Join us for a screening of The Ransom followed by a Q&A with film director Rémi Lainé in conversation with former chief foreign correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph Colin Freeman.

The Ransom dives into the secret system of Kidnap & Ransom, designed by major insurance companies in response to the 30,000 kidnappings committed every year around the world. International insurance companies have created kidnap & ransom, ultra-confidential contracts that are experiencing an unprecedented boom. Following a pending case in Venezuela, The Ransom, filmed in Africa, Europe and the USA, features insurers, negotiators and ex-hostages who speak out for the first time.

With exclusive access to leading hostage recovery agents, The Ransom reveals the cat and mouse games employed to bring a hostage out alive.

By following a few central characters in this interconnected world – often expressing themselves for the first time – The Ransom questions the price of one man’s life and reveals the impact of this vast global organisation on countries with a heightened risk of kidnapping such as Venezuela or Somalia. By emphasising prevention and increasing protection devices, aren’t we just increasing the vulnerability of those who don’t have the means to protect themselves?

“and the price of a man’s life has been determined by the price of things” (Saint-Just)

Daughters of Bangladesh Garment Factory Workers is a short documentary which follows the personal stories of 5 girls aged between 7 and 15. The film gives an intimate insight into their world, their relationships with their mothers and how factory work shapes their lives. Daughters of Bangladesh is Lensational’s first video journalism project featuring and created by the daughters themselves. This film advocates for corporations to commit to supply chain transparency as well as advancing the welfare of the most vulnerable workers and their families.

Lensational is an award-winning, non-profit social enterprise, with the mission of empowering women through photography and videography. For Daughters of Bangladesh Garment Factory Workers, they have partnered with Rainbow Collective, a documentary producer focused on human, children and social rights, to create a film as a part of an ongoing media training scheme at Nagorik Uddyog, offering children of garment workers a route into further education.

The Q&A discussion following the film will focus on the unheard voices of overlooked women in journalism and how to get these narratives into the public eye. The girls in the film are able to share their personal stories with the world on how garment factory work affects their lives indirectly, reflecting a variety of emotions and capturing moments of intimate visual stories. Our speakers, with a range of journalistic experiences will focus on how best to continue to empower women such as the girls in the film.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldp2-a1DG2c&app=desktop

Moderator

Lucile Stengel: Head of Social Media and editor Lensational

Lucile currently works for the BBC World Service, where she dedicates her time to understanding and better servicing the BBC’s audience in developing countries, as well as developing a new impact framework for the organisation. Lucile has a particular interest in the interplay of gender, culture, and the media, an area she has been researching since university. She holds a BSc in Political Science, a MA in Global Communications and Strategy, and a MSc in Local Economic Development from Sciences Po and the LSE. She has developed a repertoire of research and strategy skills in her previous experiences across the media and third sector, and regularly contributes to gender and social justice publications.

Speakers

Richard York is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Rainbow Collective

Alongside their own award-winning broadcast and cinematic documentaries (Al Jazeera, Britdoc, SABC), Rainbow Collective have designed and facilitated projects in countries including Bangladesh, Jamaica, South Africa, Cambodia and Turkey, empowering marginalised children and adults to produce powerful and effective documentaries and animation. The films their students produce have proved equally at home screening at international film festivals as they are at the centre of campaigns for real social change. Since 2008 Rainbow Collective have worked closely with garment working communities and trade unions to improve working and living conditions through films and training projects, including playing a key role in the successful campaign to secure full compensation for the families affected and bereaved by the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh.

Followed by a discussion with Burmese filmmakers and experts, responding to the films as well as reflecting on Czech – Burmese parallels, Václav Havel´s friendship with Aung San Su Kyi, and the collaboration between Czech and Burmese filmmakers.

Organised by the Czech Centre in partnership with Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival, Human Dignity Film Institute and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Speakers:

Igor Blaževič is most known as a relentless human rights campaigner of Bosnian origin living in the Czech Republic. He participated in many humanitarian missions (Sarajevo, Chechnya, Cambodia, Burma, East Timor) and together with his wife, filmmaker Jasmina Blaževič, directed a wide range of documentaries (The Refugees of Twenty Years War (2000), Only 500 Deaths (2002), Burmese Prisoners (2002)) focusing on political oppression. In 1999 he founded One World Human Rights International Film Festival in Prague, which is today the biggest festival of its sort in Europe. For several years he headed the human rights department of the renowned Czech NGO People in Need. In the past five years, Igor has been based in Thailand and Burma, as the director of the Educational Initiatives, training program for Burmese activists. He is an international consultant for the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival in Burma, in the establishment of which he played a crucial role. Currently he is with the Prague Civil Society Centre in charge for the Transitions Program.

Pavel Seifter was Czech ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1997 until his retirement in 2003. A lecturer in labour and social history in Prague, he was forced to leave his post after the Soviet invasion in 1968. He then worked as a window cleaner for twenty years, and signed the Charter 77, before becoming a key member of the Civic Forum movement, which led to the return from totalitarianism to democratic values in Czechoslovakia. He subsequently served as deputy director of the Institute of Contemporary History and then as the deputy director of the Institute of International Relations in Prague. He was appointed as Director of Foreign Policy to the President in 1993. He is currently a visiting research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance, LSE.

MP Susanna Hla Hla Soe is a member of the Burmese parliament representing the National League for Democracy, Susanna Hla Hla So has an impressive record as an activist working to improve the lives of Karen women in Burma. She worked for 12 years for the World Vision and established The Karen Women’s Action Group (KWAG) in 2010. Through KWAG she continued to empower Karen women in Karen State, ran anti-trafficking projects and took part in the peace negotiation process between the Karen National Union and the Burmese government to finally bring to an end 60 years of fighting between the two groups. She successfully ran for the MP position in the 2015 landmark elections. In 2012 she received the InterAction Humanitarian Award in Washington DC.

Lamin Oo is a Burmese filmmaker and director of A Peaceful Land

Programme:

THE LITTLE FINGER

Shune Lei Thar, Kaung Myat Thu Kyaw, Saw Reagan / Myanmar / 2016 / 35 min

Shot during the 2015 election, a portrait of a female Parliamentary candidate and an ordinary woman in the context of the change brought about the little fingers of the voters.

A PEACEFUL LAND

Sai Kong Kham, Lamin Oo / Myanmar / 2016 / 21 min

In 2005, Myanmar government started a nation-wide campaign to plant Physic Nut – a toxic bush-like tree – for biodiesel production. It was considered “a national duty” to grow these
trees. The country was to plant eight million acres within three years. This radical program resulted in land confiscations and forced labor all over the country. Faced with these hardship and injustice, four courageous farmers from Nat Mauk (Magway Division) stood up against the authorities and fought for their rights and their land.

I WANNA GO TO SCHOOL

Nyan Kyal Say  / Animation / Myanmar / 2015 / 3 min

A short animation about a brother and a sister who dream of going to school together. They are trying to escape from obstacles such as gender inequality, poverty, child abuse, child labour, human trafficking, etc. that are blocking their chance to education.

A BUFFALO BOY

Mai Ah Nway (Ta’ang Chitthu)  / Myanmar / 2015 / 12 min

A short fiction film about a boy from the village of Paloung Mountain and how he become a buffalo boy. Winner of the Min Ko Naing Award and the Hantharwady U Win Tin Award at the 2015 Human Rights and Dignity Film Festival.

PARTNERS

Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival (HRHDIFF) Burma´s first festival of its kind, Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival, aims to promote human rights awareness in Burma/Myanmar by using the power of film and to create space for encouraging human rights discussions amongst the general public. The festival is closely connected to the Human Dignity Film Institute which offers media and film trainings to aspiring young filmmakers in Yangon. The festival also tours every year in Burmese towns and villages.

Czech Centre London‘s mission is to actively promote the Czech Republic by showcasing Czechculture in the UK. Its programme covers visual and performing arts, film, literature, music,
architecture, design and fashion. As well as hosting its own events, the Czech Centre offers support for other groups organising Czech related initiatives in the UK. The centre also seeks to further enhance cultural relationships between the UK and the Czech Republic through curatorial visits, media tours and artistic residencies; helping to generate creative dialogue among artists, scholars and cultural activists from both countries. The Czech Centre is a member of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture).

Including The Choice, the newest in Michael Kirk’s U.S. elections series – a pinnacle of political broadcast journalism since 1988 – and other not-to-miss documentaries from the last year, this selection presents eye-opening analysis of the key issues that have come to the forefront of the race for the White House.

From gun laws to reproductive rights and police policies, U.S. Under the Lens will feature Q&As and panel discussions following each screening, encouraging dialogue and debate while showcasing the most interrogative and impactful films made by American documentary makers this year.

Schedule (click for more information and booking):

12 September – Under the Gun + panel discussion with director Stephanie Soechtig and others

5 October – PBS America Presents: The Choice 2016 + Q&A with director Michael Kirk

17 October – TRAPPED + Q&A with director Dawn Porter

24 October – Do Not Resist + Q&A with director Craig Atkinson

7 November – National Bird + Panel Discussion

National Bird follows the dramatic journey of three whistleblowers who are determined to break the silence around one of the most controversial issues of our time: the secret U.S. drone war.

At the centre of the film are three U.S. military veterans. Grappling with guilt over their participation in the drone programme, they decide to speak out publicly in spite of the possible consequences. Their stories take dramatic turns, leading one of the protagonists to Afghanistan where she learns about the horrific consequences of a drone strike for a civilian family. But her journey also gives hope for peace and redemption.

National Bird gives unprecedented insight into the U.S. drone programme through the eyes of veterans and survivors, connecting their stories to create a comprehensive overview of events as never seen before. Its images haunt the audience and bring a faraway issue close to home.

Discussion chaired by Juliana Ruhfus, journalist, filmmaker, and senior reporter at Al Jazeera English, People and Power.

Panel:

Sonia Kennebeck is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with more than 15 years of directing and producing experience. She has directed eight television documentaries and more than 50 investigative reports. She lives in New York where she runs her own production company (Ten Forward Films) that makes films about international politics and human rights. Filmmaker Magazine recently selected her as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film 2016.” Sonia Kennebeck received a Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. and was born in Malacca, Malaysia. NATIONAL BIRD is her first feature-length documentary film.

Frank Ledwidge is a barrister who served as a military intelligence officer in the Balkans and Iraq. He has also worked for the British government in Afghanistan and Libya. He is the author of ‘losing Small Wars’. He is the author of Losing Small Wars (Yale 2011) and Investment in Blood (Yale 2013)

Jack Serle is a specialist reporter on the Bureau’s Covert Drone War team. He has worked on the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s drone war coverage since 2012.

Directed by: Sonia Kennebeck
Produced by: Ines Hofmann Kanna
Executive Producers: Wim Wenders and Errol Morris
Year: 2016
Country: United States
Runtime: 92′

The panel consisted of award-winning filmmakers Liam Saint-Pierre, Chloe White, Marc Silver, and Gemma Atkinson, with documentary programmer and DocHouse producer Jenny Horwell moderating the discussion. 

The discussion began with an overview of techniques and inspirations from each filmmaker – and it was soon evident that the speakers did not stick to any unchangeable formula in their work.

“There is no process for when I’m making films,” Silver said, with White adding that he views himself as “more of a spontaneous filmmaker.”

Atkinson said: “I let the character dictate what direction the film goes in, rather than going into it with a big plan, which means it can go in any direction.”

“It has been quite nice to hear the others tonight, often I thought it was just me who was so haphazard!,”commented Saint-Pierre.

Great to see such a talented, eloquent bunch of documentary makers at @frontlineclub. Time I dusted off the camera. pic.twitter.com/JXSRVQbox4

— Peter Yeung (@ptr_yeung) February 15, 2016

Although there was a general consensus that the creative process should not be formulaic, three elements were highlighted for their significance at the start of a project: inspiration by way of specific characters, places, and issues.

“I like characters who are really passionate about something, and they are kind of on the edge of society,” said Saint-Pierre, as he explained how he found the shopkeeper around whom his first film centred.

Silver added: “for me, the place is a character. It’s not just the people, but also the essence of a place.”

Each of the panellists agreed that they aimed to spend as much time as possible with their subjects. Silver explained that on a five-day shoot, he would try and spend the first two days with his subjects without his camera. “I might take a stills camera, just for fun. But I’ve learnt from the past that I don’t need to over-shoot – and also I need to get past the first layer with that person and gain trust.”

However, the panel also reflected on how working with tight budgets and shorter timelines meant that the aim of spending significant time with their subjects was often unrealistic.

Horwell then moved the discussion onto one of the final stages of short documentary production: the editing process.

She asked the filmmakers to comment on their top tips for this stage, and how they avoid common mistakes.

“Hold the shot for longer than you plan. Whatever time you are holding it for, add an extra 5-10 seconds” Atkinson advised.

White agreed, and cemented the point with an extended clip from her film The Long Haul: “At the time I didn’t know that shot would be so useful, but trusting your shots and holding them for a long time, you’ll be thankful when it comes to the edit.”

Saint-Pierre added that for him “it was a matter of the character; you don’t want to turn the camera off. Often I’ve done it and then missed an amazing moment.”

The conversation did not run chronologically through the filmmaking process due to the non-linear nature of short documentary production – as Horwell had predicted – and the discussion touched on subjects including the use of ‘playful’ introductions, to how to best distribute your content online.

Sadaf Rahimi is the most accomplished female boxer in Afghanistan and well known within her community in Kabul, though her talent attracts social ridicule as well as fame. With the encouragement of her school teacher, Sadaf joined the newly-created women’s boxing team at the age of 13 once her family had returned to their country after being refugees in Iran.

One in a group of 30 girls coached by Saber Sharifi, Sadaf trains in Kabul’s Ghazi Stadium – the same stadium used as a venue for public executions under the Taliban government in the late 1990s. Granted permission by their parents to participate in the boxing team, Sadaf and her teammates represent changing perspectives towards women’s roles in Afghan society. Qualifying for some of the most prestigious competitions in the world, the girls’ outlook towards tradition is influenced by their experiences abroad. At the same time, many of the girls are criticised by their classmates and neighbours for having left Afghanistan.

Sadaf’s boxing and academic achievements have led her into public visibility and turned her into a role model for many Afghan young women – although her athletic career has been jeopardised by death threats and interference from the Afghan Boxing Association, which barred her from travelling to compete in the 2012 London Olympics.

Allowing Sadaf to speak for herself, filmmakers Silvia Venegas and Antonio Amador create an inspiring portrait of a confident and ambitious Afghan woman who is fully supported by her family, yet caught in a changing society where government institutions continue to impose strict social restrictions.

Directed by: Silvia Venegas and Antonio Amador
Country: Spain
Year: 2015
Runtime: 75’

Full programme:

NOT FOR SALE
Director: Matthew C. Levy
2013 / 11 min / United States
http://matthewclevy.com/

Inside an antique shop where nothing is for sale, Anthony Pisano invites you to stop in, reflect on life, play jazz and satisfy your curiosity.

TOUCH LIFE
Directors: Leo Bruges and Marcin Knyziak
2014 / 13 min / United Kingdom

Touch Life

Agata is living the life of the modern, independent blind woman when she meets Matt. He is attentive and loving, and now he wants to introduce Agata to his American family 3,000 miles away. In the days leading up to the trip, Agata ponders on what it means to be in a relationship.

HOW I LIVE, AS YOU WANTED TO KNOW

Director: Christian Einshøj
2014 / 15 min / Denmark
http://www.einshoj.com/

The young filmmaker’s grandfather has lived alone since his wife died last year. But now he has met a new woman online. To persuade her to visit him, his grandson help​s​ him shoot a small film about what the title promises: how he lives. The result is a warm, loving and understatedly witty ‘home video’. Every small detail is full of the stories of a lifetime.

COSMIC VALENTINE
Director: Chris Cascarano
2015 / 5 min / USA
dotwebdotinfodotnet.com/

This film explores the profound and gritty wisdom of our channel to the cosmos: the bodacious, blonde-haired astrologist ‘Angel Eyedealism’. Our cosmic sage is an East Village icon, counselling thousands of people on love and how to get it.

HONEYMOON
Director: Grzegorz Krawiec
2010 / 30 min / Poland
http://www.polishdocs.pl/en/director/1482/grzegorz_krawiec

Tomek has just left prison after 7 years. On his release day he joyfully marries a fellow inmate, Agnieszka. While she awaits her trial from prison, Tomek begins a new start in life, reconnecting with his estranged mother and searching for a home for himself and his new wife. The couple work to sustain their romance while navigating the strict regulations separating prisoners from the public.

A KISS, DEFERRED
Animated by the Moth Collective
Directors: Daniel Chester, Dave Prosser, Ifor Ashton, Marie-Margaux Tsakiri-Scanatovits
2015 / 4 min / UK
http://mothcollective.co.uk/

A 12-year-old girl’s life is shattered by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Years later, she receives an email from her childhood crush.

TRANSGENDER, AT WAR AND IN LOVE
Director: Fiona Dawson for the New York Times
2015 / 13 min / USA
http://www.fionadawson.com
www.transmilitary.org

This short documentary shares the challenges of a transgender military couple, who are banned from serving openly.

Documentary films often generate empathy in audiences, illuminating new perspectives and activating powerful emotions, but what happens next? How can empathy created by effective storytelling fuel action?

A panel of filmmakers and industry professionals will come together to discuss how they’ve carried their messages beyond the screen to incite engagement from viewers and response to social issues and injustices. Subjects to be discussed include storytelling methods for inspiring action, building campaigns through multimedia platforms, and engaging with the journalistic community.

Chaired by:
Sarah Mosses, CEO of Together Films, a new agency working with social issue film content to reach new audiences. She helps filmmakers craft Impact Distribution Campaigns to increase both their social impact, audience reach and revenue potential. As an award winning producer Sarah’s debut feature documentary They Will Have To Kill Us First had its World Premiere at SXSW 2015. Sarah is a mentor for Documentary Campus, Eso Doc, Sheffield DocFest, working with filmmakers to identify strategies and partners for their films.

The panelists:

Riddhi Jha is a UK Producer/Writer, educated at Royal Holloway, University of London. She started her career working in post-production and later began developing programmes for major UK television channels. Her debut in production was on a Channel 4 documentary ‘Why Don’t You Speak English?’ which followed the lives of those who had settled in the UK for the first time. Riddhi has since worked on the popular BBC television series ‘The Great British Bake Off’, has cast contributors and worked as Researcher for several productions for the BBC and Discovery and has scripted several commercials. “Riddhi came on board as an Associate Producer on India’s Daughter with the sort of commitment, energy and passion that a producer dreams of having at his/her side”, Leslee Udwin has said of her. Riddhi has a feature film in development as writer/producer – the story of a child bride.

Callum Macrae is a filmmaker, writer and journalist. An Emmy, BAFTA and Grierson nominee, his output has ranged from current affairs investigations to observational documentaries to polemics and he has filmed around the world, including Iraq, Sri Lanka, Japan, Haiti, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda, Mali, and Sudan on subjects ranging from international and civil conflict to sex-workers rights.  He headed the Channel 4 team nominated in 2013 for a Nobel Peace Prize for their work on Sri Lanka which culminated in his feature documentary, No Fire Zone.  The product of a three year investigation, No Fire Zone is credited with playing a key role in convincing the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014 to launch a major international war crimes investigation into the events in the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Patrick Hurley is Distribution Manager at Dogwoof, a leading film distributor and world sales agent specialising in high-profile feature-length documentaries. Primarily responsible for theatrical-release campaigns and audience-building, Patrick has worked on over 60 cinema releases for documentaries in the UK over the past four years. For this discussion, Patrick will share insights from Dogwoof’s campaign for Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish for which Dogwoof handled UK distribution, international sales plus website and social media.  Released in 2013, Blackfish has become a worldwide phenomenon, achieving an immense global audience and instigating a major impact on Sea World’s admissions and reputation for keeping orcas in captivity. Patrick will discuss how Dogwoof positioned and marketed the film to a broad audience while simultaneously leveraging support from key activist partners.

Gavin Rees and Erik Poppe discuss A Thousand Times Good Night at the Frontline Club

On Monday 28 April, the Frontline Club hosted a fully booked preview screening of the feature film A Thousand Times Good Night, which was followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Erik Poppe, moderated by Gavin Rees from the Dart Centre Europe.

The film, which stars French actress Juliette Binoche, tells the story of a war photographer and the impact of her work, which often exposes her to danger, on her life and that of her family and their relationships with each other. The film begins with Rebecca, Binoche’s character photographing the lead up, execution and aftermath of a suicide bombing in Kabul. It is a semi-autobiographical film; Rebecca is based on Poppe and much of the film is based on experiences of the director’s own life, especially the “push and pull” of his career and family life.

Binoche met with different journalists, many of whom had spent a lot of time in Afghanistan and Kenya, as well as other countries, in order to prepare for her role as Rebecca and to understand her character and what it’s like to be a journalist. Poppe also mentioned that they were very close to taking a trip to Syria, before it “turned too crazy”, so she could meet with people and “feel the atmosphere and how it is”. He described how she wanted to go as far as she could to understand what it is like to do this job, and having to make difficult decisions. One of the questions touched on the ethics of being a photojournalist in conflict zones and having to make the decision to simply observe what is happening, and not intervene, even in fatal circumstances. Poppe said that this is a pressure that all journalists face, and is another layer of the complexity of Rebecca’s story in the film.  He talked about how important it is that you have the trust of the people you are following. If a situation becomes too difficult, “you can always withdraw”.

Many of the questions from the audience focused on the autobiographical nature of the film. Rees asked Poppe to highlight any parallels between Rebecca and himself, and which moments in the film are the most significant. Poppe told the audience that almost all the scenes are taken from his own life, with the exception of one: a very dramatic scene involving Rebecca and her eldest daughter Steph, who is based on Poppe’s eldest daughter, where Rebecca makes a decision, as a photographer, that sees her go towards danger, and away from her daughter.

“I wanted to create a scene where we . . . pushed her away from us. . . . I needed to have a scene that is believable from both perspectives. . . . It’s horrible that she does that for her kid, but still, I can also see from her point of view.”

Poppe discussed with the audience his own experiences as a photographer and filmmaker in conflict zones, and how it affects his family’s lives. He described the dilemma and guilt he feels about almost “putting them in a prison”:

“When I’m out there, doing this stuff, [my wife is] sort of captured in a sort of situation where . . . the TV is not on, for three weeks, four weeks, five weeks that I’m gone, the radio is not on, she is in a panic about getting any news, every time she hears that there is a suicide bomber in Kabul or in . . . Pakistan, she immediately thinks I’m in it, and . . . her life is ruined until she’s got a confirmation that, no, I wasn’t there. . . . She doesn’t watch anything anymore, and my eldest daughter is almost in the same position.”

He asks himself: “How can I allow myself to put them in that position?” This is the complexity that he wanted to show in the film, particularly the complexities involved with discussing his work with his children.

Later on in the Q&A, Poppe was asked about his definition of a hero, when an audience member said that he felt that journalists like Rebecca and Poppe are heroes, as they are putting themselves in danger in order to help others. Poppe disagreed, saying that, while the job that a professional journalist does is extremely important, there is also a degree of selfishness that comes with being a journalist:

“There is . . . an element of a rush . . . if I’m really honest, to be out there, that close to life and death, to tell those stories which you really feel are important . . . and that’s, sort of, more egocentric and not so sympathetic . . . if you really look at the whole . . . motivation.”

Instead, he feels that the local people who are making sacrifices in their lives are the heroes, while living in conflict zones and often being victims themselves, in order to help those around them.

A Thousand Times Good Night will be released in cinemas nationwide from Friday 2 May 2014, you can find the full listings here.