Join us for the inaugural London edition of our acclaimed event series
Documentary Spotlight will host a spectacular line-up of creators for an afternoon of powerful discussions about the significance of documentary storytelling.
The event will feature an all-star list of panelists who will share clips and engaging in illuminating conversations covering their projects and the state of the industry.
The event will feature an all-star list of panelists who will share clips and engaging in illuminating conversations covering their projects and the state of the industry.
Hosted by Thom Powers
Location
Soho Hotel
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3DH, UK
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3DH, UK
Date & Time
November 22, 2024
1:00 PM
Doors Open
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Clips & Conversations
4:30 - 6:00 PM
Reception
*Food & Refreshments provided
1:00 PM
Doors Open
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Clips & Conversations
4:30 - 6:00 PM
Reception
*Food & Refreshments provided
FEATURED DOCUMENTARIES
& PANELISTS
& PANELISTS
Keynote Conversation
with Brian Eno & Gary Hustwit
ENO
FILM FIRST & TIGERLILY PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
Visionary musician and artist Brian Eno — known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, among many others, pioneering the genre of ambient music and releasing more than 40 solo and collaboration albums — reveals his creative processes in the groundbreaking generative documentary Eno: a film that’s different every time it’s shown. Director Gary Hustwit and digital artist Brendan Dawes invented an approach befitting the iconoclast's use of new technologies. ENO is the world’s first generative cinematic documentary and like a musical performance creates a unique viewing experience for each audience. The result is a film that explores the essence of creativity and why art matters, now more than ever.
Panelist:
Brian Eno
MUSICIAN & ARTIST
—
'Brian Eno is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambient music and electronica and for producing, recording, and writing works in rock and pop music. His work as a producer includes albums with Talking Heads, Devo, U2, Laurie Anderson, James, Jane Siberry and Coldplay, while his long list of collaborations includes recordings with David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, David Byrne, Grace Jones, his brother, Roger, on ‘Mixing Colours’ and recently with Fred Again...His new book, What Art Does written with artist and writer Bette Adriaanse, explores the function of art and how it helps people.
Brian Eno
MUSICIAN & ARTIST
—
'Brian Eno is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambient music and electronica and for producing, recording, and writing works in rock and pop music. His work as a producer includes albums with Talking Heads, Devo, U2, Laurie Anderson, James, Jane Siberry and Coldplay, while his long list of collaborations includes recordings with David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, David Byrne, Grace Jones, his brother, Roger, on ‘Mixing Colours’ and recently with Fred Again...His new book, What Art Does written with artist and writer Bette Adriaanse, explores the function of art and how it helps people.
Panelist:
Gary Hustwit
FILMMAKER & ARTIST
—
Gary Hustwit is an American independent filmmaker and artist. He is best known for his design documentaries, Helvetica, Objectified & Urbanized and the world's first generative documentary Eno, a film that is never the same twice. He has produced or distributed over a dozen music documentaries including I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, with the indie country band Wilco, Mavis! About gospel soul musician Mavis Staples and Oddsac, a collaboration with Animal Collective. In addition to filmmaking, he has been active in the independent music and book publishing and recently launched Anamorph a generative media studio and software company.
Gary Hustwit
FILMMAKER & ARTIST
—
Gary Hustwit is an American independent filmmaker and artist. He is best known for his design documentaries, Helvetica, Objectified & Urbanized and the world's first generative documentary Eno, a film that is never the same twice. He has produced or distributed over a dozen music documentaries including I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, with the indie country band Wilco, Mavis! About gospel soul musician Mavis Staples and Oddsac, a collaboration with Animal Collective. In addition to filmmaking, he has been active in the independent music and book publishing and recently launched Anamorph a generative media studio and software company.
INVISIBLE NATION
CLU COLLECTIVE PRESENTS
Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, centers this portrait of the constantly colonized island, as it struggles to preserve its hard-won democracy, autonomy and freedom from fear of authoritarian aggression.
Panelist:
Vanessa Hope
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
—
Vanessa Hope is an award-winning independent director and producer who has spent her career focusing on China and Taiwan. Her films have played at the Berlinale, Cannes, and Sundance Film Festivals. Prior to her film career, Hope worked on foreign policy issues at the Council on Foreign Relations with senior fellow and director of Asia Studies, Elizabeth Economy.
Vanessa Hope
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
—
Vanessa Hope is an award-winning independent director and producer who has spent her career focusing on China and Taiwan. Her films have played at the Berlinale, Cannes, and Sundance Film Festivals. Prior to her film career, Hope worked on foreign policy issues at the Council on Foreign Relations with senior fellow and director of Asia Studies, Elizabeth Economy.
MEDIHA
TOGETHER FILMS PRESENTS
Mediha is the story of one girl’s fight to find her missing family members, revealing the strength and determination of a young survivor as she reclaims her voice and future. Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl, turns her camera on herself to process her trauma after surviving ISIS captivity. As she bravely faces her past, Mediha and her younger brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, now strive to rebuild their lives despite the uncertain fates of their father, mother, and baby brother. From Executive Producer Emma Thompson, this award-winning film from Hasan Oswald is an incredible story of resilience.
Panelist:
Hasan Oswald
DIRECTOR
—
Hasan has covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (Forgotten USA), drug trafficking and homelessness in Camden, NJ (Higher Love), and the international diaspora of conflict refugees for NatGeo (Hell on Earth). His latest documentary, Mediha, is executive produced by Emma Thompson and follows a teenage Yazidi girl processing her trauma after being held captive by ISIS. Mediha won the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award runner-up at DOC NYC. Hasan was also named one of DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 documentary rising stars to watch co-presented by HBO Documentary Films.
Hasan Oswald
DIRECTOR
—
Hasan has covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (Forgotten USA), drug trafficking and homelessness in Camden, NJ (Higher Love), and the international diaspora of conflict refugees for NatGeo (Hell on Earth). His latest documentary, Mediha, is executive produced by Emma Thompson and follows a teenage Yazidi girl processing her trauma after being held captive by ISIS. Mediha won the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award runner-up at DOC NYC. Hasan was also named one of DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 documentary rising stars to watch co-presented by HBO Documentary Films.
THE COMMANDANT'S SHADOW
WARNER BROS. PICTURES IN ASSOCIATION WITH HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS PRESENTS
Two people - the son of the Commandant of Auschwitz and a Jewish prisoner - experienced Auschwitz at the same time, but on opposite sides of the barbed wire fence. 80 years later, the son comes face to face with the survivor of his father's death camp as he confronts his terrible family legacy.
Panelist:
Daniela Völker
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER
—
A German and Argentine filmmaker based in London, Daniela Völker has made series and one-off documentaries for Netflix, CNN, PBS, BBC, National Geographic, ITV, ZDF, and France Television on a variety of subject matters, including the challenges of living together after the genocide in Rwanda and the toxic legacy of Argentina’s “Dirty War” in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Völker started developing this documentary in 2020 when she was approached by Maya Lasker-Wallfisch about her experiences of transgenerational trauma as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
Daniela Völker
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER
—
A German and Argentine filmmaker based in London, Daniela Völker has made series and one-off documentaries for Netflix, CNN, PBS, BBC, National Geographic, ITV, ZDF, and France Television on a variety of subject matters, including the challenges of living together after the genocide in Rwanda and the toxic legacy of Argentina’s “Dirty War” in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Völker started developing this documentary in 2020 when she was approached by Maya Lasker-Wallfisch about her experiences of transgenerational trauma as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN
NETFLIX PRESENTS
When gamer Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents mourned what they thought was an isolated life. It was only once they had access to his blog that they discovered the deep friendships he created virtually before passing away from a degenerative muscular disease. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a transformative journey proving how community can transcend the physical world.
Panelist:
Benjamin Ree
DIRECTOR
—
Benjamin Ree is a Norwegian filmmaker based in Oslo. His documentary feature debut, MAGNUS (2016), sold to 64 countries and won several awards at film festivals around the world. His acclaimed second feature, THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (2020), was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It sold to 80 countries and won more than 30 awards, including at the Sundance and London film festivals. THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN (2024) premiered at Sundance this year in the World Cinemas Documentary section and won the Directing and Audience Awards. It was released globally on Netflix on October 25.
Benjamin Ree
DIRECTOR
—
Benjamin Ree is a Norwegian filmmaker based in Oslo. His documentary feature debut, MAGNUS (2016), sold to 64 countries and won several awards at film festivals around the world. His acclaimed second feature, THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (2020), was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It sold to 80 countries and won more than 30 awards, including at the Sundance and London film festivals. THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN (2024) premiered at Sundance this year in the World Cinemas Documentary section and won the Directing and Audience Awards. It was released globally on Netflix on October 25.
SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY
NETFLIX & XYZ FILMS PRESENT
A daredevil couple risks it all by going where no one's gone before: the top of the world’s second-highest skyscraper. Angela and Vanya are Russia’s preeminent rooftoppers who defy the odds (and death) to scale the globe’s tallest buildings. As their acrobatic stunts go viral and rack up millions of online views, they put their love and trust to the test as they create a dangerous new artform that they call “skywalking.” Filmed over six years across six countries, Skywalkers captures extreme climbing in harrowing detail and is directed and written by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising, The Two Escobars, Momentum Generation).
Panelist:
Jeff Zimbalist
DIRECTOR/WRITER
—
JEFF ZIMBALIST is a multi-Emmy and Peabody winning filmmaker most known for IDA and Tribeca Film Festival winner FAVELA RISING (HBO), Emmy winner and Cannes Film Festival favorite THE TWO ESCOBARS (ESPN, Disney), Emmy and Tribeca Film Festival winner MOMENTUM GENERATION (HBO, Universal), PELÉ; BIRTH OF A LEGEND (Magnolia, Universal), the Emmy winning series REMASTERED (Netflix), Emmy nominated THE LINE (Apple), Emmy nominated 11 MINUTES and Emmy nominated CRUSH (Paramount+), multi-Emmy winning SUPER LEAGUE; WAR FOR FOOTBALL (Apple), Sundance and Tribeca festival favorite INVISIBLE BEAUTY (Magnolia), and award-winning 2024 Sundance hit SKYWALKERS; A LOVE STORY (IMAX, Netflix).
Jeff Zimbalist
DIRECTOR/WRITER
—
JEFF ZIMBALIST is a multi-Emmy and Peabody winning filmmaker most known for IDA and Tribeca Film Festival winner FAVELA RISING (HBO), Emmy winner and Cannes Film Festival favorite THE TWO ESCOBARS (ESPN, Disney), Emmy and Tribeca Film Festival winner MOMENTUM GENERATION (HBO, Universal), PELÉ; BIRTH OF A LEGEND (Magnolia, Universal), the Emmy winning series REMASTERED (Netflix), Emmy nominated THE LINE (Apple), Emmy nominated 11 MINUTES and Emmy nominated CRUSH (Paramount+), multi-Emmy winning SUPER LEAGUE; WAR FOR FOOTBALL (Apple), Sundance and Tribeca festival favorite INVISIBLE BEAUTY (Magnolia), and award-winning 2024 Sundance hit SKYWALKERS; A LOVE STORY (IMAX, Netflix).
Panelist:
Tamir Ardon
PRODUCER, HEAD OF DOCUMENTARY AT XYZ FILMS
—
Tamir Ardon is head of documentary at XYZ Films. His producing credits include Framing John DeLorean, a genre-bending documentary-hybrid starring Alec Baldwin as John DeLorean, Claydream, Audrey, Never Look Away, You Don’t Nomi and award-winning Sundance hit Skywalkers: A Love Story.
Tamir Ardon
PRODUCER, HEAD OF DOCUMENTARY AT XYZ FILMS
—
Tamir Ardon is head of documentary at XYZ Films. His producing credits include Framing John DeLorean, a genre-bending documentary-hybrid starring Alec Baldwin as John DeLorean, Claydream, Audrey, Never Look Away, You Don’t Nomi and award-winning Sundance hit Skywalkers: A Love Story.