Charlie Hawryliw edited this new documentary which explores the life and controversy of Kyle Rittenhouse, one of America’s most polarizing figures.
Kyle Rittenhouse shot three men at the age of 17, two fatally amid a Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He claimed self-defence at trial and was acquitted in November 2021. This startling documentary follows that trial and speaks to insiders and Rittenhouse himself.
With interviews, archive footage, and expert analysis, the documentary offers a detailed look at the legal proceedings, public perceptions, and the cultural and political effects of Rittenhouse’s story. It covers the events and aftermath of Rittenhouse’s actions, which sparked nationwide debate and the broader societal impact and shows the complexities of modern American society and the impact of divisive events on public discourse.
Dark Side of Glory is a new true crime documentary series about shocking cases of murder in the world of sport.
Ep 1 is a 76-minute feature length documentary about Joseph Ntshongwana who played for South Africa at U21 level and for the Blue Bulls between 1998 and 2001. Ten years later, he was arrested for killing four men using an axe, and wounding two others. The documentary includes interviews with Blue Bulls teammate, Springbok winger McNeil Hendricks as well as Captain Rico Naidoo, colonels Jason McGray and Ze-Ev Krein, Detective Marius Van Der Looy, and former South African Police Service head profiler Dr. Gérard Labuschagne.
We spoke to Charlie about the edit and he said “it’s a very gruesome story full of twists and turns and told by first hand accounts of the brave detectives and family members of the victims. Tough material to get through but I was really happy with the outcome and enjoyed working with the team at collective media”.
The first episode of the ‘Dark Side of Glory’ series is The Durban Axe Murderer: The Rugby Killer, premiering on Showmax on Wednesday, 31st July.
The Grierson Trust has announced the shortlist for the 2024 British Documentary Awards in association with All3Media. We are thrilled to see some familiar names in the projects advancing to the next stage of judging!
Miriam has been shortlisted in the ‘Best Popular Culture Documentary’ category. Kudos to Charlie Hawryliw for editing this compelling 3-part series on the life of Miriam Rivera, the world’s first trans reality TV star. A big congratulations to our wonderful client, Expectation, for creating this remarkable series for Channel 4.
Lockerbie has been shortlisted in the ‘Netflix Best Documentary Series’ category.Charlie Hawryliwalso contributed his editing talents to Episode 1 of this 4-part series, with Paul Holland editing Episode 4. This powerful documentary recounts the tragic story of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, the most fatal terrorist attack on America before 9/11. Produced by the brilliant team at Mindhouse Productions, the series is already garnering accolades, including a BAFTA Craft Award for Best Factual Series and a Broadcast Digital Award nomination for Best Documentary.
Black Stroke, a short film created as part of The Netflix Documentary Talent Fund, has been shortlisted in the ‘Best Documentary Short’ category. Directed by Olivia Smart and edited by Desiree Ivegbuna, this inspiring film follows three individuals from different walks of life as they confront their greatest fear and learn to swim. The film has also been nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award for Best Short. Congratulations, Desiree!
The Nominations will be announced Monday 23rd September, and the Awards will take place on the 6th November. Good luck everyone!
Rob Trela was the lead editor on this three part documentary series which looks at one of the wildest rides in the cryptocurrency world: OneCoin. This wasn’t just another crypto coin; it was the brainchild of Ruja Ignatova, who promised riches beyond belief. People from all over the globe bought into her vision and invested their life savings, thinking they were on the brink of making millions. Spoiler alert: they weren’t.
Ruja Ignatova had an impressive background and slick presentations, she managed to convince thousands of people that OneCoin was the future of cryptocurrency. She painted a picture so compelling that many were willing to gamble everything they had. But as time went on, it became clear that OneCoin was more fantasy than reality. The fallout from the OneCoin scam reached far and wide and people in the UK, US, and Uganda found themselves in financial ruin.
Rob worked closely with Sam and Rudolf on this series, he said ‘it’s definitely an eye opening dive into one of the largest crypto ponzi scams in the world. Thoroughly enjoyed working on this one!’
Fugitive: The Mystery of the Crypto Queen is airing here in the UK after premiering at Sky Germany last month. It was Sky’s top 5 True Crime show of all time there.
This brand new series offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to jockeys, trainers, owners, and horses as they navigate the high-stakes 2023-24 Jumps season. Cameras have been granted all-access passes, capturing every moment from the weighing rooms to the stable yards. This series is a backstage pass to the lives of jockeys and trainers at some of the most prestigious Jumps fixtures, including the iconic Cheltenham Festival and the world-famous Grand National. It follows stars like Harry Cobden and Sean Bowen, as well as the battle for the champion trainer title featuring Willie Mullins, Dan Skelton, and Paul Nicholls.
Sean Schmolz edited episode 1 which starts at Kempton on Boxing Day, the horses line up for the historic big money King George VI chase. Tom Deverell edited episode 3 which looks at Cheltenham, one of the most prestigious meeting of the Jumps season featuring 28 races across four days. Simon Holmes was a finishing editor on the series and Richard Lace supported the offline edit across the series.
This brilliant new series delves into the high-stakes world of military and civilian pipe bands, showcasing their relentless pursuit of excellence.
The series follows the fiercely competitive selection process for the coveted role of the Lone Piper at the Royal Military Tattoo. It also follows the journey of new piping recruits as they prepare for their inaugural competition. With dreams of performing for the King, these novice pipers face intense training and high-pressure situations to prove their worth.
Battle of the Bagpipes also covers the ultimate showdown between long-time rival pipe bands at Glasgow’s World Pipe Band Championships. This event, known as the pinnacle of competitive piping, showcases the very best in the field.
Whether you’re a piping enthusiast or a newcomer to this unique world, the series promises to deliver thrilling performances, heartfelt moments, and an inside look at what it takes to be the best in the piping world.
This new series is literally pipe-tastic!
Manus Fraser worked on Episode two. He said the series is “full of fascinating facts and engaging characters. Ever wondered what happens to your teeth if you try and play the bag pipes while riding a camel? See episode two for details”. We’re intrigued and will be tuning in to find out!
Battle of the Bagpipes starts Wednesday 3rd July for Sky Arts
Sprint: Worlds Fastest Humans. Box to Box Films for Netflix. Official Trailer
This brand new documentary series made by Box to Box Films for Netflix offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the mental toughness of sprinters who dedicate their lives to breaking records.
With Usain Bolt retired, who will become the new face of speed? From Sha’Carri Richardson to Noah Lyles, this series presents the full story of humanity’s quest to be the fastest on the planet. Witness the intense drama, motivation, and personalities behind the relentless pursuit of victory. The series delves deep into the psyches of elite competitors striving to be the fastest and what is required as these sprinters devote their entire lives to crossing the finish line in record time, where their professional futures are decided in mere fractions of a second.
Jake Lofdahl was one of the editors on the series and helped with Ep 1. We chatted to him about his experience working on this episode and he had some interesting insights;
Working on Ep101 on any series is always about making an impact. The pressure is on to prove to everyone involved that they’ve got something great which is worth all the time and money they’ve invested up to this point. From a storytelling point of view the beauty of working on this series is there’s very little explanation of the sport required, which meant we could focus on nailing an intro that grabs the viewer and then letting the characters develop. I personally found the main protagonists in this series to be deeply interesting, they’re often singularly confident, extraordinarily competitive and focused to the extreme. Added to that they’re in a sport where they get very few chances to perform on the stage they dream of, and the races are over in seconds. With the Olympics on the horizon it all meant the stakes were high and there was tons of drama on and off the running track. Box to Box did a great job of securing access and gaining the confidence of the athletes allowing them to be natural – and it also has to be said that physically they are all in phenomenal shape, which easily elevated the standard ‘training’ shots! I’m personally eagerly awaiting the chance to see the other eps and bring on season 2!!
Sprint: World’s Fastest Humans drops on Netflix on 2nd July
The Faction team attended The Sheffield Documentary Festival once again this year, maintaining their annual tradition. The event proved to be as brilliant as ever, featuring a few days packed with captivating documentaries and insightful industry discussions.
Katie’s top pick was The Accidental President . This documentary follows Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who put her name on the ballot alongside authoritarian Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and won. Director’s Mike Lerner and Martin Herring were given unfettered access during Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign, her subsequent exile from Belarus and her navigation through the EU and global political landscape as her country’s legitimately elected leader.
Katie also enjoyed the BBC Interview: Simon Reeve in Conversation where the author, explorer and presenter spoke about his career. Chaired by Jack Bootle ( BBC Head of Specialist Factual Commissioning).
Satu enjoyed the Industry Session: Backing British Storytelling: Meet the BBC Unscripted Commissioners. Where the commissioners from the unscripted team Clare Sillery (Head of Commissioning, Documentaries), Jack Bootle, (Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual), Gian Quaglieni, (Commissioning Editor, Current Affairs), Suzy Klein,(Head of Commissioning, Arts and Classical Music) and Emma Hindley, (Lead Commissioning Editor, Storyville) talked about their upcoming projects and how the BBC is backing British storytelling across its documentary films.
In the Alternative Realities exhibition we found Satu lying on a bed on 1000 silicone fingers (yes real life). In addition both Katie and Satu were spotted with some strange masks on, apparently to imitate how bats see and hear the world..!
Comedian Bill Bailey unleashes his musical passion as he speaks to the next generation of young musicians and explores what is required to maintain musical instruments in the UK.
We spoke to editor Matt Scragg who worked on this special episode. Matt mentioned that he also worked with editor Phil Diprose and Edit Producer Ann Wilson on the episode but he concentrated on parts 2 and 3. Matt said:
“It was a very challenging first week because Phil and I had to first work out the best way of dividing the workload between us and then cut down many hours of interviews and workshops into short 4-8 minute scenes. It was a well shot project though, so it all came together in the final two weeks pretty smoothly – and Sky Arts are a dream to work for so the final review process was a pleasure.”
Matt also mentioned “I think this Special is a bit different from the normal Bill Bailey’s Master Crafters episodes that have come before in that Bill is a musician himself, so he was able to get involved on a more personal level”.
The programme coincides with Sky’s Access All Arts Week, a free learning programme which aims to help teachers celebrate the arts. It will air 20th June at 8pm on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 36 and NOW.
Tour de France: Unchained offers an in-depth look at the iconic race, following everyone from riders to team directors. This new season delves into the 21 stages of the 2023 Tour de France, highlighting the challenges of this globally renowned event, which is broadcast in 190 territories. Viewers will witness the behind-the-scenes drama amid scandals, strategic maneuvers, and the quest for glory. The series captures the intense battle for the yellow jersey, showcasing dramatic falls, historic breakaways, and the relentless drive to win.
Speaking of behind-the-scenes drama, Editor Charlie Webb said “ I had a great time working across the series and on episode 2. I would say this series has some of the best behind the scenes access I’ve ever worked on, really gripping stories and exciting races”. He also said “I think it’s one of the best sport series box to box have ever done”.
Jayesh Lathia who worked on Series 1 as well as this series said “ Another season of Tour De France and this year the stakes were even higher! As always, weaving the emotional highs and lows of the riders remained central to the storytelling. My episode had a unique twist with a doping story that required careful balance in the edit to ensure that both sides of the controversial story were fairly portrayed.’
All episodes will debut on Netflix Tuesday 11th June.
