Bohemia | HOMEJUNE*

“I like to listen. I’ve learned a lot from listening.” Ernest Hemingway

RIK MAYALL: MAGNIFICENT B’STARD is the intimate story of one of the funniest and most influential comedians Britain has ever produced – a man driven by punk spirit and an unrelenting commitment to pushing boundaries.
Told through revealing interviews with family, friends and closest collaborators, including Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, Greg Davies and Adrian Edmondson, the film reveals the complex personality behind a performer driven to make people laugh, whatever the cost.
Unique family archive, unheard audio recordings and previously unseen sketches bring to life Rik’s creative process and his influence that is still felt today.

“This wonderfully entertaining documentary tracks Mayall from his time as a student comic” The Guardian

“Ben Elton’s memories of those early years, are told in a brilliant new film”
The Telegraph

“It appears that the greater the talent, the more fragile the ego in the world of showbusiness, and that’s certainly of of the things you’ll take away from this absorbing documentary”The Sun

DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER TODD AUSTIN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

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Poet, rapper, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest is one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in Britain today. They are the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Ted Hughes prize and have been nominated for both Brit and Mercury music awards.

In July 2020 they came out as non-binary, announcing that they would publish and perform under the name Kae. This unique Arena film delves deep into their creative process and gains rare, intimate insights into Kae’s life throughout a period of profound personal and artistic change.

“Filmed over several years, this excellent edition of Arena follows the attempts of the poet and rapper to confront and draw a line under mental health issues and a struggle with gender identity through their creative process.” The Sunday Times

“Their ability to touch people through performance – to “shock them into focus” – comes across strongly. But so does the long journey Tempest has been on, and an almost evangelical sense of being, finally, comfortable in their own skin.” Radio Times

“As a documentary, it felt like a journey from darkness to light, with poetry driving the vehicle.” The Times

“This pleasingly hype-free documentary about the rapper and writer’s life shows them in a far happier place than in recent years.” The Guardian

PRODUCER/TODD AUSTIN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/MIN CLOUGH

Author of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, polymath Douglas Adams was a pioneer of science fiction, comedy, technology, and environmental activism.

Adams waxes lyrical about the infinite possibilities that computers will bring, obsesses with the art of writing, while exploring parallel dimensions and artificial intelligence.

Campaigning for endangered species and the coming storm of climate change he was years ahead of his time.

We enter the mind and universe of Douglas Adams, and the world he imagined.

“The film captures well the off-kilter philosophy of the books…this being one of the most quotable documentaries of the year so far.” The Times Review

“A lovely, playful documentary featuring the writer’s friends, collaborators and family, and drawing on his archive: 60 boxes of notebooks, scripts, photographs and voice recordings.”The Irish Independent

“Todd Austin’s excellent new documentary will convince you he was a genius.”
The Times

“This playfully inventive profile positions Adams as a visionary, but one who died in 2001 before our palms were glued to smartphones and our eyeballs scarred by social media news feeds.” Radio Times

“Handsome documentary, featuring interviews with family and friends, including Stephen Fry and Griff Rhys Jones.” The Independent

“He would no doubt have been delighted that this documentary begins with Commander Samantha Cristoforetti reading an excerpt from his most famous work while hanging upside down on board the International Space Station. Todd Austin, the director, has been granted access to his vast archive to make this thoughtful film.” The Telegraph

DIRECTOR TODD AUSTIN/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

This is the hunt for 3 tonnes of stolen gold. Told by the police who were there, this is the true story of Britain’s biggest bullion heist.

It reveals how 1980s banking practice, the desire to rebuild London’s docklands and a lack of money laundering regulation all aid the robbers and handlers as they transform the biggest gold bullion haul into cash – and in doing so change our nation forever.

“A deft blend of gloriously grainy archive, snappy soundtrack and gruff types talking in dilapidated warehouses” The Saturday Telegraph

“It is an extraordinary yarn populated by dogged good guys and truly reprehensible wrong ‘uns” The Daily Telegraph

“Our pick of the best to watch, don’t miss out on this true crime drama” The Mirror

“This real-life coppers’ tale was more dramatic than The Sweeney” The Daily Mail

DIRECTOR TODD AUSTIN/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

In 1997 unprecedented crowds flocked to see a rotting cow’s head, a pickled shark and a head made of blood, causing outrage and controversy. The Sensation exhibition became a sensation.

Starting in the 1980s art schools, dole queues and squats of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, this series embarks on a whirlwind journey to Sensation and beyond to witness a shift in power when underground youth culture takes on the establishment, and wins.

Episode One: Upstarts

“This stimulating three-part documentary celebrates contemporary art and looks back at the big shakers in its history – starting with the 80s.” The Guardian

“This first episode of Sensationalists is strong at capturing the heady moments of those early times, and the confidence of its protagonists. They were nothing if not clever at exploiting the Thatcherite order in the 1980s, using the newly formed Enterprise Allowance Scheme, grants of £40 a week to encourage the unemployed to set up small businesses, establish studios and push their fledgling careers into the twilight.” Financial Times

DIRECTOR MIN CLOUGH/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/ TODD AUSTIN

Episode Two: Is It Art?

“Episode two of this absorbing series is what we’ve all signed up for, the centrepiece: it’s a lively account of Sensation, the game-changing Royal Academy exhibition in which Charles Saatchi encouraged a gang of punk-inspired artists to run amok.” Sunday Times

“The second part of this fascinating series about the rise of the Young British Artists enters the 1990, when young creatives used the recession to their advantage. This was a decade when the very definition of what constituted art divided the artworld.” Daily Mail

Episode Three: Fame and Fortune

“The frenzy around Sensation peaks in this vibrant overview. Most moving though, is the footage of Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North processing through towns and villages on its way to be installed.” The Sunday Times

“This Exhilarating series tracks the 1990s. It gives essential social, cultural and political context to the apparent shock tactics.” The Daily Telegraph

“This three part series has been adept at evoking the excitement of the era while offering a sober and intelligent analysis of the YBA legacy.” The Times

DIRECTOR MIN CLOUGH/ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/EP 2 CO-DIRECTOR TODD AUSTIN

At the dawn of the 1970s, a secret network of corrupt detectives in London abused their power and cultivated a culture of greed and fear.

Those at the sharp end reveal how gutsy coppers sought to flush them out – forming the first anti corruption branch A10, whose inner workings inspired the BBC drama Line of Duty. Using secret recordings, archive and animation this series reveals an age of excess, where tabloid scoops uncover Soho’s dirty secrets, incriminating evidence is planted on the innocent and big money robberies expose dizzying levels of corruption.

Episode One: Firm in a Firm

“There’s a nostalgic feel to this series about 1970s police corruption: jazz funk on the soundtrack, Philip Glenister narrating, and evocative archive of car chases with police in Triumphs pursuing villains in Jags. But at its heart it is deadly serious.” Radio Times

“It features all the tension, intrigue, deceit and double-crossing that makes us love Line of Duty so much.” Stylist Magazine

DIRECTED BY TODD AUSTIN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

Episode Two: Goodbye Rotten Apple

“It turns out that the first episode of this documentary series about bent cops was just the amuse bouche to tonight’s rich main course.” The Telegraph

“The stylish but shocking real story behind Line of Duty.“ Saturday Telegraph

“As in last week’s first episode, the storytelling is efficient and imaginative: plenty of period footage and interviews but also funky music, talking heads, even animation. Extraordinary stuff.” The Times

“Wonderfully evocative series looking at police corruption in the 70s.” Independent

Episode Three: Taking a Drink

“Todd Austin’s excellent documentary series reaches conclusions considerably more decisive and profound than those of Operation Countryman; the corruption inquiry forming the backbone of this final episode.” The Telegraph

“This rich documentary series delivers another irresistibly murky saga. It’s the late 1970s, and major armed robberies keep happening in London – without anyone going down for them.” The Guardian

“The final part of this tremendous series…once again the period footage, cop show 1970s funk, animations and talking heads make for an unnerving, arresting hour.” The Times

On the weekend of August 15^th 1969, more than half a million people united at a farm near Woodstock for the now legendary festival.

Fifty years on, this feature length documentary is told uniquely through the voices and the home-movies of the people who were there.

Featuring a treasure trove of astonishing, never seen before interviews and super 8 footage, The Festival That Rocked The World tells the colourful, magical and very personal story of those halcyon days that defined a generation.

“The best of a rash of documentaries, Todd Austin’s film looks past the logistics of 1969’s Woodstock music and art fair to communicate the free spirit of the festival…” The Guardian

“Whereas previous films focused on the most beautiful and bizarre specimens of life on site, this offers an earthier glimpse into an experience that feels more “real”. Radio Times

DIRECTED BY TODD AUSTIN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

The conventional image of Woody Guthrie is of the Dust Bowl Troubadour emerging from a boxcar in the Great Depression of the 1930s, but there is so much more to him.

Interviews with Arlo and Nora Guthrie, Ani DiFranco, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Billy Bragg and Tom Morello reveal a tale of survival, creativity and reinvention.

Railing against his racist upbringing, Woody is proof that there is always potential for change and even today, fifty years after his death, he is challenging Donald Trump from beyond the grave.

This film unearths a previously unheard Guthrie recording. Deportee (Plane Crash at Los Gatos) was written by Guthrie, but until now it was thought he never recorded it. We hear it for the very first time along with rare and unseen archive.

“It’s an evocative film, one that manages to end with perhaps the most uplifting moment of the TV week.” The Times

“The main takeaway from this stirring doc is the modern resonance of the songs.” The Guardian

DIRECTED BY TODD AUSTIN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

John Lee Hooker was one of the greatest bluesmen of the 20th Century.

Born into poverty and racial segregation, he lived through a monumental time in American history.

This is the story of a cultural icon and his far-reaching impact on popular music, told in his own words and those of his family and closest collaborators.

Interviews with Keith Richards, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray tell how an illiterate man from the rural and impoverished backwaters of the Mississippi Delta influenced their own musical journey.

His life is the tale of a man who became a superstar against extraordinary odds. It’s the story of modern America through the incredible and touching journey of a singer-songwriter who has left an indelible mark on modern music.

“Todd Austin’s definitive documentary…. an intimate social as well as musical history.” The Observer

“This doc offers a superior portrait of an icon…as befits the man, this is surely the coolest programme of the week.” The Times

DIRECTED BY TODD AUSTIN / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIN CLOUGH

Twelve year old Rory Brown has Tourette Syndrome. After recently moving to secondary school his physical and verbal outbursts have exploded.

In 1988 John Davidson featured in ‘John’s Not Mad’. He’s determined that no other child should go through the horrific experience he had as a child. He’s taken Rory under his wing.

Rory also has help from Greg Storey. In 2002, aged 8 Greg took part in the ‘The Boy Can’t Help It’ a follow up film to ‘John’s Not Mad’.

It’s Rory’s first time at Tourette Camp. Here he comes together with John and Greg. Greg has has found his own unique way to manage his Tourettes and John and Greg hope it may give Rory some much needed respite from his tic-cing.

‘TOURETTES TEENAGE TICS’ is an intimate and revealing documentary that over time captures the challenges and triumphs in John and Greg’s lives and introduces the audience to Rory, a boy at the very beginning of his journey with Tourette Syndrome.

“In terms of raising awareness and showing the highs and lows of Tourette’s along with the laughter and tears, this is the best effort so far, if only because its underlying message is one of hope and optimism.” Telegraph

DIRECTED BY MIN CLOUGH / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TODD AUSTIN

One record company has been a constant presence in popular music throughout our lives.

EMI brought the Beatles to the world and in every decade since has been instrumental in producing some of Britain’s most celebrated and enduring music.

But behind the success lay a very British institution often at odds with the music it released. It had to come to terms with Psychedelia, face Punk head on & find huge sums of money to feed the excesses of the 1980s.

Interviews with EMI artists including members of Queen, Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd and Sex Pistols reveal how their demands for more & more control ultimately led to drastic changes at EMI. Former EMI employees share the gossip and goings on in an industry infamous for its extravagance.

The British music industry is world renowned. It has produced decades of memorable music that has reached all corners of the globe.

EMI has always been at the forefront and has left an indelible mark on our culture forever.

“Eye-opening documentary”. The Daily Telegraph

DIRECTED BY TODD AUSTIN / PRODUCED BY MIN CLOUGH

Known for delivering thought-provoking documentaries of the highest quality, Todd Austin & Min Clough have produced over 100 films for all the major broadcasters winning several awards including BAFTA and Royal Television Society.

‘Lager, Mum & Me’ (BBC ONE)

Winner BAFTA – Flaherty Award for Best Documentary Nominated Broadcast Award – Best Documentary

“There was no better example of BBC One rediscovering old-time religion than its documentary strand ONE life.The thought-provoking film showed viewers what they had been missing and Bafta deemed the programme the best documentary of the year.” Broadcast

‘The War on Britain’s Roads’ (BBC ONE)

Shortlisted for a Grierson - Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme

”Compulsory viewing.” The Observer

‘The Boy Can’t Help It’ (BBC ONE )

Winner of a Mental Health Media Award
Nominated for a Grierson – Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue

“If there has been finer piece of documentary making this year it has passed me by.
It was brilliant television.” The Times

‘Make Me A Man Again’ (BBC ONE)

Shortlisted for a Grierson - Most Entertaining Documentary

“Austin’s film managed to make Charles a likeable creature and by the end I was rooting for him. Austin allowed Charles the dignity of privacy and that, in TV-land, is a rare and precious commodity.” The Guardian

‘My Life on a Post it Note’ (BBC ONE)

“It’s rare to find a programme so filled with laughter, honesty, defiance, compassion and love. It is one of the bravest and saddest programmes I have ever seen.” The Times

‘Positive Women’ (BBC TWO)

“An extraordinarily powerful piece of television. It was one of those documentaries - well-made, unsentimental, deeply moving - that makes you think 'Ooh, I'm proud to pay my licence fee.” The Guardian

‘Little Britain’s Big Swim’ (BBC ONE)

Nominated for a Televisual Award

“Down right moving.” The Guardian

‘To Courtney, With Love’ (BBC ONE)

Winner Royal Television Society Award – Best Film

“One of the most moving British documentaries since ‘The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off’.”
Time Out

‘Size Doesn’t Matter’ (BBC ONE)

Winner Royal Television Society - Best Factual

“Heart warming yet by no means schmaltzy documentary. Inspiring – and, crucially, not patronising – stuff.” The Evening Standard

‘The ￡800 Million Pound Railway Station’
(BBC TWO)

Nominated for a Press Guild Award

“A real eye opener of a series.” Daily Mail

‘The Man Who Learnt To See’ (BBC TWO)

Winner Royal Television Education Award - Best Documentary

Review to come

Airborne: RAF at 90 (BBC TWO Feature Documentary)

Shortlisted for a Grierson

“Instead of succumbing to the mythology, this film uses subtle editing and honest testimony to examine the troubling bargain the pilots make.” The Sunday Times

'Tourettes, I Swear I Can’t Help It’ (BBC ONE)

“An extremely insightful and incredibly compelling slice of life on the bumpy side of the track.” The Independent

‘Adoption Hell’ (BBC ONE)

“Harrowing, moving television.” Time Out

‘Nine Days That Shook London’ (BBC TWO Feature Documentary)

Review to come

‘Above Enemy Lines’ (BBC ONE)

“This is a terrific observational film…Good work. Series editor Mr Todd Austin, whoever you are.” The Guardian

‘Nap Attack’ (BBC ONE)

Review to come

‘Gymnast’ (BBC Films)

Feature Documentary which charts the highs and lows of the British Female Artistic Gymnastics Team as they strive for success at Beijing Olympics.

'The Naked Rambler' (BBC ONE)

“One of the most engaging, fresh and funny documentaries I’ve seen in ages.… I kept thinking of early Mike Leigh throughout the Naked Rambler, and this is a film which, perhaps he would have been proud to make.” The Guardian

‘Fix My Fat Head’ (BBC ONE)

“This witty film... is as refreshing as it is funny.” Mail on Sunday

‘Rock 'n' Roll Hotel’ (BBC ONE)

“This series has effortlessly become one of this years most unexpected pleasures.” Time Out.

‘Autistic Superstars’ (BBC THREE)

“It put all the ‘I really, really, really want this’ hysteria of X Factor wannabes into sharp perspective.” Metro

‘Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You’ (BBC THREE)

Shortlisted Broadcast Award

“It was a remarkable show that showed Tourettes sufferers as real people, rather than simply as the object of ridicule as is all too often the case.” The People

‘Rough Trade’ (BBC THREE)

Do it yourself – the story of rough trade’

“Is a brilliant, era-defining film” The Times

‘Another Brick in the Wall’ (BBC ONE)

“As the pupils reunite , the film takes on an Adrian Mole quality with tales of unfrequented love and thwarted dreams that may leave you nostalgic for your own lost youth. The intriguing story of an iconic record.” Mail on Sunday

‘Tourettes: I Swear I can Sing’ (BBC THREE)

”Mesmerising documentary.” The Observer

‘Swan Lake’ (Sky Arts/ Cinema 3D release)

“The resulting performance, when viewed in 3D, is both slick and stunning. The impact of the vibrant staging remains undiminished; if anything it’s more powerful.” The Telegraph

Bohemia Films is an independent company that produces music, arts and documentary films. We value freedom, creativity and change and our films reflect our desire to communicate through the arts, and to tackle challenging subjects in our contemporary social documentaries.

“All I’m gonna do is just go on and do what I feel.” Jimi Hendrix

Email:Info@bohemia.film

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Welcome to Bohemia films

FILMS

RIK MAYALL: MAGNIFICENT B’STARD

BEING KAE TEMPEST (BBC TWO)

DOUGLAS ADAMS: THE MAN WHO IMAGINED OUR FUTURE

THE GOLD: THE INSIDE STORY (BBC ONE)

SENSATIONALISTS: THE BAD GIRLS AND BOYS OF BRITISH ART (3 PART SERIES FOR BBC TWO)

SENSATIONALISTS: THE BAD GIRLS AND BOYS OF BRITISH ART

BENT COPPERS: CROSSING THE LINE OF DUTY (3 PART SERIES FOR BBC2)

BENT COPPERS: CROSSING THE LINE OF DUTY

THE FESTIVAL THAT ROCKED THE WORLD

WOODY GUTHRIE: THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH (BBC)

JOHN LEE HOOKER: THE BOOGIE MAN (BBC)

TOURETTES TEENAGE TICS (BBC)

EMI: THE INSIDE STORY (BBC)

FILMOGRAPHY

Documentaries – A Selection

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FILMOGRAPHY

Music films – A Selection

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CULTURE

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