Since 2004 FOCAL International Awards competition is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of archival footage and its contribution to the creative and cultural industries. We congratulate all the past winners.
Shortlisted
British Pathe
Archival highlights
British Pathe 2016 has proven to be a standout year for British Pathe in which the library increased brand awareness, expanded its licensing business, and launched some exciting initiatives.
BEST EVER YEAR FOR LICENSING The archive enjoyed a record-breaking year for its core licensing business, contributing to a multitude of excellent documentaries and dramas both in the UK and around the world, including NHK's epic 20th Century project, Netflix's gripping series The Crown, and Ron Howard's theatrical release The Beatles: Eight Days a Week " The Touring Years. Subscription deals adapted to the requirements of each client made an unlimited amount of archive available to BBC News, ITV Regional News, Good Morning Britain, Mediakraft Networks, numerous local museums, national institutions, and UK schools. A new arrangement with the National Trust brought free and unfettered access to the British Pathe archive to every property under their control.
NORTH AMERICAN EXPANSION In March, British Pathe terminated its contract with its North American agent after more than two decades of representation, re-establishing the company as the exclusive rights holder for the archive in the region and working directly with North American producers. The fruits of such labours included providing HD content for American Experience: The Great War on PBS.
LAUNCH OF BRITISH PATHE TV The most significant innovation of 2016 was the development of BRITISH PATHE TV, a new online on-demand channel offering an extensive range of archive-based full-length documentaries, interviews, and classic movies. Created as an alternative to the current mainstream broadcast channels, it aims to appeal to specialist audiences such as history buffs, royal watchers, cinema aficionados, and train enthusiasts. Much of the programming contains archive from libraries other than British Pathe, thereby supporting the industry as a whole. Such excellent archive-packed documentaries are also granted a new lease of life beyond their initial television broadcast or DVD release through screening on BRITISH PATHE TV to a worldwide audience. Highlights from the channel include The Story of British Path (a four-part BBC documentary), A Year to Remember (69 x 1 hour compilations of original British Pathe and BBC newsreels), The Queen's Diamond Decades (a 6 x 45 minute definitive history of the reign of Elizabeth II), Wallis Loved & Lost (an original British Pathe-produced documentary), and Edward and George: Two Brothers, One Throne (a 1 x 52 minute archive-based TV documentary).
A selection of content from the channel has also been made available as part of a newly-created Amazon Video add-on subscription entitled BRITISH PATHE PRESENTS SECRETS OF CINEMA. This spin-off channel is available for Amazon Prime customers in the United States.
NEW PROGRAMMING PRODUCED British Pathe co-produced its own archive-based documentary, Revolution in Colour, charting the entire course of Irish independence from Home Rule to Civil War. This feature-length film, made in association with Zampano Productions and narrated by Downton Abbey's Allen Leech, is available on BRITISH PATHE TV and will be screened at the National Audiovisual Institute in Poland on 3 December. The documentary has also aired in two parts on TV3. It features material from the 1910s colourised to an unparalleled standard.
ONLINE PRESENCE INCREASED British Pathe reached out to the wider public, promoting awareness of archive footage via the free-to-use British Pathe website, which underwent a substantial (and expensive) overhaul of its infrastructure and applications in order to prolong the life of this invaluable resource. The website was also provided with new Press Resources, information and amendments. The company also continued to build up its social media following to 840,000 people across various platforms. This includes the British Pathe YouTube channels, which were provided with new content based around monthly themes suggested by viewers themselves. These channels have received 45,000,000 views during 2016 so far.
PRESERVING HERITAGE British Pathe embarked on a major collaboration with the Irish Film Institute in order to restore and preserve key elements of Ireland's filmed heritage in high definition. 133 films from the early twentieth century were removed from the vaults, cleaned and scanned by the archive's partners at TK One. This involved work to remove scratches and other blemishes from the reels.
Simon Wood & ITN Source team
Production Company:
ITN Source
Country of Production:
UK
Archival highlights
Having worked with many people across a number of footage libraries, I can say, hands down, that Simon Wood by far goes that extra mile. Not only does he deliver what you ask for, he works tirelessly to make sure our needs are met, efficiently and nothing is ever too much trouble. ITN Source have a real gem with him. He builds and maintains relationships extremely well, something which I have heard throughout the industry with my fellow counterparts. Knowing you have a solid, capable and inspiring person within a footage library helps you to make the decision on whether to get your material from them or not. Simon has made this decision very very easy over the years. Truly deserving of this award. HELEN TONGE, MD & Exec Producer, Title Role Productions Ltd
I would like to nominate the entire team over at ITN for an award, as collectively they facilitate the wealth of archive they represent with great expertise, extreme professionalism and prompt delivery. Always a pleasure to work with they enable me to do my job to the best of my ability. KATE GRIFFITHS, Archive Producer
Due to exceptional circumstances - the dismantling of the ITN Source collection - I think the whole ITN Source sales team should be honoured with this award. I've worked with most of the team over the years and the service received is always top drawer - fast, efficient, friendly. The whole team are very deserving of this special award. PETER SCOTT, Archive Producer
Nina Krstic
Archival highlights
Credit 1 - Title of Production: O.J.: Made in America Credit 1 - Production Company: ESPN Films and Laylow Films Credit 1 - Broadcast / Media Platform: Theatrical Credit 1 - Date Production Premiered: 2016-5-20 Credit 1 - Brief Synopsis, in English (maximum 100 words): It's the defining cultural tale of modern America " a saga of race, celebrity, media, violence, and the criminal justice system. Two decades after its unforgettable climax, it continues to fascinate, polarize, and develop new chapters. Drawing upon more than seventy interviews " from longtime friends and colleagues of Simpson, to civil rights leaders, and recognizable commentators " the documentary is an engrossing look at a tragic American tale. At the end of what seems like a search for the truth about O.J. Simpson, the film reveals a collection of unshakeable and haunting truths about America, and about ourselves. Credit 1 - Reason for submission, in English (maximum 100 words): With a documentary covering the entire life and career of OJ Simpson intertwined with the history of Los Angeles and the LAPD's relationship with the black community, the film relies on diverse and rare footage and photos tell the story. The film sourced footage, audio, and stills from over a 100 archives, collections, libraries and networks, to visually give the audience a journey through time periods and the evolving media that OJ's career spanned- including everything from sports coverage, to commercials and film, to Court room footage to multiple period interviews with OJ Simpson, to more recent verite moments. Credit 1 - Researcher's Statement, in English (minimum 100 words): We are proud of the footage we researched and unearthed for this project and feel the film's success is in large part due to the visual / footage experience that enhances the 70+ interviews shot for the film. Credit 1 - Director/Producer or Production Manager's Statement, in English (minimum 100 words): We are proud of the footage we researched and unearthed for this project and feel the film's success is in large part due to the visual / footage experience that enhances the 70+ interviews shot for the film.
Napoleon (1927 Dir. Abel Gance)
Editor(s):
BFI National Archive and Photoplay Productions, carried out at Dragon Digital
Production Company:
BFI National Archive
Country of Production:
UK
Involved Partners:
BFI National Archive
Archival highlights
Country of Origin of cited work: France First Transmission / Publication Date since restoration: 2016-11-6
Programme Duration (mins): 332
Brief Synopsis: Abel Gance's heroic depiction of the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an undisputed cinema landmark. Famed for its groundbreaking technical innovations " including its famous triptych finale " and a running time of 5 1/2 hours, Gance's epic traverses many of the formative experiences that shaped Napoleon's rapid advancement. Cool under pressure, Bonaparte overcomes fierce rivals, the deadly Terror and political machinations to seal his imperial destiny. Monumental and visionary, the story's chapters play out in exhilarating fashion tied together by an incredible feat of photography, editing and technical ingenuity.
Reason for submission: Kevin Brownlow's restoration of Napoleon is legendary and represents the greatest example of a film's rescue from misunderstanding and unavailability, pioneering the widespread theatrical revival of silent cinema. Compiled across five decades by the film-maker, archivist and historian, who tracked down surviving prints from archives around the world since he first saw a 9.5mm version as a schoolboy in 1954. Brownlow and his colleagues at Photoplay, initially the late David Gill, and then Patrick Stanbury, worked with the BFI National Archive on a series of reconstructions, the latest of which is now fully available for distribution and Blu-ray release.
The element(s) used for restoration, stating gauge and nature and specific problems associated with them e.g. damage, dispersal of elements and complexity of reconstruction: The source for restoration was the 35mm black and white negative, itself progressively restored on film over three decades by Photoplay and the BFI. The negative contains shots from a multiplicity of sources and locations, tirelessly identified and assembled by Kevin Brownlow, and announced in the opening titles with an acknowledgement to "the Cinematheque francaise, the CNC and the film archives of the world." These sources varied greatly in terms of contrast, density, definition and ratio, as well as printed-in damage, scratching, instability, flicker and fluctuation. The triptych finale had to be reconstructed for a variety of digital releases.
Original and restored aspect ratio and format: The film was originally shot on 35mm silent black and white negative, full frame 1.33:1. It was released in 35mm silent tinted and toned prints, 1.33:1. Its triptych finale was presented in Gance's Polyvision system, which achieved a 4:1 image by showing three 35mm 1.33:1 images abreast. The digital masters maintain these original ratios, within releases for live performance with orchestra, a music-synced release for 'standard' cinema presentation, and Blu-ray and DVD release. The latter also offered the opportunity to the view the three triptych panels separately and even the possibility to assemble them on three screens.
Time since aimed for version was last available. How does this version differ from previous versions e.g. in completeness and improvement in quality: Kevin Brownlow's reconstruction of the film reached its apogee with the 2000 restoration. Significant improvements to its completeness and image quality were made, alongside Patrick Stanbury's superior graphic representation of the intertitles. The BFI National Archive then created the 35mm tinted and toned print, using original silent-era methods. This new release has been completely regraded from the negative, including an improved rendering of toned and tinted sequences, and the nearly 480,000 images have been rigorously repaired digitally. The film version was screened only 4 times in the UK since the 2000 premiere, accompanied by Carl Davis' indelible score.
Where the work was carried out for each title, (including labs and facility houses) and broken down where there are multiple titles in an entry: All restoration work was supervised by Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stanbury, alongside Ben Thompson, Charles Fairall and Kieron Webb of the BFI National Archive. The digital mastering work was carried out at Dragon Digital, under the supervision of Paul Wright, and encompassed image repair, grading and colour restoration, the production of all deliverables and Blu-ray/DVD authoring. The 2000 restored film negative was scanned by Joao Oliveira at PresTech Laboratories. The Carl Davis score has been newly recorded and conducted by the composer. It was mixed at Chris Egan Music and the 7.1 mix was made at Pinewood Studios, under Carl Davis' supervision.
What methodology was used?: The project's aim has been to reproduce the Kevin Brownlow restoration with Carl Davis score for cinema and home release. The negative was conformed by Ben Thompson, and scanned using a VistaVision gate to safely capture all changes in frameline position throughout the 29,000ft. Colour references were taken from original frames in the collection of Kevin Brownlow, and an original release print from the Cinematheque francaise for the single-screen ending. Patrick Stanbury undertook a full analysis of the triptych to establish its optimum alignment and synchronisation, including 3 different DCP configurations to allow for single or three-projector presentation.
What preservation elements have been generated and where will they be stored?: * DPX files of scans and restored data on LTO LTFS data tapes * DCDM on LTO LTFS data tapes * DCPs of: Live version (triptych at same height as 1.33:1 feature, for widescreen presentation) Distribution version (triptych to show on one projector) 3 separate triptych panels Gance's single-screen ending * HQ ProRes 4:2:2 files, made from the restored digital masters at the correct running speed All the above elements are stored in the BFI National Archive's Digital Preservation Infrastructure. The restored film elements are kept in the BFI National Archive's Master Film Store, in the appropriately stringent preservation environments.
How and where has the restoration been presented and made available to the public?: The restoration premiere was 6th November, at the Royal Festival Hall, with Carl Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra's performance of his score. * Napoleon will play at over 40 cinemas across the UK by January 2017 * The trailer was acclaimed as 'the most exciting I've seen in recent years' by Mark Kermode and watched over 115,000 times on YouTube * Blu-ray/DVD sold out on its first day of release (21 November 2016)
1912-1992: 80 years of Olympic films restored
Footage Archive Researcher:
Warner Bros MPI, Audio Mechanics, Burbank, under the management of Adrian Wood and Robert Jaquier
Production Company:
International Olympic Committee
Country of Production:
Switzerland
Involved Partners:
International Olympic Committee
Archival highlights
Country of Origin of cited work: Switzerland First Transmission / Publication Date since restoration: 2014-8-3
Programme Duration (mins): 6000 Number of episodes in Series (If applicable): 100
Brief Synopsis: All Olympic Games since 1904 have, to varying degree, produced a moving image legacy. At the beginning this was limited to newsreel coverage and short films, but starting in the 1920s, world famous film directors were commissioned by the Organizing Committees to create full length documentaries about the Games. Since 1930 these films have been mandated by the IOC in its charter and from 1948-on the term "Official film" has been used to differentiate these films from others productions made at the Olympic Games. Together the Olympic films form a body of work that provides a unique audiovisual legacy of the Olympic Games.
Reason for submission: In 2005, the IOC started an ambitious project to ensure the restoration and long term preservation of all the most important Olympic films. That project is now completed: more than 40 long form documentaries and 60 additional short films have now been meticulously researched and restored using the best elements for each and taking advantage the latest digital technologies available. To illustrate our submission, we selected six titles which give a good overview of the eighty years of films covered by our project - from the first Olympic short films of 1912 to the last Olympic film shot on 35mm in 1992 - and show the various challenges we faced in working on them.
The element(s) used for restoration, stating gauge and nature and specific problems associated with them e.g. damage, dispersal of elements and complexity of reconstruction: The original 35mm and 16mm film negatives, or the best surviving film elements, were used for each restoration. The IOC did not produce these films itself, so did not own the original elements for most of them. We had to collaborate with more than 40 film archives, studios and producers around the world to acquire, or get access to, the original film elements for each film. Specific details for the six selected titles will be provided separately.
Original and restored aspect ratio and format: All the films were originally shot on either 16mm or 35mm film and had aspect ratio varying between 1.33:1, 1.66:1, 1:78:1 and 2.39:1. The restored films were output on 35mm film, DCP, HDCAMSR and LTO. All OARs were respected in the restorations. Specific details for the six selected titles will be provided separately.
Time since aimed for version was last available. How does this version differ from previous versions e.g. in completeness and improvement in quality: Olympic films have historically been produced in multiple versions for specific territories. The general policy we set up was to restore the films in their original language and original form. Additional language versions, alternate cuts or inserts were also researched and restored where possible. Some films had not been seen in their complete form since their original release, some other films were thought to be lost, and generally all the films were only accessible, if at all, in standard definition copies. Specific details for the six selected titles will be provided separately.
Where the work was carried out for each title, (including labs and facility houses) and broken down where there are multiple titles in an entry: Our project used various labs and facility houses across Europe, the US and Asia throughout the years: Arane-Gulliver, Digital Film Lab, Haghe Film, Deluxe 142, Edit Store, L'Immagine Ritrovata, Cineric, Fotokem, Imagica to name but a few. Since 2007, Audio Mechanics in Burbank has carried out the sound restoration of nearly all our films. Since 2010, Warner Bros Motion Picture Imaging has been used nearly exclusively for the picture restoration.
What methodology was used?: Each restoration followed a similar workflow: research of textual and film sources, video-based comparisons of source elements, restoration of the best elements for picture and sound, creation of deliverables for exploitation and long term preservation. Collaborations with the archival community and respect of its best practices were key points in our project. Specific details for the six selected titles will be provided separately.
What preservation elements have been generated and where will they be stored?: 35mm filmouts, composite prints, track negatives and mags, all polyester-based have been created for most of the restored films. They are stored at the Swiss Cinematheque, which holds most of the IOC's film collection. Restored image files have been recorded on two LTO sets and restored audio files on two archival DVD sets. These will be stored in the IOC's vaults and servers. Specific details for the six selected titles will be provided separately.
How and where has the restoration been presented and made available to the public?: The restored films have been screened at festivals, film archives, and other cultural institutions worldwide, as well as being shown on the IOC's online platforms. They are also slated for release on home video, video on demand and theatrical re-release in certain territories.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Director:
Ron Howard
Producer(s):
Nigel Sinclair, Scott Pascucci, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Footage Archive Researcher:
Matthew White, Marc Ambrose
Archival Sources:
Apple Corps Ltd, British Pathe, ITN Source, Reelin In The Years, Getty Images
Production Company:
White Horse Pictures and Imagine Entertainment
Country of Production:
USA, UK
Synopsis
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years is based on the first part of The Beatles' career (1962-1966) -- the period in which they toured and captured the world's acclaim. Ron Howard's film explores how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star came together to become this extraordinary phenomenon, "The Beatles". It explores their inner workings - how they made decisions, created their music and built their collective career together - all the while, exploring The Beatles' extraordinary and unique musical gifts and their remarkable, complementary personalities. The film will focus on the time period from the early Beatles' journey in the days of The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. We have submitted for this award because we feel that after years were spent tirelessly looking for never seen before footage of "Theatrical" and "Cinematic" quality from around the globe the director, producers & crew deserve it. Over the course of the production Apple Corps, Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures and One Voice One World called out to fans who had attended The Beatles concerts in the 60's to send us never seen before footage and stills. This was a great success and adding these special contributors to the vendors we had over 150 licensors in total that contributed some fantastic footage comprising up to over 2000 clips. That footage was gloriously restored by some wonderful artists to get it to its best form to view. Again this Award is to everyone that gave their lives up to the movie to make it the best it could be.
VISUALS: Terence Donovan: Speed of Light Exhibition
Director:
Paul Bell, James Hunt
Producer(s):
Paul Bell, James Hunt
Footage Archive Researcher:
James Hunt
Archival Sources:
Contemporary Films Source, Maverick Music Library Source, Terence Donovan Archive Source, Getty Images/BBC Motion gallery Source, ITN Source
Production Company:
Dog and Duck Films
Country of Production:
UK
Synopsis
Dog and Duck Films was asked by the Photographers Gallery to create a short film to accompany the first major retrospective of the hugely influential British photographer Terence Donovan. With the use of genuinely unseen and unheard archive footage and audio the short film shows Terence at work in his studio in the early 1950s through to one of the last interviews he gave in the 1990s. In his own words he describes his unique approach to the art and craft of photography, in addition (and in a very rare interview) Norman Parkinson assesses his career and contribution to the industry. One of the key elements is footage that James found from a very obscure archive not normally accessible (or even known) to researchers. It has genuinely never been seen before and was transferred to HD only after protracted negotiations. Because the film was shown in the same space as a major photographic retrospective the images had to be unique and distinctive enough to stand out from those on the walls around them, which they do magnificently. We were also determined to find the right audio of Terence, so he could tell his own story. Both the family and the gallery were delighted with the finished film.
Zoo Quest in Colour
Director:
Anuschka Schofield
Producer(s):
Anuschka Schofield
Footage Archive Researcher:
Harry James, Estelle Cheuk
Archival Sources:
BBC Natural History Unit Archives, BBC Archives, Perivale
Production Company:
BBC Natural History Unit
Country of Production:
UK
Synopsis
First broadcast in 1954, Zoo Quest was one of the most popular television series of its time and launched the career of the young David Attenborough as a wildlife presenter. Broadcast ten years before colour television was seen in the UK, Zoo Quest was thought to have been filmed in black and white. Until now! Thanks to a recent remarkable discovery in the BBC's Film Vaults, the best of David Attenborough's early Zoo Quest adventures can now be seen as never before " in stunning HD colour " and with it the fascinating story of how this pioneering television series was made. This new-found footage shows animals filmed for the very first time, as well as being a unique cultural record of a bygone era. The 60 year old Kodachrome colour reversal originals were transferred to HD on a Philips Spirit telecine. The quality of the images and colour were both extremely impressive on viewing that first transfer. This was a tribute to the quality of the film stock and filming equipment (camera and lenses) of the 1950's. Further restoration, grading and stills work was completed using DaVinci Resolve and Adobe CC.
It's the defining cultural tale of modern America - a saga of race, celebrity, media, violence, and the criminal justice system. Two decades after its unforgettable climax, it continues to fascinate, polarize, and develop new chapters. Drawing upon more than seventy interviews - from longtime friends and colleagues of Simpson, to civil rights leaders, and recognizable commentators - the documentary is an engrossing look at a tragic American tale. At the end of what seems like a search for the truth about O.J. Simpson, the film reveals a collection of unshakeable and haunting truths about America, and about ourselves. With a documentary covering the entire life and career of OJ Simpson intertwined with the history of Los Angeles and the LAPD's relationship with the black community, the film relies on diverse and rare footage and photos tell the story. The film sourced footage, audio, and stills from over a 100 archives, collections, libraries and networks, to visually give the audience a journey through time periods and the evolving media that OJ's career spanned- including everything from sports coverage, to commercials and film, to Court room footage to multiple period interviews with OJ Simpson, to more recent verite moments. We are proud of the footage we researched and unearthed for this project and feel the film's success is in large part due to the visual / footage experience that enhances the 70+ interviews shot for the film.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Director:
Ron Howard
Producer(s):
Nigel Sinclair, Scott Pascucci, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Footage Archive Researcher:
Matthew White, Marc Ambrose
Archival Sources:
Apple Corps Ltd, British Pathe, ITN Source, Reelin In The Years, Getty Images
Production Company:
White Horse Pictures and Imagine Entertainment
Country of Production:
USA, UK
Archival highlights
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years is based on the first part of The Beatles' career (1962-1966) -- the period in which they toured and captured the world's acclaim. Ron Howard's film explores how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star came together to become this extraordinary phenomenon, "The Beatles". It explores their inner workings - how they made decisions, created their music and built their collective career together - all the while, exploring The Beatles' extraordinary and unique musical gifts and their remarkable, complementary personalities. The film will focus on the time period from the early Beatles' journey in the days of The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. We have submitted for this award because we feel that after years were spent tirelessly looking for never seen before footage of "Theatrical" and "Cinematic" quality from around the globe the director, producers & crew deserve it. Over the course of the production Apple Corps, Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures and One Voice One World called out to fans who had attended The Beatles concerts in the 60's to send us never seen before footage and stills. This was a great success and adding these special contributors to the vendors we had over 150 licensors in total that contributed some fantastic footage comprising up to over 2000 clips. That footage was gloriously restored by some wonderful artists to get it to its best form to view. Again this Award is to everyone that gave their lives up to the movie to make it the best it could be.
Eat That Question - Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Director:
Thorsten Schutte
Producer(s):
Estelle Fialon
Footage Archive Researcher:
Elizabeth Klinck (Archive Producer) & Liz Etherington (Archive Researcher)
Archival Sources:
CTV Bellmedia Canada, ITN, SVT, ABC, Pennsylvania Police Department
Production Company:
Les Films Du Poisson, UFA Fiction, ARTE France, SWR, Sony Pictures Classics
Country of Production:
France, Germany
Synopsis
Eat That Question - Frank Zappa in His Own Words is an intimate encounter with the iconoclastic composer and musician. Rare archival footage reveals a provocative 20th century musical genius whose worldview reverberates into the present day and beyond. Eat That Question is a labour of love produced over eight years. The doc is 100% archival, sourced almost entirely from broadcast vaults and private collections from across Europe, North America and Australia, and features no originally-shot footage or interviews. More than 70 sources were approached, and 40 sources of material were used in the final film. Many of the 16 mm masters were lost or in poor condition, having been often shoddily transferred into various formats over the years. The clearances and rights were challenging and required skilled negotiations in a multitude of countries. It is the first Zappa Family endorsed film to have been made on the iconic performer.
When Magic Goes Horribly Wrong
Director:
Simon Withington
Producer(s):
Simon Withington
Footage Archive Researcher:
Jo Stones, Daniel Kilro
Archival Sources:
Televisa, A&E Networks, BBC / Getty, Historic Film Archive, FremantleMedia Archive
Production Company:
Crackit Productions
Country of Production:
UK
Synopsis
The less-than-perfect moments that the magicians hoped would vanish away are unearthed in this three hour special. Featuring some of the world of magic's top names including Siegfried & Roy, David Blaine and Paul Daniels whose fails promise to leave you open-mouthed. There are water cell stunts and fire acts gone horribly wrong as well as some excruciatingly bad performances from the most unlikely stars including OJ Simpson. With a 6 week lead-time for research, and a small team consisting of just two Archive Producers Jo Stones & Daniel Kilroy, the pair sourced the world for rare and unseen magic performances gone wrong. Using libraries as diverse as ABC News Source, A&E Networks, Historic Films, Retro Video, Televisa, the BBC & FremantleMedia as well as tapping into footage belonging to the magicians themselves this 3 hour epic, one of the first of its kind on the theme of magic, was both a ratings and critical success (Daily Express Matt Baylis: "[It was] worth staying up until nearly 1am for!"). On it's original transmission, the programme won its the slot over all other channels including ITV & the BBC.
The War Show
Director:
Andreas Dalsgaard, Obaidah Zytoon
Producer(s):
Miriam Norgaard, Alaa Hassan
Footage Archive Researcher:
Alaa Hassan, Adam Nielsen, Obaidah Zytoon and Andreas Dalsgaard
Archival Sources:
Caesar Archive with SAFMCD, RT-Ruptly, AP Archive/Polfoto, Scanpix, YouTube.com
Production Company:
Fridthjof Film
Country of Production:
Denmark
Synopsis
Syrian radio host Obaidah and her friends, join the street protests against the oppressive regime, in 2011. They live together and film as they participate in the demonstrations against President Assad. As the regime's violent response spirals the country into a bloody civil war, their hopes for a better future are tested. Zytoon journeys from her hometown, Zabadani, to the centre of the rebellion, Homs, to northern Syria where she witnesses the rise of extremism. A deeply personal road movie, that captures Syria's fate through the intimate lens of a small circle of friends, whose dreams are turned into nightmares. Most of the film is filmed by the filmmaker and friends, but to really understand their struggle it was important to contrast the channels by which the government controlled media presented the protests against the protests the Syrian people uploaded on Youtube. It was important, to show Caesar archives, to show that the victims aren't just dead bodies but people who used to live such as Obadiah's friends, as well as to show the Syrian refugee crisis by using pictures of rubber boats and masses on the run, but after getting to know people who have taken this journey.
Letters From Baghdad
Director:
Zeva Oelbaum, Sabine Krayenbuhl
Producer(s):
Zeva Oelbaum
Footage Archive Researcher:
Judy Aley, Jennifer Latham
Archival Sources:
Imperial War Museum, WPA Film Library, University of South Carolina, NARA, BFI
Production Company:
Letters From Baghdad Ltd, Between the Rivers Productions LLC
Country of Production:
USA, UK, France
Synopsis
"Letters from Baghdad" is the story of a true original, Gertrude Bell, sometimes called the 'female' Lawrence of Arabia. Voiced and executive produced by Academy award winning actor Tilda Swinton, the film tells the story of this British spy, explorer and political powerhouse who helped draw the borders of Iraq after WWI and established the Iraq Museum, before being written out of history. Using never-seen-before archival footage of the region, the film chronicles Bell's extraordinary journey into the Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British male colonial power. It is a unique look at both a complex woman and the tangled history of Iraq and is surprisingly relevant today. Letters From Baghdad is composed almost entirely of archival footage, much of it shot nearly 100 years ago in the Middle East. As co-directors, a fundamental aspect of our filmmaking partnership is our love of early cinema and archival footage. We are always looking for unusual ways to incorporate archival materials into a film and drawn to the idea of working with archival footage the way a painter works with a palette. One of our primary objectives for our film was to use archival footage to pull back the curtain on a remarkable era and immerse the viewer in a long vanished world. At the same time, we looked for footage that could transcend time and place and evoke emotion, setting a mood and informing the pace of the narrative. We knew that it would be a challenge to find enough footage for a feature length film. How much footage would even exist of Baghdad, Damascus, Teheran and Cairo from the early 1900s? What shape would it be in? The results of our international search for footage thrilled us. Eventually, we amassed over 1000 extraordinary film clips, some of them hand-tinted, from more than 25 archives around the world. Many clips had never been digitized, and were buried in reels that had been in storage for more than half a century. It has been our great pleasure to have these film clips digitized and bring them, as well as Gertrude Bell, to life.
Hitler's Games - Berlin 1936
Director:
Jerome Prieur
Producer(s):
Dominique Tibi
Footage Archive Researcher:
Antoine Dauer
Archival Sources:
Bundesarchive, AKH, CIO, Ateliers des Archives, CastanFilmKontor
Production Company:
Roche Productions
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
Summer 1936. Berlin Olympic Games gave the world the image of a sporting, peaceful, regenerated Germany. For two weeks, the Games seemed to have stopped time and removed violence and fear. Or how Adolf Hitler became, thanks to sport, the peaceful guest of countries he was preparing total war against. Jerome Prieur's film accurately tells of the vast propaganda operation that started as of 1933. For the first time, only with the use of official news, and pictures taken from Olympia by Leni Riefenstahl and also from numerous unreleased amateur films, we are made to see the preparation, orchestration and staging of a performance which dealt with politics far more than with sport and we are made to realise how the 1936 Games were a game with appearances.
