Best UK Graduate Documentary Shortlist

Below are the shortlisted entries for the Best UK Graduate Documentary Award and comments from the category juror Nick Shearman.

Finding Walter
Michael Moore
Newport Film School

A personal journey following the life of the famous detective Inspector Walter Dew – a man who hunted Jack the Ripper and arrested Dr Crippen. With new evidence coming to light regarding Crippen’s innocence, this documentary asks was Inspector Dew somehow involved.

“This was a fascinating investigation into an aspect of the film-maker’s personal history and it dealt with not one but two classic crime stories. It came with a quirky, slightly odd, but quite original sense of humour early on. This was one of the few films among the entries to put the film-maker in front of camera and generally the personal touch worked well. The unfolding of the narrative and the twist towards the end was deftly done, and it was nicely edited throughout. Although the story had been told before, in a Five documentary in 2008, nevertheless the story-telling was excellent from an interestingly talented film-maker.”

Crossman
Christopher Beard & Sam Werkiester
Newport Film School

A story about a man who sacrifices more than he bargained for when trying to serve God. Lindsey carries a life size crucifix on his back around the world. We follow.

“An intriguing portrait of an unusual character and an exploration of what religious fervour can mean in the 21st century. It began with a cleverly handled photo-montage but it went beyond being simply an effective portrait by inter-cutting the central character’s walks with the story of his life and the effects that his religious determination had had on his family – through their own words. The music was particularly evocative and helped drive the pace and tone of the film. It could have done with a bit more questioning of why this man had essentially sacrificed his marriage for his religious commitment – bordering on obsession – but the teasing out of this bigger idea was subtly handled. And in following his current walks it became an affecting tribute to the kindness of strangers.”

Mostar
Sebastian Feehan & Josh Bamford
Newport Film School

The Bosnian War (1992 – 1995) was the worst violence Europe had witnesses since Word World 2. During this time, Mostar was the most heavily fought over city. Nedzad Kasumovic defended his besieged city and risked his life to film the destruction of the Old Bridge. Nearly 20 years from when it all began, Nedzad tells his story and unveils the true horrors of war.

“This was a deeply moving film about the effects of the Balkan conflict on one man and one town at a critical and memorable moment during that war. The film was an excellent example of subtle editing of sound and picture, beginning cleverly against black and using sound throughout in an affecting and evocative way. It was somewhat slow-paced, though for the most part this suited the horrific material with which it was dealing. It was careful and delicate in its use of footage from the time, and beautifully cut together – the use of the year being a brilliant example of transitional editing. The final sequence featuring various people looking direct at camera reflected the consistently strong direction throughout the film.”

Eighty Eight
Sebastian Feehan, Josh Bamford & Hannah Bone
Newport Film School

Champion roller skater, cyclist and swimmer Ralph Settle refuses to let old age get the better of him. Now 88 and a widower everyone of the streets of Cornwall knows him by sight as “The Banjo Man”.

“This was a superb portrait of an extraordinary individual but in doing so it became a study of loneliness that also managed to say something about growing old disgracefully and the society in which we live. From an intriguing opening, the film established the character of Ralph Strettle early on. Occasionally one could have done with a touch more information for clarity. On one level the crucial piece of interview seemed to come out of nowhere, but in fact the references to Ralph’s wife were subtly placed through the film. This was a piece that had probably the strongest emotional narrative of all the films and took the viewer through a range of different emotions along the way. It had a shocking and surprising narrative built into an entertaining, delightful but ultimately tragic film.”

Mourning of the Valley
Andrew Gough, Paris Palmer, John Shand, Ian Morley, & James Earing
Newport Film School

Documentary drama retelling the tragic story of the 1913 Senghenydd mining disaster where 436 men lost their lives in the fatal explosion. We speak to ex-miners to help us re-tell the story and talk to Sandra Gough about her great Grandfathers story, John Walters.

“An effective and very well-built drama-documentary telling the story of the Senghenydd mining disaster of 1913. It skilfully told the story through the eyes of a few key dramatised characters while inter-cutting this with moving interviews involving men from the village. These personal testimonies were an important factor in under-pinning the drama with a clear understanding of the effects this disaster had on the ordinary people who lived there. It was beautifully shot and well edited. In particular the moment of disaster was handled with real skill and invention, and reflected a strong directorial hand.”

Overview

“The overall standard of the films submitted was impressively high. The use of sound and music, combined with the editing, was particularly noteable. It was interesting that of the 11 entries very few were comic in tone – it would seem that film students are a pretty serious bunch!

The other point to note is Story-telling. We are all telling stories in one form or another but in selecting a shortlist it was noticeable that a number of films lacked really strong stories or occasionally didn’t reflect story-telling skills. Certainly in television we have tended to move away from the documentaries of the 70s and 80s that simply portrayed a situation – there is now a greater emphasis on the story and how it is made to unfold. The most successful films here were the ones that told a story which had a resonance both on an editorial and emotional level, and often reflected in those stories a bigger idea or thought.

But overall, this was an excellent collection of work, thoughtful, often moving, very well shot and put together. In particular, the opening teases were surprisingly strong, enticing and effective.”