Collection / Chailey heritage / BBC Child of our time and other / Danish Documentary maker
Production Company:
Chalk Productions
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Alison Lapper - artist, muse and mother - explores her life through art and archive in this visually rich and powerfully intimate film.   Born with no arms and short legs, she is a formidable character, who defies preconceptions and breaks down barriers.

As she works towards a new exhibition of her work, Alison also confronts the most difficult aspects of her life; the loss of her son Parys, her disability and the challenging relationship with her own Mother.  

Alison Lapper: In my Own Words is a profile documentary rooted in archive.   A BBC commission, the team dived into the footage library and drew upon unique and remarkable archive, showcasing science, cultural and disability programming from the past 50 years.

In this film, Alison gives a moving yet frank account of what life has been like for her. She tackles issues head on; from growing up in care to the scrutiny she received as a disabled woman and parent.  But at the heart of this film, is a poignant story about a Mother and the love for her son.

STAX: Soulsville U.S.A.

Director:
Jamila Wignot
Producer(s):
Jamila Wignot, Producer /Kara Elverson, Producer/Ezra Edelman, EP/ Caroline Waterlow, EP/Nigel Sinclair, EP /Nicholas Ferrall, EP
Footage Archive Researcher:
Deannie Parker
Footage Archive Producer:
Ines Farag
Associate Archival Producer:
Willy Fines
Archival Sources:
Reelin' in the Years / Historic Films / WMC Action News 5 in Memphis, TN / NBC News Archive / The Stax Museum
Production Company:
Laylow Pictures / Whitehorse Pictures
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

STAX: Soulsville USA is an epic series that chronicles the full story of Stax Records, an underdog record label comprised of Black and white collaborators who ushered in the groundbreaking soul music of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, The Staple Singers, Sam & Dave and many others that defined a generation. Driven by instinct and defying the notion that Black artists needed to be “made marketable,” the Memphis-based label went from ultimate outsider to one of the most influential producers of Black music. Through a deeply researched and sweeping reexamination, the series reveals the confluence of forces – race, geography and musical traditions as well as the cutthroat world of the recording industry – that shaped the Stax spirit and determined its destiny.  The series centers the first person voices of many of the individuals who lived the Stax experience while situating them within the political backdrop in which it unfolded.  This a quintessentially American story of an audacious group of individuals who dared to make their own music on their own terms creating an institution that has continued to define our culture long after the label itself has gone.

Becoming Madonna

Director:
Michael Ogden
Producer(s):
Eliana Capitani / Tina Flintoff / Nick Hornby / Patrick Culhane
Footage Archive Producer:
Helen Carr
Archival Sources:
Fox Archives / Getty Images (NBC News, BBC Motion Gallery, WNBC) / LOLA Clips (ABC Australia, Nine) / Kinolibrary / CBS Media Ventures
Production Company:
Optomen Television
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Through exclusive interviews, unheard tapes, and rare and never-before-seen archive footage, this immersive, archive-driven feature documentary tells the compelling story of how Madonna became the most powerful woman in pop.

From the devastating loss of her devoutly Catholic mother to cancer at age five to her arrival in New York at nineteen as a penniless dancer from Michigan in 1978, Madonna knew she was destined for greatness but wasn’t sure exactly how.

Set against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and music industry misogyny of the 1980s, the film charts Madonna’s astonishing transformation from Midwest teen into a superhuman champion of sexual liberation for young women and the gay community.

It reveals how the loss of close friends to the AIDS pandemic emboldened her message of creative freedom, no matter the cost.

This is the story of the events that shaped Madonna and how she, in turn, shaped the world.

Kurt Cobain: Moments That Shook Music

Director:
John Osborne
Producer(s):
John Osborne
Footage Archive Producer:
Libby Hopfauf
Archival Sources:
Seattle Municipal Archives / Public Access Television Seattle / King 5 / Kiro TV / Komo TV
Production Company:
Touchdown Films
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Told exclusively through archive material, this primetime BBC TWO documentary marked the 30th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death by using powerful and unseen archive footage to demystify the tragic moment when the Nirvana frontman took his own life.

One of musical history’s most shocking stories is told as never before, as footage captured by local fans in Seattle and raw material from news crews reporting at the time are woven together, immersing the viewers in the events that unfolded, as they happened.

Through the archive, we see the poignant reaction from the electrician who discovered Kurt’s body when installing a security system at his Seattle home; statements from police at the scene; the chaos, confusion and devastation caught on video by his fans – including the moment a tape recording of an emotional Courtney Love reading her late husband’s final letter was played out to a crowd of thousands at a vigil in Seattle; and a revealing interview with Cobain himself.

Strike: An Uncivil War

Director:
Daniel Gordon
Producer(s):
Fjolla Iberhysaj / Nick Taussig
Footage Archive Researcher:
Alex Wilson / Rhys Woodfield
Footage Archive Producer:
Stephen Slater
Archival Sources:
BBC / ITN / Fremantle / NUM / Yorkshire Film Archive
Production Company:
VeryMuchSo Productions / Embankment Films / Davy Films / Meadowlark Media
Country of Production:
United Kingdom / United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

40 years on from the Battle of Orgreave, Strike: An Uncivil War tells the story of the most violent confrontation between miners and police during the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike.

The year-long Miners’ Strike was the most divisive and violent industrial dispute that Britain has ever witnessed. Using powerful personal testimony, previously hidden government documents and a treasure trove of never-before-seen archive material, Strike: An Uncivil War charts the lead up, the aftermath and the unprecedented events at Orgreave on 18th June 1984.

Witness at first hand the stories and recollections of the people on the front lines of Orgreave and the Strike, which split communities and the nation in two, and whose ripples still resonate to this very day.

One to One: John & Yoko

Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Producer(s):
Peter Worsley / Melissa Morton-Hicks / Lizzy Webster
Footage Archive Researcher:
Al Hopkins / Emma Dempsey / James McDonald for Shanakee
Footage Archive Producer:
Hannah Ratcliffe for Shanakee
Archival Sources:
Lennon / Ono Estate / Geraldo Rivera / NBC News Archive / Revoir / CBS News
Production Company:
Mercury Studios / KGB Films / Plan B / Shanakee
Country of Production:
United Kingdom / United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

This documentary depicts the art and activism of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1972, specifically from their move to New York from England up to the benefit concert they put on in Madison Square Garden for children who had endured horrific conditions at Willowbrook School.

The film also includes important moments in their personal lives during this time and reconstructs what the couple would have been watching on TV, which informed their changing worldview. According to John, the TV served as his “window on the world”. From hard-hitting news reports to entertainment shows, commercials and televangelists, this documentary threads it all together showing how their interests and inspirations led them to create their art and inspire change.

The film is constructed through extensive montage, which is often fast-paced and deliberately jarring, illustrating the cultural and political tensions of the era. When John and Yoko see an uncensored report of the appalling conditions at Willowbrook School, an institution for children with additional needs, they are motivated to host a concert to raise money for their care. Using restored footage supplied by the Lennon Estate, the film ends on a riotously hopeful rendition of Give Peace a Chance.

Soundtrack to A Coup d'Etat

Director:
Johan Grimonprez
Producer(s):
Rémi Grellety / Daan Milius / Katja Draaijer / Frank Hoeve
Footage Archive Researcher:
Judy Aley / Pauline Burgaud / Rémonde Panis / Alexander Markov
Footage Archive Producer:
Sara Skrodzka
Archival Sources:
RTBF / VRT / Cinematek / Getty Images / BBC
Production Company:
Onomatopee Films / Warboys Films / BALDR Film / Zapomatik
Country of Production:
Belgium / France / Netherlands
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Jazz and decolonization are entwined in this historical rollercoaster that rewrites the Cold War episode that led musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach to crash the UN Security Council in protest against the murder of Patrice Lumumba.

Motorcycle Mary

Director:
Haley Watson
Producer(s):
Haley Watson / Rachel Greenwald / Carolyn Hepburn
Footage Archive Researcher:
Cody Wilson / Haley Watson
Footage Archive Producer:
Laura Carlson
Archival Sources:
Mary McGee & Family / Bruce Brown Films / NORRA (National off Road Racing Association) / Kinolibrary / Peterson Archives
Production Company:
ESPN Films / Breakwater Studios
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

MOTORCYCLE MARY tells the untold story of legendary motorsports pioneer Mary McGee, with stunning never-before-seen archival footage. Confronted by sexism and personal tragedy, Mary perseveres, pushing herself to greater heights—culminating in her most hair-raising challenge: becoming the first person to solo the grueling Baja 500 on a motorcycle.

The Ban

Director:
Roisin Agnew
Producer(s):
Sam Howard
Footage Archive Researcher:
Stephen Newe
Footage Archive Producer:
Evan Marshall
Archival Sources:
ITV / Ulster Television / Getty Images / BBC / BFI
Production Company:
Unbecoming / Erica Starling Productions / Northern Ireland Screen
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

In 1988, during the conflict in Northern Ireland, Margaret Thatcher's government banned UK broadcasters from giving airtime to representatives of the IRA and Sinn Féin, to deprive them of 'the oxygen of publicity'.

Thanks to a loophole in the law, a practice developed for actors to dub recorded interviews instead. Through unseen archive footage and present-day interviews with key figures such as Gerry Adams and Stephen Rea (who once voiced him), The Ban reflects on the British government’s use of the threat of ‘terrorism’ to justify censorship, drawing inevitable comparisons with today.

In the Veins

Director:
Andy Burns
Producer(s):
Graham Relton
Footage Archive Researcher:
David Parsons / Montserrat Rovira Prieto / Megan McCooley / John Casey / Ruth Patman
Footage Archive Producer:
Graham Relton
Executive Producer:
Ben Lamb
Archival Sources:
Yorkshire and North East Film Archive collections / ITV Archive / BBC Motion Gallery
Production Company:
Yorkshire and North East Film Archive / Teesside University
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

‘In the Veins’ is a short film that resonates through time, using over a century of archive footage to shine a light onto the face of the mining heritage of Yorkshire and the North East of England.

“Some people have blood running through their veins, I think we’ve got coal dust!” 
~ Miner’s daughter

A story of hardship and hope, division and defiance, perseverance and pride; this is not a history lesson, it’s an emotional journey that digs deep into the heart of a community built on coal.

For centuries, men toiled in the bowels of the earth to build a nation, creating prosperity and improved standards of living, before experiencing the gut-wrenching end to livelihoods, a cost to people and their communities that is still having an impact across the generations.

From villages, towns and communities that grew from the industry, the bonds and friendships fostered, to the formation of activist groups such as ‘Women Against Pit Closures,’ ‘In the Veins’ celebrates the success, commiserates the demise and is a timely reminder about the need for a ‘just transition’ from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.

Dick’s Sporting Goods "Big Moments"

Director:
Derek Barnes
Producer(s):
Andrea Rodriguez
Footage Archive Researcher:
Craig Phillips / Brandi Self / Aaron Sharper / Matt Gee / Itzel Sarabia / Mike Kho / Chelsea Zerbe / Jeffrey Harland
Footage Archive Producer:
Spring McCoy
Archival Sources:
YouTube / Instagram / Jukin
Production Company:
Arts and Letters / STALKR
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

In this intimate film, Dick’s Sporting Goods connects the athletic achievements of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to the the life-changing power of sport at the every level. Utilizing exclusively user generated content, we see that the biggest moments aren’t always in stadiums or on podiums. From an aspiring athlete learning she made the team, to a hurdler breaking away from the pack while being cheered by her family, or the weightlifter shocking herself with her strength, the emotion of these moments are every bit as significant as an Olympic Gold.

Moncler x Roc Nation designed by JAY-Z "City of Mountains"

Director:
the McGloughlin Brothers
Producer(s):
Lorraine Geoghegan
Footage Archive Producer:
Jared Brown / Hazel May
Archival Sources:
Film supply / Getty Images / Shutterstock / Adobe Stock / stocksy
Production Company:
Hinterland Films / Convicts
Country of Production:
Ireland / United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

We were asked to source epic archive shots of the Swiss Alps & New York that were to be juxtaposed with specific angles and live action camera movements of the New York ground shots to create a series of composited frames and match cuts to announce the collaboration between Moncler & Roc Nation Designed By JAY-Z: Genius Is Everywhere.  Macro & topographic images were also sourced for the more abstract sections that feature regularly in the McGlouglin Brothers work.

While most of our work was completed ahead of the shoot, we remained in close contact with the team during the production sourcing and supplying specific shots that aligned with footage from the shoot in real-time including the aerial shots of New York.

Burger King 70 year anniversary campaign "Born to be a flame lover"

Director:
Existing Footage NA
Producer(s):
Chiara Prol
Footage Archive Producer:
Loranc Sparsi / Hazel May
Archival Sources:
General Public
Production Company:
Buzzman/Paris
Country of Production:
France
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

The brief was to source UGC from around the world for this campaign to reflect the Global nature of the BK anniversary campaign.

The White House Effect

Director:
Jon Shenk / Bonni Cohen / Pedro Kos
Producer(s):
Josh Penn / Noah Stahl / Justine Nagan
Footage Archive Researcher:
Yael Chanoff / Elijah Stevens / Sierra Pettengill / Gerard Nijssen / Nathalie Barton / Andrew Seber
Footage Archive Producer:
Gideon C. Kennedy / Rich Remsberg
Archival Sources:
George HW Bush Presidential Library / NCAR / NOAA / NASA / NARA / Exposure Labs / Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld & Geluid / Briscoe Center for American History
Production Company:
Actual Films / Department of Motion Pictures / Impact Partners
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

THE WHITE HOUSE EFFECT explores the gripping drama that unfolded inside the George H.W. Bush White House after scientists warned the country for the first time that global warming was real and underway. Bush, who in 1988 ran as an environmental candidate, finds himself caught in the middle when his chief of staff John Sununu locks horns with EPA chief Bill Reilly over how to respond to the public’s growing environmental concerns. Ideological conservatives and industry power brokers line up behind Sununu as the forward-minded Reilly looks increasingly isolated. Meanwhile Bush faces mounting pressure to make a decision that will change the course of history. Using only archival materials, the film tells a harrowing political story about the consequences of presidential power and its impact on how we deal with the climate crisis today.

Riefenstahl

Director:
Andres Veiel
Producer(s):
Sandra Maischberger / Enzo Maass
Footage Archive Researcher:
Christiane Caemmerer
Footage Archive Producer:
Monika Preischl / Mona El Bira
Archival Sources:
Private Estate of Leni Riefenstahl / Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum Für Film und Fernsehen / Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Ethnologisches Museum / Fotomuseum / Kunstbibliothek) / Bundesarchiv / Multiple private collections and TV archives (ARD, BBC, CBC, etc...)
Production Company:
Vincent Productions GmbH
Country of Production:
Germany
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Leni Riefenstahl is considered one of the most controversial women of the 20th century. Her iconographic imagery of “Triumph of the Will” and “Olympia” stands for perfectly staged body worship, for the celebration of the superior and victorious. The aesthetics of their images seem more present than ever – and with them their message?

The film pursues this question using new documents from Riefenstahl’s estate – private films and photos, an unpublished making-of shoot, drafts of her memoirs, recorded telephone conversations with close companions, personal letters. The materials are questioned as to what they tell and what they conceal and are thus placed in an expanded context of history and the present.

Trains

Director:
Maciej J. Drygas
Producer(s):
Vita Želakevičiūtė-Drygas
Footage Archive Researcher:
P.Brzezińska / S.Claesson / V.M.Drygas / E.Ferency-Łuniewska / A.Gilaitis / O.Jaskólska / A.Kawalec / C.Kleininger / M.Ma / L.Minghang / K.Niewiński / V.Ogniewa / G.Pierangeli / M.Popielucha / R.Temme / J.Wejcman / A.Wiktorowska / Z.Zhong
Footage Archive Producer:
Maciej J. Drygas
Archival Sources:
Eye Filmmuseum / Bundesarchiv / Cinecitta / British Pathé / NFSA National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Production Company:
Drygas Production / Fixafilm / Era Film / Eye Filmmuseum / Telewizja Polska TVP
Country of Production:
France / Poland / Lithuania / Netherlands

Synopsis

“Trains” is a found-footage documentary composed entirely of archive footage and sound design that creates a collective portrait of people in 20th-century Europe, capturing their hopes, desires, dramas and tragedies.

 A train compartment is a place where people are taken out of their everyday context for a while. Sometimes the journey is accompanied by the hope that something will change in our lives upon reaching the destination, or conversely, by a stark absence of hope. And yet the history of the 20th century unfolds in railway carriages in a repetitive refrain. Every few years, hauntingly similar scenes play out in railway stations around the world: carriages full of men leaving for war, only to return wounded or as casualties. This cycle is followed by an exodus of civilians, evacuees mingling with prisoners of war returning from camps, and soldiers of victorious armies leading the defeated, until ordinary passengers reappear at stations.

Nesjomme (Neshoma)

Director:
Sandra Beerends
Producer(s):
Floor Onrust
Footage Archive Researcher:
Sandra Beerends / Klaas Feij / Leenke Ripmeester / Suzan Crommelin / Anton Kras
Footage Archive Producer:
Hans van den Berg
Archival Sources:
Sound and Vision / Eye Filmmuseum / City Archives Amsterdam / Jewish Museum, Amsterdam / United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Production Company:
Family Affair Films
Country of Production:
Netherlands
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

NESHOMA is set in Amsterdam between the two World Wars, when one in ten residents of the city was Jewish. Seventeen-year-old Rusha lives in the Jewish quarter with her family. Her older brother Max has emigrated to the Dutch East Indies. In her letters to Max, Rusha recounts daily life in the city, creating a vivid portrait of Amsterdam from the perspective of the Jewish community.

The film begins shortly after World War I, a period full of confidence in the future. The combination of Rusha’s letters and archival footage paints a colorful picture of proud diamond cutters, market traders, cabaret artists, and city officials committed to social housing, along with entrepreneurs behind the luxury Bijenkorf department store and Amstel Hotel.

The initial optimism is gradually tested by economic depression and the rise of fascism, leading to the occupation of the Netherlands. In these times of adversity, humor and zest for life, the “lechajim,” provide comfort to the Jewish community. Rusha matures from a young girl into an independent woman. The outbreak of World War II presents her with an impossible choice.

NESHOMA is not only about those who are no longer here, but also what they left behind: the

The Propagandist

Director:
Luuk Bouwman
Producer(s):
Ilja Roomans
Footage Archive Researcher:
Gerard Nijssen
Footage Archive Producer:
Rik Binnendijk
Archival Sources:
Sound & Vision / Egbert Barten / Eye Filmmuseum / Bundesarchiv / Haags Gemeentearchief
Production Company:
Docmakers
Country of Production:
Netherlands
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Using previously unpublished interviews, family films and propaganda films, ‘The Propagandist’ tells the story of the rise and fall of Dutch filmmaker Jan Teunissen (1898-1975). As head of the Department of Film of the Dutch Nazi Party and SS, he became the most powerful man in the Dutch film industry during World War II. Teunissen, nicknamed the ‘Film Czar’ and the ‘Dutch Leni Riefenstahl’ was a well-known filmmaker before the war. What drove him to become part of the Nazi regime? The Propagandist questions the boundaries between documentary and propaganda and the role of propagandists - how they spread images, narratives, misinformation and ideology. A documentary about boundless ambition and the manipulative power of film.

Surf, le feu sacré (Holy surf, once upon a wave)

Director:
Benjamin Morel / Christophe Bouquet
Producer(s):
Antoine Boukobza
Footage Archive Producer:
Camille Carlier
Archival Sources:
AP / INA / IOC Historical Archive / Kinolibrary / The International Surf Archive
Production Company:
YAMI 2 / BILDERFEST / MACTV
Country of Production:
France / Germany / Scotland
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

Practised by Polynesians for thousands of years, surfing is more than a sport: it is the culture of the people of the water, swallowed up at the end of the 19th century by Western colonialism. And yet, in the space of a century, it has become an Olympic sport, resurrected thanks to a few legends from the fringes and practised by millions of enthusiasts around the world. For the Paris Olympics, the competition will return to where surfing was born: in Tahiti on the most beautiful wave in the world, Teahupo'o.

At the 2024 Olympic Games, the world's best surfers will compete 20,000 km from Paris, in Tahiti, where surfing was born. The thrill of competition will go hand in hand with a revenge on history.

Surfing has its roots in Polynesia. In Hawaii and Tahiti, riding the waves is simply the extension of a unique mastery of the ocean, acquired during the settlement of the Pacific islands over more than 3,000 years. Much more than a sport, surfing is the expression of a culture, that of the people of the water, the Polynesians.

Moses - 13 Steps

Director:
Michael Wech
Producer(s):
Leopold Hoesch
Footage Archive Producer:
Thorben Bockelmann
Archival Sources:
IOC via IMG / ESPN / NBC via Getty Images / WDR / IAAF World Cup and World Athletics Championships via DENTSU
Production Company:
BROADVIEW Pictures GmbH
Country of Production:
Germany
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

"Moses – 13 Steps” is a powerful exploration of the life and legacy of Edwin Moses, an unparalleled athlete and visionary, whose triumphs on and off track catalyzed significant social and scientific change, inspiring generations to hurdle over barriers of all kinds.

Growing up in segregated America, Moses overcame systemic barriers as an African-American athlete. Without a coach, he mastered the demanding 400-meter hurdles—dubbed the “maneater”—and achieved an unmatched winning streak of 122 races over nearly a decade. His revolutionary 13-step technique redefined hurdling and secured his place as one of the greatest track and field athletes in history.

Off the track, Moses fought for equality, justice, and the integrity of sport. He played a pivotal role in strengthening anti-doping regulations and remains a role model for fairness and perseverance.

The film intertwines Moses’ personal journey with key moments in world history, highlighting how his success mirrored societal change. Featuring exclusive interviews with Moses and figures like Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Karsten Warholm, the documentary provides an intimate look at his challenges and triumphs.

In the Arena: Serena Williams

Director:
Gotham Chopra / Lauren Fisher
Producer(s):
Serena Williams / Tom Brady / Gotham Chopra / Ameeth Sankaran / Victor Buhler / Meghan Cirillo / Caroline Currier / Jacob Mosler
Footage Archive Researcher:
Kyle Jackson / Andy Zare
Footage Archive Producer:
Archival Ninjas / Meghan Geier / Alana Saad
Associate Archive Producer:
Logan Combest Friedman / Kaelin McDonald / Brittany Nisco / Kyle Van Dam / Andrew Distler
Archival Sources:
Getty Images / ESPN / Film Supply / USTA (US Open) / Australian Open
Production Company:
Religion of Sports / NINE TWO SIX / ESPN
Country of Production:
United States

Synopsis

Follows Serena Williams, the key figures throughout her life, and the events of her legendary career told from her own perspective, giving us an intimate and compelling approach to her life.

I'm Just Here For The Riot

Director:
Kathleen S. Jayme / Asia Youngman
Producer(s):
Michael Tanko Grand / James Brown / Gentry Kirby
Footage Archive Producer:
Melissa James / Gerald Narciso
Archival Sources:
Local amatuer filmmakers who took their pro-am DSLR cameras down to the riot or had them with them at the public viewing parties for the hockey game. We sourced and licensed / cleared video and photos from over a dozen such people / Facebook comments in the social media witch hunt that transpired after the riot / Personal archives of our main character, both photo and video / The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) / The National Hockey League (NHL)
Production Company:
ESPN Films
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

On June 15, 2011, the Canucks’ Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Boston Bruins sparked a massive riot in downtown Vancouver. “I’m Just Here For The Riot” chronicles the aftermath and raises questions about fandom, violence, social media, and the shocking power of an angry crowd.

BBC Sport Paris Olympics Opening Film: '100 Years of Love'

Director:
Philip Hughes
Producer(s):
Philip Hughes / Nicholas Perry
Editor(s):
Nicholas Perry
Footage Archive Producer:
Philip Hughes
Archival Sources:
BBC Sport Library / The Olympic Archive - IOC Historical Archive / BBC Digital Archive spanning 100 years of material / Getty Archive / British Movietone
Production Company:
BBC Sport
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
2024

Synopsis

The Olympic Games took place in Paris last summer – 100 years since the city last held the event in 1924. In that time, Paris and the world changed a lot.

In 2024 – we lived in an era of unprecedented and rapid technological and cultural change. Within the context of change, people find comfort in the things that have always remained the same. The things we love.

For the Athletes - the love and support of family, mentors and friends on their journey. The Olympics makes us realise the power of community and sparks a sense of belonging.

For Those Who Watch – seeing people with an obsession, trying their absolute hardest and achieving great things inspires us. Knowing they can do it helps us believe we can too. We want to feel part of their world.

For the Nation - coming together for a common cause - being in awe of human endeavour and sharing those moments together and sharing our love for them.

In this film we wanted to capture all of these elements and take people on a 100 year journey of love and remind them why the Olympics has always been special to us all.