Directing
David "Doc" Rowe has spent decades documenting Britain's vibrant folk traditions. Now, with time running short, he faces a race to preserve his legacy.
This documentary features never-before-seen live footage, interviews and archive. With exclusive access to the Phillipps family home video archive, the film provides an intimate portrait of the man behind the Chills. Exploring the source of his creativity and his songwriting aesthetic, the film also follows Martin on his journey from scenester musician to international star, then follows him on the downward spiral, interest in the band waned and depression and addiction set in.
One of the most important English singers of 20th-century traditional song, Shirley Collins and her sister Dolly stood at the epicentre of the folk music revival from the 1950s through to the 1970s. Directors Rob Curry and Tim Plester have created a poetic response to the life and times of this totemic musical figure. Four years in the making, and co-produced by Fifth Column Films and Burning Bridges, The Ballad of Shirley Collins is the fascinating first release from Fire Films – available to you exclusively through the Lush Player. A captivating study of heritage, posterity, and the true ancestral melodies of the people, this heart-warming film revolves around Shirley's tragic loss of her voice and struggle back to the limelight. And ultimately, it suggests that in these turbulent, increasingly untethered times, we may need Shirley Collins and all she represents more than ever.
The apocalypse has arrived and the only way out is in the back of a truck. A middle class family flee the city. The truck stops to pick up new passengers, triggering a meltdown of the family dynamic. But who will make it to the end?
Currently a primary focus for environmental campaigners in the UK, HS2 is a controversial new high-speed rail line being built from London to the North of England. Documenting a single day on the front line of battles against the HS2 construction, The Battle of Denham Ford tells the story of attempts by HS2 contractors to fell a tree that overhung their compound. A protest camp sits adjacent to the compound, and, hearing of the plan, the activists installed a climber in the tree. As the day unfolds, the film documents as a range of private security contractors, with support from the police and emergency services, try to regain possession of the tree. Raising questions about the relationship between private citizens, corporations, and the state, the film places the viewer on the ground, offering a perspective that is as close to the experience of being there as any film could deliver. – Sheffield Doc/Fest
Traversing the back-roads of the Southern United States in search of the people and places so often ignored by the mainstream media, Southern Journey (Revisited) is both a music documentary and a road movie.
The story of lyrical genius, Martin Phillipps and his band, The Chills, is a cautionary tale, a triumph over tragedy, and a statement about the meaning of music in our lives.
