Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2022 - Network Round Features

Wednesday 13th April - Wednesday 20th April

1.

It's No Secret - Part 1
Dirs. Paul Summerlin, Diana Michelle
USA
Logline: IT’S NO SECRET is a quasi-autobiographical documentary about acute mental illness, profound healing, and triumph over a lifetime of struggle. The story centers around the current life of Paul Summerlin, a yogi and musician, who suffered from a rare form of Schizophrenia all his life, only to be diagnosed as such at age 47. After all those years, Paul decided to go against the grain of modern conventional treatment, believing he could do much better on his own with some of the lessons he had learned along the way, if he kept properly searching..

2.

Where·to With History?
Dir. Hans Christian Post
Germany
Logline: The film deals with the catastrophes of the 20th century and their aftermath that the German city of Dresden has endured, but has relevance for all cities and countries that have suffered similar phases of destruction and conflict. The film shows the dramatic architectural losses of the city during the war and the post-war years, but also depicts how architecture is now again used to reinvent lost narratives and identities, and that this often happens at the cost of all the things - people, cultures and buildings - that do not conform to the new-old ideals of what Dresden is.

3.

The Missing Highlander
Dir. Clément Horvath
France
Logline: This feature documentary was shot in the middle of the covid pandemic, with no budget, and no crew!

76 years after they were written, a collection of letters from the Second World War caught the attention of the 34-year-old historian and French author Clément Horvath: In the summer of 1944, a British soldier mentioned his nephew Joe, posted as missing in action shortly after the D-Day landings... What had happened to him?

4.

DOWN IN PARIS
Dir. Antony Hickling
France
Logline: Richard, a film maker in his forties, is suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety during filming. He walks off set and wanders through the Paris night in search of answers, comfort and inspiration. During his sleepless night, he meets many people, some friendly, some disturbing, some known, some unknown. Richard has to confront his fears and question his deepest desires until the first light of dawn.