All The Beauty and The Bloodshed | Programme Notes

Director: Laura Poitras

Run Time: 122 minutes

Release date: 27th January 2023

I think this story is an important story, not just for me, but for society.

 – Nan Goldin. 

Renowned photographer Nan Goldin and her advocacy group P.A.I.N* stage a die-in at the Metropolitan Museum of art—where art and a corporation-made epidemic clash in the Sackler Wing of the museum. 

While based in New York, P.A.I.N’s protests and activist interventions are held all over the world with the goal to stop museums from accepting donations from the Sackler family. Closer to home Tate, British Museum, the formerly-named Serpentine Sackler Gallery (now called the Serpentine North Gallery, as a direct result of Goldin and P.A.I.N’s activism)’ are a number of the cultural venues and organisations which have received sizable donations from the Sackler family. 

Once hailed in the art world for their charitable donations and thanked for their generosity with museum and gallery wings named after them—the Sackler family were also the owners of Purdue Pharmaceuticals and responsible for the first (and continued) wave of the US opioid epidemic in the 1990s. Having made a fortune pushing addictive OxyContin as safe pain management the Sackler family’s so called philanthropy is—thanks to P.A.I.N’s activism finally recognised as an attempt to charity wash the unfathomable profit made and for the public to associate the Sackler name with art and culture instead of addiction and overdoses. 

A clear distinction is to be made—P.A.I.N, like Nan, are not anti-opioid but they are anti-big pharma. This is not the first time Nan has sought to understand the harm of conformity and to speak up against the hauntings of stigma. In this case, those whose pain and dependency are used as pawns in the big-pharma profit machine. The process of documenting the protests and mission of P.A.I.N had already begun when American documentary film director and producer Laura Poitras volunteered to help Nan with telling the story. 

Winning Venice Film Festival’s equivalent of Best Picture, the Golden Lion at the 2022 festival, made the film only the second documentary to take the top prize in the event’s 90-year history. All The Beauty And The Bloodshed is now nominated for a BAFTA Best Documentary and in addition to this Poitras has received numerous awards for her work,  including the 2015 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film about Edward Snowden,  ‘Citizenfour’, while her first solo credit feature documentary ‘My Country, My Country’ about the Iraq War received a nomination in the same category in 2007. 

We’re treated to archive footage, and intimate conversations—from ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ to ‘Sisters, Saints and Sibyls’ Nan’s legendary, very personal and poignant work serve as chapters in the film and in her fight against injustices. Just how sacred the world which Poitras enters is revealed in the complete autonomy which Nan has of her story; her influence is vast and in addition to the poetic and detailed narration and supply of archive material Nan is credited as a music consultant for the film. 

In making the documentary the agreement between artists was that Nan could speak freely during their conversations, only if she had a say in what material made it to the final version of the film. Poitras put their  conversation on encrypted drives—treating the recordings with the utmost discretion. ** Both Nan and director Laura Poitras are aware of their sway and possibility to influence; and neither turn away from the responsibility of taking on unnecessary evil. At the start of the portrait documentary Nan states: It’s easy to make your life into stories; but it’s harder to sustain real memories—and so begins the collaboration between two contemporary artists where Nan reflects on the painful memories she’s now entrusted Poitras with to share. 

With Nan’s material and while exploring a multitude of branches across art, family, sexuality and addiction, Poitras weaves a focused story of Nan’s life with the failings of governments and corporate America highlighting the intentional and unintentional injustices throughout history which serve as a stark reminder of how closely intertwined art, love, and loss can be. 

Nan’s vast catalogue and lived experience take us through more than one count of corruption in history. While some may trip on how to do the right thing, the activist leads the way in taking down a corporation by building a community and using her influence in the artworld.

All The Beauty and the Bloodshed becomes an exploration not just of the contrast between chastised or misunderstood beauty, and evil—but also of the deep confusion and dumbfoundedness of evil. How do people live with themselves when they cause so much hurt choosing profit over lives? 

*Nan is a founding member of PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now)

**https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/movies/nan-goldin-laura-poitras-all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed.html 

ZERO FILMS BY WOMEN NOMINATED FOR BEST FILM AT THIS YEAR’S BAFTAS

The BAFTA nominations present a mixed picture for female filmmaking (directed/co-directed and/or written/co-written by a woman/women and/or non-binary people). 

On a positive note, all nominations for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer are by women and just under 50% (4/10) for Outstanding British Film are by women, which is broadly consistent with last year and a sign of progress towards equality of representation in filmmaking. 

However, with the lack of sizable nominations in both the Best Film and Director categories suggests a so-called ‘celluloid ceiling’ still exists when it comes to the type of bigger budget, ‘prestige’ titles which tend to dominate and tend to be directed and written by men. What is more, the high profile and bankability of these male directors is bolstered by the disproportionate number of top awards that they receive, which, in turn, perpetuates the inequality problem.

The Best Film and Director categories are scant at best with Gina Prince-Bythewood the only female filmmaker nominated in the Director category for the incredible THE WOMAN KING.

The only recognition within the Best Film category is for Lesley Paterson who shares writing credits with her two male counterparts for ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (directed by and co-written by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell.)

Our research indicates that Director nominations for female filmmakers are down from previous years (three in 2021 and four in 2020).

For context, the total number of best director nominations for women is now 15, compared to 229 for men, as reported by Screen.

In more positive news, Outstanding British Film sees AFTERSUN, THE SWIMMERS (directed by Sally El Hosaini and co-written by Sally El Hosaini and Jack Thorne), THE WONDER (directed by Sebastián Lelio and co-written Sebastián Lelio & Alice Birch, and based on the book by Emma Donoghue) all receiving nominations. 

One category where female filmmakers excelled in is Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, where all the films by nominated are by women:

AFTERSUN  – Charlotte Wells (Writer/Director)

BLUE JEAN – Georgia Oakley (Writer/Director), Hélène Sifre (Producer)

ELECTRIC MALADY – Marie Lidén (Director)

GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE – Katy Brand (Writer)

REBELLION – Maia Kenworthy (Director)

And, whilst it is encouraging that women are being given a chance to debut their work, it then becomes problematic to see that their subsequent films don’t receive the same level of recognition and support from the industry – where does this leave them?

CORSAGE (directed and written by Marie Kreutzer) and DECISION TO LEAVE (directed by Park Chan-wook and co-written by Park Chan-wook & Chung Seo-kyung) are nominated in the Film not in the English Language category.

Viola Davis for THE WOMAN KING, Emma Thompson (for GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE – written by Katy Brand and directed by Sophie Hyde) and Danielle Deadwyler for TILL (written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu and co-written by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp & Chinonye Chukwu) are all in the race for Leading Actress.

Daryl McCormack joins Thompson for a nomination for GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE for Lead Actor alongside Paul Mescal for AFTERSUN.

Whilst Eddie Redmayne is nominated in the Supporting Actor category for THE GOOD NURSE (directed by Tobias Lindholm and written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, based on the book by Charles Graeber).

There is also good news in the Documentary category with two nominations for films by women: FIRE OF LOVE (directed by Sara Dosa) and ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (directed by Laura Poitras). 

There are also two nominations in the Animation category for MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and written by Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate & Nick Paley) and TURNING RED (directed by Domee Shi and co-written by Domee Shi, Julia Cho & Sarah Streicher).

SHE SAID (directed by Maria Schrader and co-written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the book by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey) garners two nominations for Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress for Carey Mulligan.

In the shorts categories, there are two nominations in the British Short Animation category for MIDDLE WATCH (co-directed by John Stevenson & Aiesha Penwarden) and YOUR MOUNTAIN IS WAITING (directed by Hannah Jacobs and written by Harriet Gillian). Whilst BAZIGAGA (written and directed by Jo Ingabire Moys) and BUS GIRL – (written and directed by Jessica Yu-Li Henwick) are nominated for British Short Film.

Announcing Filmonomics 7 cohort 2023

We are delighted to announce the 15 incredibly talented filmmakers recruited through an open call, from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, who are on the cusp of their first feature or have just made/released their debut.

Top row: Emma Williamson, Helen Iley, Louisa Rechenbach, Nan Davies, Natalie Cubides-Brady

Middle row: Oneikeh Campbell, Reman Sadani, Ruth Platt, Sade Adeniran, Siobhan Fahey

Bottom row: Sorcha Bacon, Tala Lee-Turton, Tulasi Das, Veronica McKenzie, Vivien Cumming

We are excited and privileged to be a part of their journey, bringing the group together for peer-to-peer learning and support, as well as introducing them to a stellar line up of coaches and speakers, including Filmonomics alumni, led by Birds Eye View Director, Melanie Iredale, and Training Manager, Simone Glover. It’s exciting to imagine the personal and professional impact that will come from our time together creating a network which advocates for, and builds audiences for, films by women & non-binary creatives as part of our shared mission for gender diversity and inclusion in cinema – learning from each other along the way.

SPEAKERS AND COACHES INCLUDE

Alison Thompson (Co-President at Cornerstone), Amy O’Hara (Development & Production Executive at Film4), Annette Corbett (Leadership Coach), Becky Hutner (Filmmaker Fashion Reimagined), Carmen Gray (Film Critic, arts journalist & programmer for Berlinale, Winterthur IFF, Open City Docs), Cate Kane (Co-Director of Global Acquisitions at MUBI), Chi Thai (Independent filmmaker & producer), Cíntia Gil (Film Programmer & Consultant for Cannes Directors Fortnight), Droo Padhiar (Head of Marketing at Dogwoof), Hannah Bush Bailey (Film & Production Executive at BFI Doc Society), Isra Al Kassi (Head of Programmes & Audience Development at Birds’ Eye View), Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Producer: Blue Story, Boxing Day) Julia Short (Trainer/Consultant), Kaleem Aftab (Film critic, producer & programmer), Kate Leys (Story Editor), Lia Devlin (Managing Director at Altitude Distribution), Lucy Jones (Exec Director of Comscore Movies), Mia Bays (Head of BFI Film Fund), Paul Sng (Filmmaker (Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché), Shanida Scotland (Director and Head of Film at Doc Society), Stephen Follows (Film Industry Analyst), Steve Smith (Bafta Albert), Sophie Glover (Accounts Director for Awards at Premier), Susan Simnett (Producer Fadia’s Tree), Tara Brown (Film Curator for Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Festival, London Indian Film Festival), Tejinder Jouhal (Director of Marketing & Distribution at Hanway Films), Theo Grainzevelles (Creative & Impact Producer), Tolu Stedford (Co-Ceo at Story Compound).

COHORT PROFILES 

Emma Williamson (she/her) Writer

Emma is a Screenwriter from Northern Ireland and a previous winner of the New Writer Focus. Her short films have been funded by Northern Ireland Screen and BFI Network and her most recent short film is seeing festival success. Her writing focuses on bringing the stories of Northern Irish women to the world.

Helen Iley (she/her) Writer/Director

A Northern, Queer Writer & Director, Helen’s portfolio has been shortlisted for competitions through the BBC, BFI and after being a finalist at Raindance Film Festival Script Competition, she has been a part of their fellowship course where she has developed a feature film. Helen hopes to continue to write work that addresses social stigmas and how everyday characters encounter extraordinary challenges.

Louisa Rechenbach (she/her) Director/Producer

Louisa is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer based in London. Passionate about storytelling as a force for social change, her films are often intimate portraits of people that challenge the status quo. While studying at the University of the Arts London, Louisa was recognised by one of the most prestigious events in UK documentary film – the Grierson Awards.

Nan Davies (she/her) Producer

Nan Davies studied film production at the New York Film Academy. Her award-winning shorts have screened at BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying festivals around the world. In 2022 she was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab. She has produced non-scripted formats for Channel 4, BBC and commercials for brands including The Brits and Swarovski. She is currently developing a slate of features through her company One Wave Films. 

Natalie Cubides-Brady (she/her) Writer/Director

Natalie is a filmmaker working at the intersection of documentary and fiction. Her films have screened at Sundance London, Visions du Reel and Edinburgh, and been nominated for an IDA Documentary award and shortlisted for a Grierson. She is an alumna of the NFTS MA in Documentary Directing and Berlinale Talents. Her latest short, The Veiled City, was funded by BFI Doc Society and will have its world premiere in 2023.

Oneikeh Campbell (she/her) Writer/Director

Winner of The Pitch 2020, judged by Jon Wardle, (End of F*cking World) Director Destiny Ekaragha and Col Needham, CEO of IMDb. Oneikeh has just finished shooting her first short ‘Five Thousands Stars’ on a £45,000 budget. As well as studying at the NTFS, Oneikeh, a senior copywriter, has also completed Writing a TV Drama Serial course at Curtis Brown.

Reman Sadani (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Reman Sadani is a British-Iraqi moving image artist. Her practice encompasses moving image works, writing and collaborative curatorial projects. With a focus on narrative films and through an experimental approach, she attempts to address the political conditions of the everyday and their impact on subjects in her speculative narratives, questioning how one can exit, protest, or re-imagine a given reality.

Ruth Platt (she/her) Writer/Director

Ruth Platt read English Literature at University College Oxford, from a comprehensive school. She made two micro budget features – The Lesson – FrightFest, Slamdance, 2015, and The Black Forest, nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film in Edinburgh, 2019. Her first funded feature, Martyrs Lane, developed with BFI, released on Shudder in 2021. She has two children. 

Sade Adeniran (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Sade is an award winning writer who has written for radio, theatre and film.  As an author, her debut novel, Imagine This won the 2008 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize.  As a filmmaker, she has written, produced and directed several short films which have screened at international film festivals. The adapted version of her novel Imagine This, won the 2017 British Urban Film Festival Award for Best Script and is currently in development.

Siobhan Fahey (she/her) Producer

Siobhan is Glasgow based producer. Her first feature REBEL DYKES (2021) (Dir. Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams),  grew from community archive project; first film for women/non-binary crew. Awarded Iris Prize and  BAFTA Scotland, BIFA, Big Screen Award nominated.  Theatrically distributed BFI; worldwide with WMM.  Broadcast on Channel 4.

Short films with RIOT PRODUCTIONS garner awards: BAFTA Scotland (2018), Grierson Nomination (2021), Fantasia Premiere (2021). Alumni of Edinburgh Pitch, SDI; Vertical Lab, IFT;  Edinburgh Lab.  Her REBEL QUEER FILM+CLUB, Glasgow held BFI supported    WITCH // HAG  Film Festival December 2022.

Sorcha Bacon (she/her) Producer

Sorcha is a BAFTA, BIFA and Grierson nominated producer and founder of Try Hard Films – a company committed to bold, surprising storytelling. Her short films have played festivals including Cannes Critics Week, Sundance, SXSW, Sheffield and BFI London Film Festival. She recently co-produced a feature documentary directed by Kate Stonehill due for release in 2023. She’s developing a slate of features and TV projects with partners including Film4, Working Title and the BFI. In 2021 she was named a Screen Daily Screen Star of Tomorrow. 

Tala Lee-Turton (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Tala is a creative producer for dance onscreen and onstage, dancer, and graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow. She produces female-led, diverse and multidisciplinary work, connecting audiences and creatives to impactful dance experiences that challenge cultural and social boundaries. Her practice has led her to film as a medium through which to tell stories at the intersection of ethnicity, gender and class, inspired by her own lived experiences as a female creative of East Asian heritage from South Yorkshire. Her work is supported by Arts Council England, The Genesis Foundation and Screen Yorkshire.

Tulasi Das (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Tulasi Das is documentarian creating character-led documentaries on global social and environmental issues. A Dutch national, she first moved to the UK to develop a documentary centred on empathy with B3 Media. She has a career spanning broadcast and short films, and has produced/directed shorts for the BBC, the World Wildlife Fund, and even Sir David Attenborough. Her work has won an audience choice award and amassed millions of views online.

Veronica McKenzie (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Veronica was part of the BAFTA winning team (2005) as a Story Associate on Coronation Street and her writing has been shortlisted for the Nicholl Awards (2010). She co-produced short THE LAST SUPPER (2010). ‘MONICA LOOSE ON A CRUISE’ was selected for BFI Flare (2019), and her directorial debut ‘NINE NIGHTS’ (T’Nia Miller and Jo Martin) won the Pan African Film Festival Feature Director Award 2019. More recently Veronica won the JETS European initiative for the UK.

Vivien Cumming (she/her) Writer/Director/Producer

Viv is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Scotland. A climate scientist turned storyteller using film to raise awareness of environmental and humanitarian issues and the importance of our connection with the natural world. Viv runs a company that produces films for NGOs, scientists and the media; most recently working in partnership with Earthrise Studio to write and produce short films and a mini-series. Her films have been screened at multiple international film festivals and published by the BBC and National Geographic.

Filmonomics 7 is supported by ScreenSkills using National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI as part of the Future Film Skills programme.

For the first time, we are pleased to welcome BFI Doc Society on board as partners on the programme, and extend our thanks to supporters at Scottish Documentary Institute, Film Hub North and Northern Ireland Screen.