Tue 17– Mon 23 October 2017 Curated & presented by Macrobert Arts Centre
TICKETS & INFO / FUNDERS
VENUE Macrobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA BOOKING In person at the Box Office, 10am to 7:45pm (Mon to Thu) & 10am to 8:15pm (Fri to Sun) By phone on 01786 466 666 (10AM-7PM) Or online at www.centscotdocufest.org TICKETS £7 / £6 Conc / £5 Students FESTIVAL PASS (GUARANTEED): £50 / £40 Students Guarantees a seat to all films in the programme, individual film tickets need to be collected at the Box Office no later than 15 mins before the start of the screening. FESTIVAL PASS (STANDBY): £25 / £20 Students Gives entry to any film with tickets still available and priority on any returned tickets. This will be on a first come, first served basis and a queuing system will be in operation 30 mins before each screening. Please note there will be no adverts or trailers before any Festival screening.
TERMS & CONDITIONS All discounts and offers are subject to availability, cannot be retrospectively applied and are offered at the discretion of the Festival. We’re unable to offer any refunds unless an event is cancelled – full terms and conditions are avalible on the website. Please note all films are subject to certification and that the programme is correct at the time of going to print, but is subject to change without prior notice. The Festival cannot be held liable for any arrangements made due to changes to the programme. centscotdocufest.org | 2
WELCOME
Grahame Reid Curator & Programmer (Central Scotland Documentary Festival) Film Programmer (Macrobert Arts Centre) In my time working in a multi-arts organisation as a Film Programmer, I have long wanted to do something that would put film at the forefront – give it its own moment. Stirling is the birthplace to the ‘father of documentary’, John Grierson, so it seems only natural that it be the genre that this moment focused on. Documentaries offer so much. They can cover any subject, highlight passions and plights, challenge or emphasise thoughts and beliefs. They encourage us to laugh, cry, learn, question, critique and be entertained. Add cinema to the equation and you also add discussion. Be it with a director, panellist or the person sitting next to you and whether it is regarding the subject, process or experience, the one thing I hope that we accomplish is having the discussion carry on long after a screening and the Festival have ended. From our opening film, Brexitannia, through screenings about government, climate change, artists, gender, music, sexuality and countless other themes and subjects, I encourage you to be entertained, be impassioned and be vocal. An important part of the programme is aimed directly at the audiences and filmmakers of the future and we have a number of free screenings for pupils from schools across Forth Valley. These look at climate change with Racing Extinction and Before the Flood as well as looking at the history of local topical with Shona Thomson. Engaging and inspiring young people is so important for the film industry and we hope to build on this programme in the years to come. I look forward to welcoming you, your peers, family and friends to the inaugural Central Scotland Documentary Festival. Let’s get talking.
Grahame Reid
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OPENING EVENT
BREXITANNIA
Timothy George Kelly / UK 2017 / 84 min
The portrait of a democracy in all its impossible and ugly glory. With subtle force, yet without judgement, it presents the people of a once powerful empire as they negotiate their identities in a world that is changing faster than ever and in which power appears to lie further and further from people’s own hands. INTRODUCTION / Q&A: There will be an introduction and post-screening Q&A with director Timothy George Kelly Thu 19 Oct, 7:30pm I Filmhouse KEEP AN EYE OUT‌ Details of additional Q&As, panels and events will be released through our digital channels so make sure you keep in touch!
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Timothy George Kelly is a filmmaker and visual artist who has shown work across Europe, Asia and the North America. This includes a seven-part short documentary series entitled Big Small, several music videos and a feature-length documentary called A City is an Island.
IN THE COMMUNITY STILL THE ENEMY WITHIN Owen Gower / UK 2014 / 112 mins
A unique insight into one of history’s most dramatic events: the 1984/85 British Miners’ Strike. No experts. No politicians. More than thirty years on, this is the raw first-hand experience of those who lived through the UK’s longest strike. This film is screened in two community locations in partnership with Macrobert Arts Centre. It is part of the Get More programme for Macrobert’s 2017 autumn season – a series of events and experiences built around Gary Clarke Company’s COAL. More details are available online: macrobertartscentre.org Tue 17 Oct, 7pm | Fallin Welfare & Miners’ Society, Fallin, FK7 7HY Wed 18 Oct, 7pm | Sauchie Hall, Marr Pl, Sauchie, FK10 3EA
DANCING ALONG THE BORDERLINE: DOCUMENTARY & LIVE PERFORMANCE Lindsay Goodall / UK 2017 / 12 mins
After weathering a long history of turbulent life events Lynn Shaw, a charismatic dance artist and teacher, creates choreography to explore her Borderline Personality Disorder. This event brings together a documentary short and a live sharing of choreography being developed by dancers in the film.
Q&A: Join us for a Q&A and the chance to feedback and reflect on the choreographic content, with the film director Lindsay Goodall, and dancers Lynn Shaw and Vince Virr.
Fri 20 Oct, 6pm I Workhouse
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CLOSING EVENT
STIRLING KALEIDOSCOPE Specially commissioned to close the inaugural Central Scotland Documentary Festival, this live cinema event features archive films of the area. Stirling’s key role in Scottish history is mirrored in the national film collections and how Scotland has projected itself on the world’s screens over the years. Curated by Shona Thomson, who presented Made in My Toun at Macrobert Arts Centre in 2015, this event brings together a new selection of films of the Stirling area, hand-picked from the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. From 1930s cinema adverts to TV documentaries full of social commentary, familiar sights are reflected and refracted through a fascinating array of perspectives. INTRODUCTION / PANEL: There will be an introduction and commentary from Shona Thomson, who will be joined by Scottish filmmaker Mark Littlewood. Mon 23 Oct, 7:30pm I Mainhouse
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Shona Thomson is an independent creative producer and curator who, under the banner of A Kind of Seeing, presents archive film events to communities across Scotland and the UK, connecting heritage with place: akindofseeing.co.uk. Mark Littlewood is a filmmaker whose work in the 1970s with the esteemed Films of Scotland Committee led to his film Royal Stirling being seen around the world.
78/52
Alexandre O Philip / USA 2017 / 91 mins
The iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) profoundly changed the course of world cinema. Filmmakers, actors, critics and Hitchcock historians come together in this documentary to analyse this key moment in movie history, exploring its enduring legacy and why it has become one of the most talked about scenes in the career of the master of mystery and suspense.
S Pr co em t t ie ish re
Fri 20 Oct, 4pm I Filmhouse
ATLANTIC
Risteard Ó Domhnaill / Ireland, Norway & Canada 2016 / 75mins
Narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Brendan Gleeson, this documentary follows the fortunes of three small fishing communities - in Ireland, Norway and Newfoundland - as they struggle to maintain their way of life in the face of mounting economic and ecological challenges. As the oil majors drive deeper into their fragile seas, and the world’s largest fishing companies push fish stocks to the brink, coastal communities and the resources they rely on are fast approaching a point of no return. Sat 21 Oct, 245pm I Playhouse
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THE BALLAD OF SHIRLEY COLLINS
Rob Curry & Tim Plester / UK 2017 / 94 mins
Regarded as the 20th century’s most important singer of English traditional song, Shirley Collins stood at the epicentre of the folk music scene in the 60s/70s. However, in 1980 she lost her voice in mysterious circumstances and was forced to retire. This documentary explores the story behind the icon, and chronicles Shirley’s battle, at the grand old age of 80, to rediscover the voice she lost. It offsets this contemporary journey with a more literal one taken from the other end of her life, and includes authentic 1959 audio-archive to recount the tale of Shirley’s seminal road-trip around America’s Deep South. Sun 22 Oct, 12:15pm I Playhouse
BEFORE THE FLOOD
Fisher Stevens / USA 2016 / 96 min
If you could know the truth about the threat of climate change – would you want to? This documentary, presented by National Geographic, features Leonardo DiCaprio on a journey as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, travelling to five continents and the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand. He goes on expeditions with scientists uncovering the reality of climate change and meets with political leaders fighting against inaction.
PANEL:
Join us for a panel discussion led by Professor Gavin Little (Environmental & Public Law, University of Stirling) Sun 22 Oct, 12:30pm I Filmhouse
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BELONGING: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE HEADLINES Morag Livingstone / UK 2017 / 89 min
An investigative documentary about where power lies in the United Kingdom. Re-examining events surrounding 3 industrial disputes, 3 governments and over 3 decades, it shows the impact of government and corporate power on democracy and human rights not just for trade unionists, but for all. Look out for many reveals– not least a secret government plan to destroy community and collectivism. Belonging uses documents clearly showing what has long been suspected by many but not proven – until now.
Q&A:
Join us for a Q&A with director Morag Livingstone Fri 20 Oct, 8:15pm I Filmhouse
CHAVELA
Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi / USA, Mexica & Spain 2017 / 90 mins
Through its lyrical structure this film takes viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the life of iconoclastic, game-changing artist Chavela Vargas. Chavela’s relaxed, conversational tone as she chats with a group of young lesbian admirers in 1991 offers a rare, intimate look at the singer at a pivotal time in her life. Having returned to the stage after 12 years lost to alcoholism, and a painful breakup with the love of her life, the interview occurs before she heads to Spain to rise like a phoenix from the ashes at age 71.
Q&A:
Join us for a Q&A with Professor Antonio Sanchez (Arts & Humanities, University of Stirling) Thu 19 Oct, 5:30pm I Playhouse centscotdocufest.org | 9
EVENT CALENDAR
TUE 17 OCT
WED 18 OCT
THURS 19 OCT
7PM Still the Enemy Within / P5
7PM Still the Enemy Within / P5
5:30PM Chavela (Q&A) / P95
Fallin Welfare & Miners Society, Fallin
Sauchie Hall, Sauchie
Playhouse
7:30PM Brexitannia (Q&A) / P4 Filmhouse
Still the Enemy Within
MON 23 OCT
Chavela
7:30PM Stirling Kaleidoscope (Q&A) / P6 Mainhouse
Stirling Kaleidoscope
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Still the Enemy Within
Brexitannia
SAT SUN FRI 20 OCT 21 OCT 22 OCT 4PM 12:15PM 12:15PM 78/52 / P7 The Punk Syndrome / P15 The Ballad of Playhouse Filmhouse Shirley Collins / P8 Playhouse
12:30PM 5:30PM Unrest / P19 Tower / P18
12:30PM Before the Flood (Panel) / P8
Playhouse
Filmhouse
5:45PM Racing Extinction (Panel) / P16
2:45PM Atlantic / P7 3PM Playhouse Dina / P12
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Playhouse
6PM Borderline (Live Performance, Q&A) / P5 Workhouse
8PM Hooligan Sparrow / P14
Playhouse
8:15PM Belonging: The Truth Behind the Headlines (Q&A) / P9 Filmhouse
3PM Winnie / P19 3:15PM Filmhouse The Islands and the Whales / P15 5PM Filmhouse Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World / P16 5:30PM Playhouse Spandex Sapiens / P17 5:15PM Tawai: A Voice From the Forest (Q&A) / P17 Filmhouse
7:45PM Freedom for the Wolf / P13 Playhouse
8PM Teenage Superstars / P18 Filmhouse
Playhouse
5:45PM Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle / P12 Filmhouse
7:45PM Forbidden Games / P13 Playhouse
8PM Geek Girls / P14 Filmhouse
Tower
Winnie
Geek Girls
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DINA
Antonio Santini, Dan Sickles / USA 2017 / 101 mins
The winner of the US Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance is a portrait of a marriage filmed in such a tender, graceful way that it scarcely feels like a documentary at all. Dina and her fiancé Scott, both on the Autistic spectrum, meet at a social group for neurologically diverse adults. There’s no doubt about Scott’s devotion to Dina, but when it comes to the human touch he freezes. Her touching campaign to breakdown his shyness of physical intimacy is universally relatable. Sun 22 Oct, 3pm I Playhouse
DISPOSSESSION: THE GREAT SOCIAL HOUSING SWINDLE Paul Sng / UK 2017 / 82 mins
For some people, a housing crisis means not getting planning permission for a loft conversion. For others it means, quite simply, losing their home. This feature documentary, narrated by Maxine Peake, explores the catastrophic failures that have led to a chronic shortage of social housing in the UK. With unprecedented access to residents, politicians and experts in the housing industry and media, this is the story of people fighting for their communities, of people who know the difference between a house and a home, and who believe that housing is a human right, not an expensive luxury. Sun 22 Oct, 5:45pm I Filmhouse
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FORBIDDEN GAMES
Adam Darke, John Carey / UK 2017 / 81 mins
In the late 1970’s Justin Fashanu was the pin-up boy of British football. A 17 year old with the physique of a heavyweight boxer, the looks and charisma of a Hollywood film star and the touch of a genius. He had the world at his feet but there was one problem; he was gay. As abuse rained on him from the terraces, team mates, trainers and even his own brother, the world of Justin Fashanu imploded in dramatic fashion. Sun 22 Oct, 7:45pm I Playhouse
FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF
Rupert Russell / Germany 2017 / 89 mins
Democracy is in crisis. A new generation of elected leaders is dismantling freedom and democracy, as we know it. Filmed over three years in five countries, this film is an epic investigation into this new regime of illiberal democracy. From the young students of Hong Kong, to a rapper in post-Arab Spring Tunisia and the viral comedians of Bollywood, we discover how people from every corner of the globe are fighting the same struggle against elected leaders who trample on human rights, minorities, and their political opponents.
S Pr co em t t ie ish re
Sat 21 Oct, 7:45pm I Playhouse
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GEEK GIRLS
Gina Hara / Canada 2017 / 89 min
The first feature-length documentary to explore the hidden half of fan culture: nerdy women. Although geeky communities have recently risen to prominence as major cultural contributors, very little attention has been directed towards the women who live and work with nerd culture. Filmmaker Gina Hara addresses this oversight, delving into a world of professional gamers, cute dresses, fake names, and death threats. She follows her subjects through the exhilaration of a newfound community and the ennui of ostracization, while also exploring her own struggles with her geek identity.
HOOLIGAN SPARROW
Nanfu Wang / China & USA 2017 / 84 min
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China, to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media. Fri 20 Oct, 8pm I Playhouse
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h is e t t ier co m S re P
Sun 22 Oct, 8pm I Filmhouse
THE ISLANDS AND THE WHALES Mike Day / UK 2016 / 82 mins
In their remote home in the North Atlantic the Faroe Islanders have always eaten what nature could provide, hunting whales and seabirds through generations. But today they face a grave threat to that tradition! This is not the controversy surrounding whaling, but a danger coming from the whales themselves as the effects of our ever more polluted oceans have made the whales toxic. What once secured the survival of the Faroese now endangers their children, leaving the Islanders with a choice between health and tradition. Sun 22 Oct, 3:15pm I Filmhouse
THE PUNK SYNDROME
Jukka K채rkk채inen, Jani-Patteri Passi / Finland 2013 / 85 mins
Finnish punk rock band Pertti Kurikan Nimip채iv채t are members Pertti, Kari, Toni and Sami. They all have learning disabilities and play their music with attitude and pride. They laugh, cry, drink, and fight over who gets to sit at the front of the tour bus. Their songs are about problems in society, as well as about things they face in everyday life: how going to the pedicurist sucks, and the misery of living in a group home. They give a piece of their minds both to politicians and to people whose attitudes towards those with intellectual disabilities need improvement. Sat 21 Oct, 12:15pm I Playhouse
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RACING EXTINCTION
Louie Psihoyos / Various 2017 / 93 min
Oscar®-winning director Louie Psihoyos assembles a team of artists and activists on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, the film reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.
PANEL:
Join us for a panel led by Dr. Christian Schröder (Senior Lecturer of Biological & Enviornmental Studies, University of Stirling) Fri 20 Oct, 5:45pm I Filmhouse
RUMBLE: INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD Catherine Bainbridge / Canada 2017 / 102 mins
This documentary tells the story of a profound, essential, and until now, missing chapter in the history of American music – the Indigenous influence. Featuring a long list of music artists, historians, family members and experts it shows how these talented Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives. Features music icons Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo and many others. Sat 21 Oct, 5pm I Playhouse
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SPANDEX SAPIENS
Oskari Pastila / Finland 2016 / 87 min
The son of a Pentecostal preacher, Michael is a bullied boy from Canada. He finds his own world in the spandexclad heroes of comic books and TV wrestlers and builds his body until he’s finally able to wear spandex tights himself. After moving to Finland and introducing the pro-wrestling culture there, Michael encounters a young transsexual wrestler called Jessica who contests him both physically and ideologically.
Pr U em K ie re
Sun 22 Oct, 5:30pm I Playhouse
TAWAI: A VOICE FROM THE FOREST Bruce Parry / Various 2017 / 102 mins
Tawai is the word the nomadic huntergatherers of Borneo use to describe their inner feeling of connection to nature. In this dreamy, philosophical and sociological look at life, explorer Bruce Parry travels the world to learn from people living lives very different from our own. From the jungles of Malaysia to the tributaries of the Amazon, this is a quest for reconnection – providing a powerful voice from of the heart of the forest itself.
Q&A:
Join us for a Q&A with director Bruce Parry Sat 21 Oct, 5:15pm I Filmhouse
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TEENAGE SUPERSTARS
Grant McPhee / UK 2017 / 110 mins
Take a thrilling tour of the preBritpop music scene in Scotland in the follow up to Big Gold Dream. It includes an array of rich archive footage and fascinating interviews with key artists from the time-period – Edwyn Collins, Bobby Gillespie, Jim Reid, Sean Dickson, Eugene Kelly and Alan McGee – and features bands like The Bluebells, The Pastels, The Soup Dragons and an early incarnation of Teenage Fanclub. Sat 21 Oct, 8pm I Filmhouse
TOWER
Keith Maitland / USA 2016 / 89 min
On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand. Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, the film reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others. Fri 20 Oct, 5:30pm I Playhouse
h is e t t ier co m S re P
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UNREST
Jennifer Brea / UK & USA 2017 / 90 min
Twenty-eight year old Jennifer Brea is working on her PhD at Harvard, months away from marrying the love of her life, when she gets a mysterious fever that leaves her bedridden and looking for answers. Determined to live, she turns the camera on herself and her community – a hidden world of millions confined to their homes and bedrooms by ME, commonly called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. At its core this film is a love story as Jen and her new husband forge their relationship and deal with her mysterious illness heart-breaking, inspiring and funny. Sat 21 Oct, 12:30pm I Filmhouse
WINNIE
Pascale Lamche / England, France, Netherlands and South Africa 2017 / 98 min
Winnie Madikizela Mandela is one of the most misunderstood and intriguingly powerful contemporary female political figures. Her rise and seeming fall from grace, bear the hallmarks of epic tragedy. For the first time, this film pieces together and properly considers her life and contribution to the struggle to bring down Apartheid from the inside. With intimate insight from those who were closest to her and with testimony from the enemies who sought to extinguish her radical capacity to shake up the order of things.
S Pr co em t t ie ish re
Sat 21 Oct, 3pm I Filmhouse
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Curated & presented by Macrobert Arts Centre