Tag Archives: revolution

A Whisper to a Roar

Whisper to a Roar presents the inspiring and dangerous work of democracy activists in five countries around the world – Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The film’s subjects span the full spectrum of democratic activists: student leaders (Venezuela); young professionals (Egypt); currently active opposition politicians (Malaysia and Zimbabwe) and a former president (Ukraine). These heroes tell their compelling personal stories of struggle with the oppressive regimes ruling their countries, now or in the past.

The activists come from a variety of cultures and live on different continents, yet they all take enormous risks to pursue political freedom for their people and aspire for accountable government. In each country, the regimes and rulers that oppress their people use remarkably similar techniques and the activists’ most successful techniques are also remarkably alike, regardless of their circumstances.

The presence in the film of accomplished democrats, both the famous and the unsung, from diverse cultures and religions, will inspire and instruct viewers around the world of widely varying ages, nationalities, and political persuasions.

“This deft digest from the director Ben Moses is by turns shocking and inspiring…”
New York Times

“In the case of the new documentary A Whisper to a Roar, democracy and the fight for freedom are not only moving, but also deeply personal, thought-provoking and inspiring.”
The Huffington Post

“An expertly drawn primer on the soft dictatorships that constrained five different countries and the peaceful revolutions that sought to expunge them”
The Village Voice

“The film is not only a riveting documentary, but also offers inspiration to people everywhere who seek to make governments accountable to the citizens they serve”
Hillary Clinton

Closed Sea

Closed Sea reveals the untold story of the endangered migrants who attempted to escape Libya to Italy during the 2011 war, only to be returned to the hands of Gaddafi as a result of a prior agreement signed between Berlusconi and Gaddafi.

During a perilous journey by boat from Libya to Italy, our protagonists become adrift, facing near certain death on the waves. A sighting, and subsequent rescue, by the Italian Navy cause scenes of unbridled joy and celebration – all captured by the stranded refuges on camera-phone.

Their joy though was to be short lived as it soon became clear that their rescuers had other plans.

Closed Sea meets the refugees who were forced back into the hands of the dictator, and witnesses the abuses faced by those who dared to attempt an escape. Families are divided and in limbo as Gaddafi’s regime crumbles and the revolution gains pace, though it is the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that truly determine the final fate of our protagonists.

From their battered vessels and failed rescue to their subsequent imprisonment, tenure at a refugee camp and onward to the distant European Court of Human Rights. Closed Sea captures the dramatic stories of those whose lives were torn apart and forgotten, not just by Gaddafi, but his allies in Europe who claim to stand for freedom and human dignity.

Along Gaddafi’s Road

For the first time in 42 years, a camera enters Southern Libya in what was forbidden territory under the Gaddafi regime.

Shortly after Gaddafi’s demise, we accompany members of the disgraced Tabu tribe along the road to their impoverished desert territory near the Algeria-Niger-Chad borders 1000 Km from Tripoli.

Electricity has been on again for barely two months, mobile phones haven’t worked for seven. Fuel is scarce and queues are endlessly long. Two widespread weapons are in use: sat phones and Kalashnikovs.

Closely guarded by rebel escorts for security reasons, we follow the illegal immigrants route all the way to the Niger border. We discover how Gaddafi challenged Europe at the beginning of the revolution by sending and financing flows of migrants. Rebels, smugglers and victims of the old regime tell their stories.

The desert’s well-preserved secrets now finally come to light.

Egypt: Behind the Revolution

Filmed primarily in Egypt in March of 2011, soon after the January revolution, this film introduces you to the Egyptians who lived under Mubarak and helped to bring him down.

Including interviews with revolutionaries from all walks of life fighting for a new start in Egypt, we get an inside glimpse at the sequence of events that led to what some are calling the first Facebook revolution.  Ordinary people give their reasons for taking to the streets of Egypt to call for freedom and reforms, and what led them to demand Mubarak’s resignation.

This broad-ranging film gives the events of January 2010 both the context necessary to fully understand how a powerful regime could fall so suddenly, as well as on-the-ground testimonials that fill in important details that went unreported at the time.

From the brewing discontent that preceded the revolution, to the 18 days of often brutally suppressed protests when success seemed far from inevitable, this film puts us in the centre of the action. Finally, Egypt: The Story Behind the Revolution captures the peoples joy and relief when Mubarak steps down after thirty years in power.

Occupy: The Movie

If Inside Job made 2008’s economic meltdown comprehensible, Occupy: The Movie provides a sensational sequel by focusing on the social movement that set up shop at Wall Street’s front door.

Occupy succeeded in captivating our collective consciousness and providing hope for positive change, but its visibility vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving questions of its effectiveness in its wake. Tackling the complexity of how the movement manifested and providing cogent context to what caused its genesis, Corey Ogilvie presents a clear and compelling account of the Zuccotti Park settlement without getting lost in empty slogans, violent conflicts or proselytizing activists.

Featuring key interviews with Kalle Lasn (Adbusters), philosopher Cornel West, journalist Chris Hedges and leading organizers from the Occupy Wall Street movement, Occupy: The Movie isn’t propaganda for the cause, but an expert analysis of one of the biggest American social movements since the civil rights era.

Generation OS13: The New Culture of Resistance

Generation OS13 is an explosive insight into the attack on civil liberties occurring in western democracies and how artists, musicians, journalists and authors encourage the peoples right to resist against Banker occupation.

Examining economic dictatorships, puppet regimes, tax havens, tax dodgers, and the debt based money system the film explains why ‘you can not count on the law makers to see shit when it first happens’. For a new era, generation OS13, the repression will not be tolerated; do ‘the government really think they can win that war if the young people are like fuck this, you cant beat that you, can’t beat us, its Impossible’ – Saul Williams.

Featuring Painter, poet & song writer Billy Childish, Harry Malt from Bare Bones, Luke Turner from The Quietus, journalist Huw Nesbitt, broadcaster Max Kaiser, author Nicholas Shaxson & Artists Anika, Comanechi, Gaggle’s & Saul Williams.

“Those bailouts were absolutely required to save your civilisation, now if you talk about bail outs for everyone else you have to say to say to those people suck it in and cope buddy, suck it in and cope”

– No thanks

Trophy Hunters

With exclusive access to the Dallas Safari Club we go behind the scenes into the hidden world of big game hunting, where millionaires bid to hunt endangered species. We follow them from the auction room to the African continent where they claim that their sport actually saves lives in bringing much needed funds to impoverished communities, and help in the conservation effort.

Each year, the club itself comes under intense media scrutiny and severe criticism for it’s annual big game auction, and it is here that the arguments in favour of trophy hunting can be heard at their most impassioned.

In this revelatory documentary we will enter the world of the Dallas Safari Club, who for the first time are letting a documentary film crew into their inner circle.  With this access we have an opportunity for some of the world’s most prolific (professional and amateur) Trophy Hunters to tell their side of this story. Through them we’ll seek to shine a light on the big questions in this debate. Does trophy hunting actually help or hinder conservation? In this most expensive of ‘sports’ where does their money go and who ultimately benefits?  This revealing and at times shocking film will explore the world of this close knit and fiercely loyal community, where the legal and the moral are often conflated and Hunters are revered as professional athletes.

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Contact us to request full treatment, more screening material, information on broadcast partners, budget, finance plan or any other matters relating to potential partnerships.

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Director: Des Henderson
Producer: Ed Stobbart
Executive Producer: Kazz Basma
Distributor: Sideways Film
Country of Production: UK
Language: English
We are looking for: Co-Pro and Pre Sales
Stage of Project: Early Development
Delivery Date: TBA

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Key Biographies

Director – Des Henderson

Des is an award wining director with ten years experience originating and directing hard-hitting and startling factual content for a range of broadcasters, including the BBC, C4 and RTE. Des is currently in post-production on his latest feature-documentary that will screen at film festivals in the fall. Credits include: Project Children (Currently in Production), Keepin’ ‘Er Country (BBC 2015), Hit the Stage (BBC 2013), Life Patrol – BBC (2012).

Producer – Ed Stobart

Ed is a multi award winning producer and director who has delivered successful, high quality series and films for all the UK’s major terrestrial and digital broadcasters, and his work has been seen in over 150 territories around the world.  He executive produces all of Alleycats output – BBC4’s Killing me Softly, The Roberta Flack Story; Here Comes the Summer, The Undertones Story; BBC1/CBBC Music City/Hit the Stage, BBC1 Longest Night and the award wining BBC1 NI/RTE1 Life Patrol and CBBC My Life: The Big Climb are highlights. Among his many award winning credits, Ed Stobart Executive Produced Pink Saris, directed by Kim Longinotto, which was BAFTA and Grierson nominated, winner of the Prix Europa, selected at numerous festivals including IDFA and Sheffield and broadcast on HBO, BBC and elsewhere worldwide.

Executive Producer – Kazz Basma

Kazz Basma set up Sideways Film in 2010 to distribute social justice and dramatic narrative documentaries. He has licensed films to broadcasters, all rights buyers, the education market and online on every continent and have been screened at prestigious festivals worldwide including Sundance, Tribeca, IDFA, Hot Docs and Sheffield Doc Fest. He attends at least twelve documentary festivals each year where he is regularly invited to speak on panels and at round-tables, serves as a guest lecturer at the London College of Communication and is an invited expert at EAVE (the European Audio Visual Entrepreneurs network).