Your Honour selected for 2023-2024 Close Up Initiative

We are delighted to announce ‘Your Honour’ has been chosen for the 2023-2024 Close Up Initiative.

Close Up provides a training and development program that runs for 8 months for documentary filmmakers from Southwest Asia and North Africa. They support filmmakers from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.

Set in turbulent Turkey after historic elections, 'Your Honour' follows Efruz, a pioneering trans student completing her law degree. Guided by an "imaginary judge," she embarks on an emotional journey, questioning if her dreams are worth the battle against a country plagued by injustice.

The documentary is directed by Bircan Birol, a documentary filmmaker based between Scotland and Turkey.

'Your Honour' is funded in development with Screen Scotland.

Bircan said:

"I am so happy to be part of this year's Close Up cohort. Creating a feature documentary is a lengthy journey, particularly when it's your first time and initiatives like Close Up are there to help you every step of the way.

"I can't wait to meet with the fellow filmmakers from the region and the Closeup team!"

Further information

You can find out more about Your Honour here.

Who I Am Now to premiere in competition at the 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival

We are pleased to reveal that 2 films produced by Bombito Productions will receive their world premieres at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022. Live action and animated film 'Who I am Now' from director Jack Goessens and Miranda Stern's personal documentary 'Clean'.

Who I Am Now

Two trans refugees share their stories in this short film about family - the families we are born into, and the families we make out of our friends.

With Tariq’s older brother arriving from Egypt - the first time he’s seen him since he came to the UK - he’s forced to confront his complicated feelings about family. Denise, his friend and teammate, shares her own story.

The story's setting and main conversation takes place between Tariq and Denise as they get ready to play a game of football for LGBT football team 'Spectrum FC'. They share stories from their past and bond even further as friends and part of each other's chosen family.

Who I Am Now is a short film about queerness and family - the families we’re born into, and the families we make out of our friends.

Written by Michael Lee Richardson, based on a story by Adam Kashmiry and Zan Scott.

Screening date and competition

The film is in competition for the McLaren award for Best Short Film.

Who I am Now will premiere on 13 August at 15:30 in Filmhouse 1. As part of the New Shorts: Scotland's Voices strand.

The trailer

Get tickets

You can buy tickets, directly from Edinburgh International Film Festivals website.

The background

Funded by Creative Scotland via the Create: Inclusion fund and LEAP sports.

The film uses flashback, dream and memory to tell a complex story, and comment and critique the way that queer people are asked to perform their trauma and recount negative experiences in order to be understood by mainstream audiences.

Animation

Animator Holly Summerson helped shape each flashback scene as a bespoke animation designed specifically for the film in collaboration with director Jack Goessens

The team

Starring accomplished actors Adam Kashmiry as Tariq & Talisa Garcia as Denise.

• Adam Kashmiry who also developed this story, starred in the BAFTA winning National theatre of Scotland film 'Adam', Inspired by his life.

• Talisa Garcia was recently announced as the first trans actress to be cast by Disney in a Lucasfilm production - 'Willow'.

Crew

• Writer: Michael Lee Richardson - based on a story by Zan Scott & Adam Kashmiry

• Producer: Reece Cargan

• Director: Jack Goessens

• DOP: David Lee

• 1st AD: Juan Melendez Herrera

• Production Designer: Cara Roxburgh

• Animator: Holly Summerson

• 1st AC: Sefa Ucbas

• Grip: Gordon Eddie

• 2nd AC: Connor Wilson

• Editor: Jack Goessens

• Sound Recordist: Seamus Stewart-Skinner

• Sound: Sean McGee

• Makeup Artist: Francesca Hynd

• Make up Assistant: Niamh Carden

• Costume Assistant: Oksana Makowska

• Production Assistant: Hannah McKelvie-Whyte

• Runner: Sarah Manson

• Catering: Clementine Catering

• Insurance: WK Film Insurance

• Dumbarton F.C: Antonia Love & Jacqui Sibbald

• Spectrum FC: Michael Lee Richardson, Pip Wright, Rebecca White, Kol Mulligan & Callum Denovellis

• Plus a cameo from some of the Saltire Thistle team - Scotland's inclusive football team.

Further collaborations

• As a team, Reece, Jack and Adam also worked on Jack Goessens' short documentary Everyman - commissioned by Scottish Documentary Institute. Everyman is a personal story about transitioning, exploring how the world is different living as a female to being perceived as male. It was nominated for a Grierson award and won best film at SQIFF and Euregion film festivals.

• Writer Michael and producer Reece have an LGBT feature film 'A Good Spell' in funded development which is set in 70s Glasgow.

• Director Jack and Reece also have a feature film in development – Jack’s first feature ‘Boifriend’.

• Reece and animator Holly Summerson have a funded short 2D animation Living With It - currently in production.

Director Jack Goessens

As a trans person who is an immigrant in the UK, I was interested in exploring the intersectionality of identity on screen in ‘Who I Am Now’. This story shows the complexity of being both trans and a refugee. It highlights another barrier that has to be crossed to be able to be yourself and be so safely.

Producer Reece Cargan

I’m thankful to both Creative Scotland and LEAP sports for allowing us to be able to create this short via funding from the inclusion fund. This funding was vital in allowing me to work with queer collaborators and expand my slate as an LGBTQI+ filmmaker – yet much more importantly, the film will hopefully give insight to audiences on the extra barriers trans people face when seeking asylum in the UK.

Screening of Bombito produced project 'Clean'

Director Miranda Stern's documentary will also be screening at its World Premiere at Edinburgh on 16th August. More details are available on the film and screening.

Prosopagnosia to screen at 6 festivals in March

Steven Fraser's personal film Prosopagnosia continues its global screening journey and is screening at multiple festivals in competition during March 2022.

Screenings

Fresh from screening in competition at both IDFA and Clermont Ferrand, Prosopagnosia will soon be screening at the following festivals:

Festival	Location	Dates	Screening	Ticket Link
BFI Flare	London, UK	22 & 24 March	Official Selection	Get Tickets
Ann Arbor	Michigan	24 March	In Competition	Get Tickets
Salem Film Festival	Salem, Massachusetts	25 March	Official Selection	Get Tickets
Sebastapol Documentary Festival	Sebastapol, California	26 March	In Competition	Get Tickets
Glasgow Short Film Festival	Glasgow, Scotland	27 March	In Competition	Get Tickets
Kaboom Animation Festival	Utrecht, Netherlands	28 March	In Competition	Get Tickets

The film

Prosopagnosia uses expressive animation to investigate intimacy, communication and memory. Prosopagnosia means face-blindness and to understand this neurodiverse behaviour, the contents of a memory box are intricately explored.

Sketchbooks, photographs and diaries unravel to tell a unique and personal story.

Steven Fraser:

Steven is delighted by the continued success, screenings and the fact that the film is connecting with festivals across the globe. Steven will attend as many of the screenings as he can and will appear online or at Q&As of those he can't.

View the trailer

Further information

• Developed and supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's highly acclaimed Bridging the Gap programme and Screen Scotland.

• Written, animated and edited by Steven Fraser

• Produced by Reece Cargan

• Composed, sound designed and mixed by Tom Drew

• Colourist: Jack Lang

Screening or distribution requests

Please contact Alexandra via festivals@scotdoc.com