UK films at the XII Beat Film Festival

2021, UK, USA, 135 min, director Edgar Wright.

The 2021 documentary film directed by Edgar Wright that revolves around Ron and Russell Mael, members of the iconic pop and rock duo of the 1970s - ‘The Sparks’ - and the research of its influence on mainstream art and culture.

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2020, UK, 83 min, director Yemi Bamiro

One Man and His Shoes tells the story of the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business.

But it is also a story with a dark side – manufacturer Nike's high price tag and genius marketing strategy has fuelled a demand so high that since 1989, young people have killed and been killed for a pair. Nike has turned a blind eye. This film is a parable of America's dark love affair with consumer capitalism and celebrity culture.

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2021, UK, 110 min, director Liz Smith

Surviving in a world broken by Tech.

Investigated through expert interviews and the web lens of Generation Z, the documentary explores how the explosion of the digital revolution is impacting our society, our brains and mental health, how the forces driving it are working against humanity and have put us on a dangerous trajectory that has huge ramifications for this first generation growing up with mobile digital technology.

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2021, UK, 83 min, director Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey

Alien On Stage is a documentary about a unique crew of bus drivers from Dorset, whose amateur dramatics group decide to ditch doing another pantomime and try something different. Having never done anything like it before, they spent a year creating a serious adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film, Alien (1979); finding ingenious solutions to pay homemade, homage to the original film. The show is a crushing flop but fate gives them a second chance to find their audience. Whilst still adjusting to the idea that their serious show is actually a comedy, the group find out they're suddenly being whisked from their village hall to a London West End theatre to perform this accidental masterpiece for one night only. With wobbly sets, awkward acting and special effects requiring 'more luck than judgment', will their West End debut be alright on the night? This bus driving crew are our space heroes. Their bus station is our space station. Dorset is outer-space and where is the Alien? It's behind you.

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2021, UK, 87 min, Daniel Edelstyn, Hilary Powell

A community driven feature film, participatory bank and playful act of economic education and change. An unlikely team, seemingly insurmountable odds, even explosions… taking steps towards a future in which money works for us all.

This mischievous feature documentary led by artist/filmmaker team Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell, instigates and follows a community coming together to make their own currency, opening a bank in order to examine how money and debt is created in our economy and to ask important questions about how the system of money creation might be altered in their favour.

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2020, USA, UK, 124 min, director Julien Temple

Crock of Gold deep dives into the life of the tortured Irish vocalist, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Pogues, who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock. Featuring unseen archival footage from the band and MacGowan’s family, as well as animation from legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman, Julien Temple’s rollicking love letter spotlights the iconic frontman up to his 60th birthday celebration, where singers, movie stars and rock ’n’ roll outlaws gather to celebrate the man and his legacy.

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2020, UK, 90 min, director Lisa Rovner

The remarkable world of electronic music has been constantly evolving since its inception in the early 20th century. From the unlimited possibilities of digital synthesisers, to the recent analog recording revival; from the impossibly perfect pitch of Auto-Tune, to the democratisation of music-making for a generation of ‘bedroom’ producers - each of these extraordinary developments is directly connected to the work and artistry of the women featured in Sisters with Transistors. Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Pauline Oliveros, Wendy Carlos, Eliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani, and Laurie Spiegel are among the greatest pioneers of modern sound and we continue to feel their influence, yet most people have never heard of them.

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2020, Germany, 93 min, director Enrique Sánchez Lansch

A Symphony of Noise takes the viewer on a journey with Matthew Herbert, right into the mind of the revolutionary British musician and composer who is known for his outstanding pieces combining music derived from real life sounds with politically sensitive issues. Over the course of 10 years, director Enrique Sánchez Lansch has accompanied the musician in his creative process of conceiving, recording and performing his most exciting projects and diverse activities. For the British artist, music is not just a product but a process. In A Symphony of Noise, the audience experiences directly how Herbert makes music out of everyday sounds and noises. What drives this exceptional artist, and why does changing the way we hear mean a revolutionary act to him?

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