H is for Harry - World Premiere

Tonight in London is the world Premiere of the feature doc I edited last year, H is for Harry, directed by Ed Owles and Jaime Taylor. The screening is sold out, but I'll post a list of further screenings when they're announced. 

It's screening at The Curzon, who describe up the film quite nicely: 

A coming of age story about Harry, a charismatic 11-year-old boy who arrives at secondary school in suburban London unable to read or write. With the help of Sophie, his extremely dedicated teacher, and the unfailing support of his father, he struggles to overcome the illiteracy ingrained across generations of his family.

Against the backdrop of a Britain riven with debates around class, identity and social mobility, the film follows Harry over two years as he fights not only to improve academically but also to believe in a better future for himself.

IMPORTANT WORK

I've finally managed to add a few new pieces of work to the site, including a short doc I directed and edited for Tate Shots about legendary New York artist Joan Jonas, as well as a powerful and important short film for Teen Vogue directed by the up and coming Tyler Mitchell.

WORKING TITLE

I'm back in London for a few weeks for the 2017 Sheffield Docfest. For the past seven months I'm been working on my second feature documentary, the working title of which is '11'.  I'll be attending the festival with the rest of the film's team to meet with potential buyers and investors (as well as to hopefully see some great films). The film itself follows a class of children in their first year of secondary school, and is directed by Ed Owles (The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers) and Jaime Taylor (The Secret History of Our Streets); two brilliant filmmakers who spent three years filming the documentary at the Reach Academy school in Feltham, West London.

The first year of secondary school is a pivotal year for many kids, especially those who come from a certain background, and the film examines how this quite unique school deals with the learning and personal problems that these kids have brought with them from their primary schools.

A Syrian Love Story

2016 was A Syrian Love Story's year: Seeing the family from the film together on stage after a screening at a packed out Tuschinski cinema in Amsterdam was an incredibly emotional and humbling experience. Then two days later having the London premiere at the BFI was something I'll never forget. Picking up a BAFTA nomination, and receiving awards and other nominations from around the world

Whilst you are in the middle of such a long, complicated and emotional edit it's sometimes hard to know what the reaction will be or whether people will share the enthusiasm and feeling that we all had, but when the film was released in cinemas in the UK to numerous five star reviews and critical praise it was a beautiful feeling. And finally when it was broadcast on BBC1 (The first time a Storyville has ever been shown on BBC1!), seeing and hearing the reactions from the public and how it touched and caught the their imagination, it was something that none of us could have hoped for. Here are a selection of the reviews and comments:

"The Guardian ★★★★★: 
Sean McAllister’s doc about a family of Syrian refugees would be compelling at any time. Now it's unmissable" 

Financial Times ★★★★★:
"The deeper human truths of this documentary are here to stay"

Timeout ★★★★: 
"An essential act of witnessing; a crucial conduit to understanding”

The Independent ★★★★: 
"Heartbreaking portrait of a marriage unravelling"

Al Monitor: 
the quintessential document of the Syrian war to date"