Emma Matthews

Movies

Frankenstein: A Modern Myth
Editor
From Boris Karloff to Mel Brooks - Frankenstein has fired the imagination of generations of artists who have created their own interpretation of this Gothic masterpiece. Frankenstein: A Modern Myth looks at some of these depictions, including Danny Boyle's sell-out hit at the National Theatre. The film has exclusive access to rehearsals and interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller - who alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature - and with Danny Boyle. It also features cult film director John Waters: "I'm sympathetic to monsters, and this was the first one I came across as a child".
Feast of Death
Editor
A documentary about James Ellroy and his fascination with unsolved murder cases, especially those of his mother, and the similar, infamous, Black Dahlia murder.
Radio On Remix
Editor
A re-edit of Petit’s Radio On (1980)
Maggid Street
Editor
A vagrant is taken in by a south London surgeon, who subjects him to a series of violent procedures, in the hope of recovering the inner daimon, the spark of light.
The Falconer
Editor
Chris Petit & Iain Sinclair's liminal, laminal tribute to underground filmmaker Peter Whitehead, featuring image manipulation by Dave Mckean & reminiscences from various countercultural characters. A fitting epitaph for an English margin walker.
Chutney in Yuh Soca
Editor
An arts documentary examining the phenomenon of "chutney soca", a musical hybrid from Trinidad & Tobago which blends the traditions of the islands' two biggest ethnic groups - Indian and African. As much political as musical, "chutney soca" seems to offer a way for the two cultures, often perceived as being mutually antagonistic, to come together in a new exciting fusion of sounds. (Synopsis by Karen Martinez)
Inbetween
Editor
A semi-autobiographical account of a move from Sri Lanka to Britain, which explores "being inbetween East/West, mother/father, male/female". The filmmaker was born in Sri Lanka and brought up in the traditions of European culture and Roman Catholicism. He moved to England to live and work, and the film, which combines drama and documentary, is a personal account of his "negotiation of his personal history".
A Family Called Abrew
Editor
Director Maureen Blackwood harnesses the distinctive style of the Sankofa Film Collective to sketch the Abrew family tree. The achievements of the unique showbiz family are celebrated using rich archive material, including footage of family members in supporting film roles alongside Paul Robeson and intimate fireside-style testimony. The existence of Black British communities before Windrush is foregrounded, with insights into the Abrews' imprint on British culture beginning in 19th century Scotland.