Guardian Documentaries presents Guardian Picks; a series of contemporary documentary shorts from around the world, revealing compelling real stories of creativity, hope and resilience. The line-up includes the films The Return, Saintmaking, Sindicat and Black Cop.
Black Cop
Director: Cherish Oteka | United Kingdom | 2021 | 24 Minutes | European Premiere
The Black Cop is a docu-drama exploring one former police officer’s experience of being both victim and perpetrator of racism in the police force. With the ongoing conversations around racial profiling within policing, this timely documentary takes audiences into the usually private world of policing, told through an unfamiliar perspective.
Cast: Gamal Turawa
Writer: Cherish Oteka | Producer: Cherish Oteka, Emma Cooper | Director of Photography: Damian Paul Daniel | Editor: Amber Saunders | Music: Aiwan Obinyan
Saintmaking: Derek Jarman & The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Director: Marco Alessi | United Kingdom | 2021 | 23 Minutes
In 1991, filmmaker Derek Jarman was the most prominent person in the UK living openly with HIV. He was outspoken, radical and unapologetically queer. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Jarman’s canonization by an activist group of mostly gay male nuns known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Cast: Jack Mosedale, Willy Hudson, Jack Sears, Pete Machale, Paul Hilton
Producer: Lily Slydel | Director of Photography: Stephen Dunn | Editor: Pawel Achtelik | Music: Tom Foskett-Barnes
Sindicat
Director: Irene Baqué | United Kingdom | 2021 | 18 Minutes | World Premiere
On the borders of Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat is one of the most densely populated cities in the EU and home to a large migrant community. A group of young volunteers set up Sindicat, a Renters’ Union which works relentlessly to counteract the housing crisis engulfing the, often undocumented, residents.
Producer: Irene Baqué | Director of Photography: Jordi Ruiz Cirera | Editor: Ona Bartolí
The Return
Director: Eriberto Gualinga | Ecuador / United Kingdom | 2021 | 16 Minutes
While millions of people around the world have been forced into lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis, a family in the Ecuadorian Amazon has opted to move deeper into the relative safety of the jungle. As news spreads that Ecuador might lift its lockdown, the question is: will the family stay?
Producer: Nina Gualinga, Marc Silver | Director of Photography: Eriberto Gualinga | Editor: Emiliano Battista
