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
MLK/FBI
Director:
Sam Pollard
Producer(s):
Phil Pinto, Jessica Luya, Kenneth Alexander Campbell
Footage Archive Researcher:
Brian Becker
Archival Sources:
Getty, NBC, Streamline, CBC, Warner Bros
Production Company:
Field Of Vision, Play Action Pictures, Cinetic
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI Director James Comey and directed by Emmy® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI tells this astonishing and tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.
Finding Jack Charlton
Director:
Gabriel Clarke, Pete Thomas
Producer(s):
John McKenna, Torquil Jones, Drew Masters, Catherine Quantschnigg
Footage Archive Researcher:
Production Team
Archival Sources:
Private Owner - Craig Johnston, Private Owner - Frank Gillespie, North East Film Archive, BBC/Getty Archive
Production Company:
Noah Media Group
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, Ireland
Synopsis
FINDING JACK CHARLTON is the compelling, emotional and definitive portrait of a football life like no other. It is the story of an extraordinary man: an English World Cup winning legend, who became an Irish hero. Contemporary filming and interviews combine with unseen audio, visual and personal archive material to reveal the untold story of Jack’s life and career.
Ronnie's
Director:
Oliver Murray
Producer(s):
Kirsty Bell
Footage Archive Researcher:
James RM Hunt
Archival Sources:
BBC, Kino, Old Street Films, British Pathe, Getty
Production Company:
Orofena Films, Goldfinch Entertainment
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States
Synopsis
Ronnie's is the story of musician Ronnie Scott and his world famous jazz club. In 1959, saxophonist Ronnie Scott opened the door to a small basement jazz club in London’s Soho. As part of the burgeoning modern jazz movement, he and fellow saxophonist Pete King had dreamt of opening a club modelled on the swinging scene of New York’s 52nd Street. From its humble beginnings sixty years ago, Ronnie Scott’s would become the cornerstone of the UK jazz scene and one of the most famous music clubs in the world.
Ronnie Scott was beloved by many, from the great and famous who frequented his club, to the many hard up musicians who were often helped by his warmth and generous spirit. However, Ronnie was as complex and colourful as the music played on his stage. In private Ronnie battled with depression and when his untimely death occurred in 1996 it left the jazz community bereft of a respected and favourite leader.
Crip Camp
Director:
Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer(s):
Sara Bolder
Footage Archive Researcher:
Rachel Antell, Jen Petrucelli
Archival Sources:
Peoples Video Theater, KRON via Bancroft Library, AP, ABC, NBC
Production Company:
A Higher Ground and Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms, Ford Foundation for Netflix
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Director:
Jenny Popplewell
Producer(s):
Jonathan Stadlen (Executive Producer), James Marsh (Executive Producer), Hayley Ford (Line Producer)
Footage Archive Researcher:
James RM Hunt (Archive Producer), Sarah Powell (Archive Researcher)
Archival Sources:
Shannan Watts / Rzucek family personal archive, Weld County Police, KMGH Denver 7, KDVR Fox 31, CNN
Production Company:
Knickerbockerglory
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
Told entirely through archival footage this is an immersive and authentic examination of a disintegrating marriage. The focus of the film was to give Shanann Watts a voice to tell her story. She had become overlooked through the years while people focused on her husband to try and understand why this ‘nice guy' snapped. Society can be quick to blame and shame female victims of violent crime. It was important to reveal a layered representation of Shanann and to challenge tired tropes that a bossy woman drove her husband to commit violence.
Brian Becker – MLK/FBI
Production Company:
Field Of Vision, Play Action Pictures, Cinetic
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former and directed by Emmy Award-winner and Oscar-nominee Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI tells this astonishing and tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.
Archival highlights
At its core, MLK/FBI is a documentary focused on archives and the histories held deep within them. The FBI extensively surveilled Martin Luther King Jr. over the course of his entire life, and the growth of the agency’s domestic surveillance program mirrored MLK’s ascent as a civil rights leader. King’s story has been extensively studied and many documentaries focus on his legacy, but MLK/FBI is the first film to deeply examine the danger Martin Luther King posed to the American status quo.
We accomplished this task through creating an immersive, almost-100% archival documentary. The audience hears original interviews, but the interviewees do not appear on-screen until the conclusion of the film. There is no shortage of footage on MLK or the FBI, so I had to critically assess archival collections to create the most engrossing visual environment possible. Whether it be discovering one of J. Edgar Hoover’s only television interviews held at the University of Rochester, or digitizing a collection of the only known photographs of King and his advisor Stanley Levison, I left no stone unturned in tracking the rise of King and the FBI surveillance state.
Because so many films exist on MLK and the civil rights struggle, director Sam Pollard and editor Laura Tomaselli requested footage of King that had not yet been digitized and that showed elements of his personality beyond his common portrayal as an un-flawed American hero. I focused on local and international archives, historical societies and major television networks. Our film also examines the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover, who, as one of our interviewees mentions in the film, was much more popular than King in the 1960s. Beyond government-produced films, we creatively pulled from television specials on surveillance and industrial films on wiretapping. We also utilized movies and television shows that displayed the rosy popular image of the agency.
This found material existed in dialogue with the narrative. Newly discovered footage spoke to the direction of the story, while the story spoke back to the material I sought to discover. The interweaving of these findings powered our process and allowed for a novel, in-depth look at Martin Luther King, the FBI, and America at-large.
Miriam Walsh and Mariam Koloyan – Once Upon a Time in Iraq
Production Company:
KEO films
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
The Iraq War is the defining conflict of our age and set in motion a calamitous chain of unforeseen events that are still playing out today. The politicians and decision makers involved have had their say. In this series, the story of the Iraq war is told instead by civilians, journalists, and soldiers - ordinary people from both sides of the conflict, who lived through the 2003 invasion and the 17 years of chaos that followed. Told with hope, humanity and humour, and illustrated with extraordinary and never before seen personal archive, this series takes us closer to the realities of the war than ever before. Through their eyes we see how events in Iraq have changed the world forever.
Archival highlights
Miriam and Mariam contribution to this series far exceeded a normal archive producer/ research role. The whole series was defined by the archive they found. Characters and stories, indeed whole chapters of the war, were dropped if we couldn’t find good archive to illustrate it. The reverse was also true. Finding a hidden treasure trove of unseen archive also determined that a story or character was included. They had 17 years of conflict to get through, and were constantly finding new and rarely before seen treasure troves of archive, from rushes from news reports, or on mini dv tapes stashed in lofts and garages. These often unexpected, serendipitous discoveries determined the editorial direction of the series, which is why this series belongs to them as much as anyone.
Helen Carr for The Story of Ready Steady Go!
Production Company:
Whizz Kid Entertainment, eOne, BMG
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States
Synopsis
In this new documentary we tell the story of Britain’s iconic 1960’s music show, Ready Steady Go! This was the programme that revolutionised television “for the kids” and coincided with the tremendous explosion of British pop talent which took the world by storm. It championed emerging talent like The Beatles, The Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones.
This is the definitive documentary that will cover every aspect of the pioneering show whose style rewrote the rulebook with its intoxicating blend of performance, celebrity interviews and items on fashion. It often featured cameras in shot, live mishaps and the young audience interacting with their pop star heroes
Archival highlights
Helen Carr - Producer & Director Statement by Samantha Peters
I have worked with Helen Carr for many years and she has developed into a hugely experienced, talented and committed Archive Producer. This is not a 9-5 job for Helen, she will always be completely relied upon during a production and while working on my recent projects, The Story of Ready Steady Go! and The Best of Ready Steady Go!, she utilised her skills and abilities to the highest level.
Helen left no stone unturned to find all available footage from a show that only had 9 full episodes that existed out of 179. This meant piecing together fragments of the show from various sources, including a viewer’s 8mm recording of Solomon Burke filmed on their TV at the time of transmission. Great effort and detective work was taken when it came to finding and digitising the original film reels to ensure that the footage was presented in the best way possible. The original, unedited performances have not been widely seen since they were first transmitted in the 1960s and the only copies that were thought to be in existence were C4 compilations that included re-edited performances interweaved with none RSG! Footage. There was also no paperwork to help identify the different sources in the programme.
Due to the lack of original paperwork/ contracts, and the fact that the programme was being distributed worldwide, Helen took time to build strong relationships with the artists’ representatives/legal team and gain their trust to clear their performances - including Marvin Gaye, Sandie Shaw and Otis Redding.
Helen not only strives for the wish list, but will use her initiative to find unique footage to help enrich our film. She managed to find some incredible footage that illustrated the story of one of our interviewees, Chris Farlowe. This consisted of finding Chris in some uncatalogued clubland footage of the 60s that was perfect for the narrative. Helen’s support in the edit, meeting deadlines, editorial understanding, getting footage digitised, technical knowledge and organisation of the archives is outstanding and she fully understands the importance of her role in a production and how critical that is to meet delivery and budget.
Shatranj-E Baad (The Chess game of the Wind)
Country of Production:
Italy
Original Release:
1976
Involved Partners:
L'Immagine Ritrovata, The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, Mohammad Reza Aslani, the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
Synopsis
Under the Kadjar dynasty, the death of the first lady of a noble house creates a conflict between the heirs for taking over her rich inheritance.
Archival highlights
Every year the The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project takes the challenge to find and save world heritage lost masterpieces: the restoration "Chess of the Wind" is one of the most unique for it added an unknown masterpiece to film history. After its “physical” premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato, its participation at the LFF attracted a significant amount of press: “Audiences won’t have seen anything like this" titles The Guardian. “Chess of the Wind” was only screened once, 50 years ago, before being restored and its disappearance was due not only to the Iranian regime censorship but also to its narrative complexity and aesthetic sophistication. Recovering its beauty, its colour and texture was like restoring Renaissance art.
The Ladykillers
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Original Release:
1955
Involved Partners:
Studiocanal, Silver Salt Restoration, Fidelity in Motion, Deluxe Digital Cinema
Synopsis
As The Ladykillers was the last Technicolor three-strip film shot in the UK, it was crucially important that the original camera negative was used for a restoration that will serve as the best version of the film since its original release. In total the film benefitted from over a 1000 hours worth of 4K digital restoration.
One of the biggest issues to overcome was aligning the colour separations together, this was automated to a certain extent, but a huge amount of manual tweaking was required and involved tracking each one of the perforations in each corner of the film frame on a channel by channel basis
A 35mm Technicolor print was used as a reference for the colour grade to ensure the new HDR Dolby Vision master stayed true to the films original 1950s ‘color by Technicolor’ look
Archival highlights
Not since the original release has such a release of this title existed in such clarity with the integrity of the original materials. This was the first restoration in which the original three-strip negative was used and months of digital restoration and precise colour management executed to remove the issued that blighted previous releases of it. When viewed against the previous releases it is comfortably obvious how superior this is and most of all how much it resembles the release prints we would have seen in 1955. This is a project that takes world class technical quality combined with passion for a UK classic title and delivers the viewer an unparalleled experience. With the home entertainment release we offered out two aspect ratios thus re-creating the options audience had in 1955
Trichromie
Country of Production:
Italy
Involved Partners:
Restoration promoted by Gaumont. Film scan at George Eastman House. Digital restoration, Color correction and finalizations at L'Immagine Rtitrovata.
Synopsis
The titles are typical cinema's 'views' of daily life in the 1910's. Athens Deauville-Trouville February in Provence Flowers Flower Studies Fruits The Great Flower Fete at Nice, Sunday February 2nd 1913 Harbour Scenes - Harbor and Plantation Scenes Honfleur In the Isle of Majorca King Alphonso XIII During his Visit in France The Late King of Greece Arrival of the Royal Remains at Athens Nice Carnival Paris Fashion - Latest Spring Hats Picturesque Greece, The District Area Around Megare and Corinth Part I Picturesque Greece, The District Area Around Megare and Corinth Part II Reproduction of a Bouquet with Ordinary Cinematography - Same Bouquet by Chronochrome Venetian Glass-Ware Venice Venice, Queen of the Adriatic View of Enghein Bains Wedding Celebrations of Princess Victoria Louise & Prince August Cumberland
Archival highlights
The importance of the restoration of the treasures of Trichromie rely mostly in the possibility to be able, thanks to the latest digital technologies, to preserve and present again all marvelous images from this particular color technique and be shared on all media. Audience is still enchanted by the simple triumph of color of Flowers or the delicate nuances of the sea and the faces from more than one century ago.
Fellini Project
Country of Production:
Italy
Involved Partners:
L'Immagine Ritrovata, Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Luce Cinecittà and Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca Nazionale
Synopsis
The 2020 marks what is perhaps the most important and international anniversary of Italian cinema: the centenary of the birth of Federico Fellini.
Archival highlights
Maestro Fellini's global relevance could not just be the object of ritual celebrations. Federico Fellini represents Cinecittà, he was the conductor of some of our country's best actresses and actors, a master who generated geniuses in all professions and techinques of cinema. In the history of world culture, Federico Fellini is worth the Colosseum. He is the best expression of our imagination.
Rewind
Producer(s):
Noel McCartney, Warren Bell, Gordon Adair, Barry McCaffrey
Editor(s):
Andy Martin (Executive Editor), Helen Toland (Editor)
Footage Archive Researcher:
Ronan Breathnach-Cashell, Patricia Buller, Darren McLarkey, Kathy Wilford, Jason Martin, Gary Watson, Nicole Burns, Kathleen Bell, Áine Quinn
Archival Sources:
BBC Northern Ireland News, BBC News (national), Other BBC, RTÉ Archives
Production Company:
BBC Northern Ireland
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
Rewind is an innovative archive project that puts decades of Northern Ireland film assets at the fingertips of every UK citizen.
Several years in gestation, this public-facing website unlocks the historically and socially significant BBC Northern Ireland news and current affairs archive, from 1952-1979.
The site surfaces over 13,000 archive video clips via the intelligent search of newly-enhanced and enriched metadata.
The scale and ambition of this re-compliance of archive is unprecedented in the BBC and its delivery a major step forward in the long-held desire to gift this unique public asset back to the audience who funded it, and whose stories it tells.
HENRI Des films rares de la Cinémathèque française et d'ailleurs à voir en ligne (Rare films from the Cinémathèque française and abroad to watch online)
Director:
Emilie Cauquy
Producer(s):
Xavier Jamet, Nicolas Le Thierry, Fred Savioz
Footage Archive Researcher:
Wafa Ghermani
Archival Sources:
La Cinémathèque française, CNC, La Cinémathèque de Toulouse, Cineteca di Bologna, Thai Film Archive
Production Company:
La Cinémathèque Française
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
HENRI, the Cinémathèque française's free VOD platform, responds to a simple desire, which became obvious in March 2020: to be able to continue showing films when cinemas are forced to close due to the pandemic.
Long Gone Summer
Director:
AJ Schnack
Producer(s):
Anne Carkeet (Producer), AJ Schnack (Producer), Will Lennon (Produced by), Shirley Moyers (Produced by), John Dahl (Executive Producer), Libby Geist (Executive Producer), Rob King (Executive Producer), Erin Leyden (Executive Producer), Connor Schell (Executive Producer), Kristen Lappas (Produced by)
Footage Archive Researcher:
Marianna Yarovskaya, Anne Carkeet, Will Lennon, Shirley Moyers, AJ Schnack
Archival Sources:
Major League Baseball, ABCNews VideoSource, Nimia, ESPN, Getty
Production Company:
ESPN Films in association with Bonfire Films of America
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
The unforgettable tale of the most storied home run chase in baseball history – and all the questions that followed.
When the World Watched Brazil 1970
Director:
Andrew Lynch
Producer(s):
Andrew Lynch, Simon Corney, James Reilly, Paul Redman
Footage Archive Researcher:
Igor Tavares, Gemma Lynch, Cesar Ortega, Luke Moreau
Archival Sources:
FIFA Films, ITV Sports Archive, Globo TV, British Pathé, Associated Press
Production Company:
FIFA Films, Noah Media
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, Brazil, Switzerland
Synopsis
When the World Watched: celebrates the 50th anniversary of Brazil's victory at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, played in Mexico, was the first ever to be broadcast live in colour to a worldwide audience and this four-part series provides a fresh look at the players' experiences at a pivotal point in their country's history. Using unseen and rare film from the FIFA Films library as well as a wide range of 3rd party archive the series immerses the viewer in the sights and sounds of the technicolor tournament. Interviews with nine of the remaining team members including the legendary Pelé, as well as Brazilian sports journalists drive the narrative and reveal new stories around the team's victory.
Beautifully restored film footage was deliberately placed in a 4:3 frame to evoke the atmosphere of the era. Bespoke graphics, created to match the style of the 70s add to the nostalgic yet modern approach to the story telling.
The Last Dance
Director:
Jason Hehir
Producer(s):
Mike Tollin (EP), Curtis Polk (EP), Estee Portnoy (EP), Andrew Thompson (EP), Gregg Winik (EP), John Dahl (EP), Libby Geist (EP), Connor Schell (EP), Peter Guber (EP), Rob King (EP), Erin Leyden (EP), Jason Hehir (Produced by), Nina Krstic (Produced by), Matt Maxson (Produced by), Jacob Rogal (Produced by)
Footage Archive Researcher:
Nina Krstic, Jillian Moosmann and Zachary Rothfeld
Archival Sources:
NBA, WBBM, ESPN, WLS, WTTW
Production Company:
A Mandalay Sports Media Production in Association with NBA Entertainment, ESPN Films and Netflix
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls began their quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. But despite all Jordan had achieved since his sensational debut 13 years earlier, “The Last Dance,” as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension with the club’s front office and the overwhelming sense that this was the last time the world would ever see the greatest player of all time, and his extraordinary teammates, in full flight.
Revelaciones (Revelations)
Director:
Juan Soto
Producer(s):
Juan Soto
Footage Archive Researcher:
Juan Soto
Archival Sources:
Cuban FIlm Archive, Photographic private collection, Juan Soto Private Collection
Production Company:
TardeoTemprano Films
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, Colombia
Synopsis
I called my mother with a very specific question, and the conversation ended up having the structure of a potencial film. When blending her words with some old 16mm footage and some photography rolls a cuban friend had asked me to develop, the images started to burn, and their ignition posed questions about the nature of memories, how do we archive and preserve them, and which ones vanish without leaving a trace. According to Didi Huberman, to look at an image requires being able to discern the place where it burns.
North Country
Director:
Nick Martini (Director) Cam Riley (DP)
Producer(s):
Anthony Lahout (EP), Lindsey Hagen (EP)
Editor(s):
Mattias Evangelista
Archival Sources:
Rick Moulton, Oklahoma Historical Society, New Hampshire State Parks, John Frye and International Skiing History Association, Jeff Liech and Franconia Ski Museum
Production Company:
Stept Studios
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
100-year businesses don’t exist. The retail industry is dead. In the rugged White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, Lahout’s has remained open 365 days a year since 1920. While e-commerce and conglomerates have stripped the country of local, independent retailers, a family of Lebanese immigrants have prevailed for a century, beating the Great Depression, World War II, the Dot Com Crash and Great Recession.
Award-winning director Nick Martini and cinematographer Cam Riley have teamed up with executive producer Anthony Lahout to captivate a nation consumed with hashtags instead of history. This film tells a timeless short story of the American dream and the family that put a community on skis. After 100 years, Lahout’s is still a family business moving onto its fourth generation. Through past and present, we learn the true root of the store's success.
The Go-Go’s
Director:
Alison Ellwood
Producer(s):
Trevor Birney, Corey Russell, Eimhear O'Neill
Footage Archive Researcher:
Talia Woolridge (Lead Archive Producer), Kate Griffiths (Additional Archive Producer), Clearance Matters (Additional Archive Producer), Andrew Bergant (Additional Archive Researcher), Richard Higgins (Additional Archive Researcher)
Archival Sources:
Getty, UCLA Film & Television Archive, NBC Universal Archives, Historic Films Archive, Janette Beckman
Production Company:
Fine Point Films, Fadoo Productions for Sky Documentaries
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States, Canada
Synopsis
As the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs and soar to No. 1 on the album charts, the Go-Go's are the most successful female rock band of all time. Underpinned by candid testimonies from The Go-Go's past and present, this documentary chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the LA punk scene that not only captured but created a zeitgeist.
The Story of Ready Steady Go!
Director:
Samantha Peters, Geoff Wonfor
Producer(s):
Samantha Peters, Geoff Wonfor
Footage Archive Researcher:
Helen Carr
Archival Sources:
BMG, BBC Motion Gallery, Getty Images, Kinolibrary, British Pathe, ITV
Production Company:
Whizz Kid Entertainment, eOne, BMG
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States
Synopsis
In this new documentary we tell the story of Britain’s iconic 1960’s music show, Ready Steady Go! This was the programme that revolutionised television “for the kids” and coincided with the tremendous explosion of British pop talent which took the world by storm. It championed emerging talent like The Beatles, The Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones.
This is the definitive documentary that will cover every aspect of the pioneering show whose style rewrote the rulebook with its intoxicating blend of performance, celebrity interviews and items on fashion. It often featured cameras in shot, live mishaps and the young audience interacting with their pop star heroes.
We go behind the scenes and speak to the people who made it all happen, including original producer Vicki Wickham and the programme’s pioneering director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Plus, further contributions from Annie Nightingale, Eric Burdon, Martha Reeves, Paul Jones & Jools Holland.
Long Hot Summers: The Story of the Style Council
Director:
Lee Cogswell
Producer(s):
Mark Baxter, Alan Marke (Executive producer), Jim Reid (Executive producer)
Footage Archive Researcher:
Adrian Winter
Archival Sources:
Universal Music, Getty Images, Peter Anderson Photography, Tim Pope video director, Simon Halfon graphic designer
Production Company:
Channel X and Mono Media for Sky Arts
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
The pop group The Style Council, whilst at all times impeccably dressed, served up a diverse and catchy mix of classic agitprop pop, soul and jazzed infused songs, that are still fondly remembered to this day. We look back at how the fervent 1980s political landscape shaped the life, times and music of the band, that Paul Weller left The Jam to create, with Mick Talbot.
WE AT WAR - Private films from Hitler`s Germany
Director:
Jörg Müllner
Producer(s):
Isa Rekkab
Footage Archive Researcher:
Jörg Müllner
Archival Sources:
Private Collections, History Media Film Archive, Landesfilmarchiv Bremen, Haus des Dokumentarfilms Stuttgart, Agentur Karl Höffkes
Production Company:
History Media GmbH
Country of Production:
Germany
Synopsis
On the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in 1945, Jörg Müllner's documentary based on private, mostly unpublished film footage offers revealing insights into life during World War II.
Among the newly discovered film treasures are previously unknown aerial shots of the advance of German troops on the Eastern Front in 1941 and 1942, color films of a paymaster of the Wehrmacht who led a double life in private, the footage of a senior field doctor who recorded not only his family life but also the everyday life of ssoldiers at the front, and film footage of little Doris Hurler, who was born with Down syndrome. The images almost seem like a demonstration against the Nazi murder program of people with disabilities. Private Footage taken at the so-called "Jew camp" in Dresden is analysed by film scholar Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann (Hebrew University Jerusalem). In addition to experts and historians relatives of the amateur filmmakers of the time also have their say.
Baci Rubati (Stolen Kisses)
Director:
Fabrizio Laurenti, Gabriella Romano
Producer(s):
Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Footage Archive Researcher:
Nathalie Giacobino, Cecilia Spano
Archival Sources:
Archivio Storico Istituto Luce, Home Movies, Cineteca di Bologna, Getty Images, Archivi Alinari
Production Company:
Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Country of Production:
Italy
Synopsis
For the first time this film makes the invisible visible, illustrating the daily life of gay men and women during the Mussolini years. Through letters, diaries and personal accounts it gives voice to individuals who could only communicate in clandestinity, using code words, meeting in secrecy. It narrates their “joie de vivre”, in spite of the persecution they suffered.
Gulag the story
Director:
Patrick Rotman
Producer(s):
Michel Rotman
Footage Archive Researcher:
Marie-Hélène Barbéris
Archival Sources:
Films Images, Fonds Arkeion Gaumont Pathé archives, Memorial (Russian association), Fremantle Media, Tomasz Kizny (photographer and curator)
Production Company:
Kuiv productions
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
The first concentration camps were set up as early as 1918, a few months after the October Revolution. The new Bolshevik regime wants to get rid of political adversaries and re-educate so-called anti-social elements through work. The first large-scale experiment is that of the Solovki Islands. Thousands of political and common law prisoners, men and women, are enslaved there in inhuman conditions. After Lenin's death in 1922, Stalin seized power and decreed the industrialization of the country by forced march and the collectivization of the land, which triggered deadly famines. Titanic projects are initiated in the most remote regions such as Kolyma in Siberia. The GPU, the political police of the Communist Party whose mission is to purge the social body and to regenerate it, send hundreds of thousands of Russians to the camps to participate in the construction of socialism.
Vie et Destin du Livre Noir, la destruction des juifs d'URSS (The Black Book)
Director:
Guillaume Ribot
Producer(s):
Estelle Fialon
Footage Archive Researcher:
Véronique Nowak
Archival Sources:
Gaumont Pathé Archives, RGKFD, Net films, Film images, Lobster
Production Company:
Les Films du Poisson
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
The Black Book, drafted during World War II, gathers numerous unique historical testimonies, in an effort to document Nazi abuses against Jews in the USSR. Initially supported by the regime, the Black Book was eventually banned and most of its authors executed on Stalin’s order. Told through the voices of its most famous instigators, soviet intellectuals Vassilli Grossman, Ilya Ehrenburg and Solomon Mikhoels, the documentary provides a detailed account of the tragic destiny of this cursed book and puts the Holocaust and Stalinism in a new light.
Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President
Director:
Mary Wharton
Producer(s):
Chris Farrell, Dave Kirkpatrick
Footage Archive Researcher:
Jim McDonnell
Archival Sources:
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, ABC News VideoSource, NBC Universal Archive, WSB Newsfilm Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Reelin' In The Years
Production Company:
Not Just Peanuts LLC, Thunder Moccasin Pictures
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. This dynamic documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history. Starring President Jimmy Carter, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Roseanne Cash, Nile Rodgers, Madeleine Albright, Andrew Young, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Bono.
Room 2806 – The Accusation
Director:
Mr Jalil Lespert
Producer(s):
Mr Philippe Levasseur
Footage Archive Researcher:
Ms Bronwen Pugsley, Ms Catherine Paoli
Archival Sources:
INA, CNN, AP Archives, AFP Forum, Al Arabiya
Production Company:
CAPA Presse with Le Chaînon Manquant
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
Room 2806: The Accusation, directed by Jalil Lespert, is a four-episode Netflix docuseries reprising the May 2011 scandal involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), perhaps the most powerful global financial institution, and a prospective candidate for the French presidency.
Strauss-Kahn, a leading figure in the French Socialist Party, was arrested in New York City on May 14, 2011 after Nafissatou Diallo, a Guinean immigrant and housekeeper at the exclusive Manhattan Sofitel hotel, accused him of sexual assault and attempted rape. Strauss-Kahn was subsequently forced out of his position at the IMF and did not become a candidate in 2012 for the presidential nomination of the Socialist Party, one of the two main bourgeois parties in France.
New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. had Strauss-Kahn removed from an airplane, subjected to the degrading “perp walk,” among other humiliations, indicted and incarcerated in
Spaceship Earth
Director:
Matt Wolf
Producer(s):
Matt Wolf, Stacey Reiss
Footage Archive Researcher:
Brian Becker, Annie Salsich, Tiahoga Ruge - Fellini Films Mexico, Ken Howard
Archival Sources:
John P Allen, The Library of Congress, Abigail Alling, Linda Leigh, A/V Geeks
Production Company:
RadicalMedia
Country of Production:
United States
Synopsis
Spaceship Earth is the true, stranger-than-fiction, adventure of eight visionaries who in 1991 spent two years quarantined inside of a self-engineered replica of Earth’s ecosystem called BIOSPHERE 2. The experiment was a worldwide phenomenon, chronicling daily existence in the face of life threatening ecological disaster and a growing criticism that it was nothing more than a cult. The bizarre story is both a cautionary tale and a hopeful lesson of how a small group of dreamers can potentially reimagine a new world.
Private individual archives (non-exhaustive), Personal archives (non-exhaustive), AFPTV (non-exhaustive), Line Presse (non-exhaustive), French TV channels archives (non-exhaustive)
Production Company:
Le Bureau – Jour2fête
Country of Production:
France
Synopsis
As anger and discontent over social injustices grow, many citizen demonstrations are subject to increasingly violent repression. Un pays qui se tient sage invites citizens to explore, question and confront their views on social order and the legitimacy of the state’s use of violence.
To the Moon
Director:
Tadhg O'Sullivan
Producer(s):
Clare Stronge
Footage Archive Researcher:
34 individual archive researchers
Archival Sources:
Lobster, BFI, IFI Archive, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, George Eastman Museum
Production Company:
Inland Films
Country of Production:
Ireland
Synopsis
Woven from archive, original cinematography, poetry and song, To the Moon steps lightly through our moonlit imagination. Structured as a lunar cycle, the film moves through tales of love, songs of longing, myths of madness, dreams of innocence and the nightmare of colonialism, building to a timely reminder of our fragility beneath the moon's mysterious eye. Exploring the universality and diversity of the moon as a symbol, the film draws on rare and diverse archival sources from all over the world, presenting international cinematic heritage as a window onto the collective nature of its subject.
Bumble "First Moves Forever"
Director:
Eloise King
Producer(s):
Uncommon Creative, Jennifer Price-Thomas
Footage Archive Researcher:
Marina Sánchez, Katarina Stankovic, Jimmy Dunne, Joe Bowler, Marta Popivoda , Morgan Foye
The pandemic may have changed life as we knew it, including how we interact with those around us. But it should never have to mean giving up on love. First Moves is a powerful statement of hope for Bumble. Drawing on different types of footage and stills, weaving through the highs and lows of dating, it reveals our raw vulnerability, resonating as both universal and of the moment. Even in the most unlikely of times, anything is possible. Even finding love.
Playstation 'Explorers' highlights that we are all explorers in human nature by taking 5 stories of pioneers and dramatising them with accompanying footage. The five pioneers are Dr Mae Jemison, Matthew Henson, Amelia Earhart, Sherpa Tenzing and the Thrust SSC.
Spike Lee x Montblanc 'What Moves You, Makes You'
Director:
Jaron Albertin
Producer(s):
Nick Fewtrell
Footage Archive Researcher:
Jody Winterbottom, Pete Davies, Karim Ben Abdelkadir
Archival Sources:
Kinolibrary, FILM Archives, Classic Images, Getty Images, Pathé
Production Company:
The Director's Studio, Wieden and Kennedy Amsterdam, Smuggler
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
The narrative shows the creative process of iconic film director Spike Lee and how his background and upbringing in Brooklyn shaped him.
Athleta "Women Run It All"
Director:
Creative Director: Ulrika Karlberg
Producer(s):
Yard NYC: Chris Capretto
Footage Archive Researcher:
Elizabeth Smithson, Chelsea Zerbe, Anna Weltner, Kadie Spinks, Cole Hooper, Luke Borsten, Lauren Wackell, Brandi Self
This female-focused spot focuses on the critical role women play in society – from the home to the halls of NASA, athletics to running social justice movements, and inspiring the next generation of girls. The spot, which dropped on the US election day, ends with a nod to women in politics with the line women run the future.
To the Moon
Director:
Tadhg O'Sullivan
Producer(s):
Clare Stronge
Footage Archive Researcher:
34 individual archive researchers
Archival Sources:
Lobster, BFI, IFI Archive, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, George Eastman Museum
Production Company:
Inland Films
Country of Production:
Ireland
Original Release:
2020
Synopsis
Woven from archive, original cinematography, poetry and song, To the Moon steps lightly through our moonlit imagination. Structured as a lunar cycle, the film moves through tales of love, songs of longing, myths of madness, dreams of innocence and the nightmare of colonialism, building to a timely reminder of our fragility beneath the moon's mysterious eye. Exploring the universality and diversity of the moon as a symbol, the film draws on rare and diverse archival sources from all over the world, presenting international cinematic heritage as a window onto the collective nature of its subject.
Disclosure
Director:
Sam Feder
Producer(s):
Amy Scholder, Sam Feder
Footage Archive Researcher:
Katherine Coe
Archival Sources:
Love Tapes Collective, Digital Transgender Archives, One Archives, San Francisco LGBT Historical Archives, The Paley Center for Media
Production Company:
Disclosure Film in association with Field of Vision and Bow & Arrow Entertainment for Netflix
Country of Production:
United States
Original Release:
2020
Synopsis
In this documentary, leading transgender creatives and thinkers share heartfelt perspectives and analysis about Hollywood’s impact on the transgender community.
