I Sing to Be Free
(Dir. Alex Ayre, 30 mins, A Northern Roots Film)
I Sing to Be Free, a joyous documentary chronicling the visit of Washington DC’s Howard University Gospel Choir to the North East, and their collaboration with the local Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir.
Alex Ayre’s film follows the choirs’ journey working with children in local schools, and recording together at Loft Studios, culminating in a spellbinding concert at the Glasshouse.
A rich and evocative film, I Sing to Be Free features a superb soundtrack of gospel and soul classics coupled with a vivid exploration of the shared struggles which unite these two choirs together in song.
Inner Gods
(Dir. Maria Caruana Galizia, 30 mins, A Gateway Studio Film)
Inner Gods is a film made with community and local artists to tell a story of self-reflection, mental health, conflict, love, addiction and hope.
Filmed in Gateshead, it reflects the effects of the Covid pandemic, the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as touching on the social and political impact of these events via a short 15-minute dance film. Featuring a diverse northern-based cast from multi-disciplinary art forms, both professional and community based, Inner Gods has screened at both Sunderland Shorts Film Festival and Exeter Dance International Film Festival.
This screening of Inner Gods will be accompanied by another film charting the making of Inner Gods, revealing the work behind the scenes that went in to making the film, and the impact it had on cast members.