At least 20 British nationals, some with no previous experience of combat, have travelled to Syria to fight Islamic State on the frontline. Eight of these people have died. Our latest film follows their parents as they investigate why their children went to join the Kurdish army in their fight against Isis, and visit the places in which they lost their lives.
What led these young Britons to risk everything, travelling thousands of miles from home to face the world’s most feared terrorist organisation, fighting someone else’s war?
The directors, George Cowie and Tom Huntingford, are a film-making partnership and the creative team behind the London-based production company Superfolk Films. Their co-director Martin Armstrong is a journalist and film-maker formerly based in Beirut and now in London. He has covered the Syrian civil war since 2011.
Coming up: Lasting Marks
The story of 16 men put on trial for sadomasochism in the dying days of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain was told by the police, the prosecution and the tabloid press – but not by those in the dock.
Lasting Marks is out on 12 April
Seahorse – a feature documentary in association with the Guardian
Premiering later this month, Seahorse is about one trans man’s pioneering quest to fulfil an age-old desire: to start his own family. This is the story of Freddy, the dad who gave birth. It’s playing at Tribeca film festival in New York City and then Hot Docs in Toronto.
Made with unprecedented access and collaboration over three years, the film follows Freddy from preparing to conceive right through to birth. The film is directed by Jeanie Finlay and will play in the UK later this year. Watch a trailer for the film on the Guardian.
Documentary news and screenings
The documentary world is reeling from the death of Agnès Varda, one of the greatest film-makers to work in the genre. Working across different areas throughout her career, Varda’s most recent work was in the factual space, making clever and cheeky essays on her legacy. I wrote about her last year for the Observer. Any of those who work in documentaries are indebted to her.
Later this month, we recommend two one-off screenings at Bertha DocHouse in London. Monrovia, Indiana is the documentary legend Frederick Wiseman’s take on rural, small-town America. A break from his usual look at urban communities and institutions, it’s a typically challenging and non-judgmental vision of a part of the country that feels misunderstood.
Meanwhile, Irene’s Ghost is a moving British documentary about the director Iain Cunningham’s search for his mother’s legacy. She died before he was old enough to form memories of her, and is shrouded in mystery and confusion. A tearjerker, it’s a documentary where a post-film Q&A is essential.
Online, mark your calendars for 1 May, when the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez documentary Knock Down the House comes to Netflix. The story of her and other insurgent female politicians in the US, it will be a must-watch.
