25/02/2010 by admin.

Sean would like to announce that he has a new blog at http://www.seanmcallister.com/blog/ Please feel free to visit and say hello. Sean also hopes that this will be the last time he changes from one blog to another.

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17/07/2009 by McAllister.

The road to damascus is getting harder. Waiting for my Syrian visa in Sofia is fun though. I found a great place called The Art Hostel with a cool cave like underground bar. A place for artists and the like to meet and drink. The other night I met an aussie whose brother had defended a gypsy he’d seen being attacked by a 21 year old skinhead. In the fight the aussie ended up killing the skinhead and now he’s in jail waiting trial for murder.

The 21 year skinhead was from a good family studying law. His right wing beliefs were known and fully acceptable here, such is the feeling towards the 2 million gypsies. I shook the mans hand and passed my best wishes to his brother in jail.

Defending gypsies here isn’t cool. I’d called a student I’d met the night before a racist for his negative talk about them and he was insulted. It is  different here he said. He told me that as an outsider I don’t understand how they rob and mug to make a living. But I said if you are a country of 5 million with 2 million gypsies doing nothing are they not a drain on the economy? I said you should perhaps view the country as a company. Would you leave 2 million people standing idle in your company or find a way of including them to make them productive?

The young Bulgarian student was angry he just wanted rid of them. I said ok why don’t you kill them all like hitler did with jews. Problem solved. No no he protested I’m not a racist.  Later my friend, Nizam, shows me a flashing  swastika key ring he bought from a tourist shop. But the rise of right is no joke over here it seems.

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26/04/2009 by McAllister.

Wow just been at a wonderfully strange festival in oxford called Oxdox which is run by a wonderful woman called Marie Wright who is as passionate as crazy like me I feel. Maybe we share the same chaotic madness.

Her new venue for the festival was as much an adventure as the amazing films Oxdox shows. A tiny 100 seater indie place where the projectionist is hidden upstairs above the ticket office. The only way up is by some iron ladders on the exterior of the building.

Inside, the projectionist tells me he is also the owner. His wife is helping repair some of the interior seats. They run the place together making next to nothing. A worthy subject of a film itself I feel. I am speechless. This man is amazing.

Outside the queues forms. Clearly more then can be catered for inside. Marie does exactly what I would do in such a situation sending off her volunteers to find chairs in nearby bars and cafes. But here out on the street in front of her queuing audience she he is grappling for cash to pay my travel. Thrusting hundred or so pounds in my hands thinking out load about the Eskimo she has brought over who is the subject of the next film.  She must appear quite mad to many but to me she is quite sobering and sane…

But there is a problem. So successful a screening is the Eskimos film that there is no seat for him inside.

I leave Marie with her problem but I feel happy for her and for Oxdox; a truly unique festival in the hands of a unique person who I think should be celebrated in her own film like the projectionist and owner of this wonderful independent theatre where the festival takes place.

To top it all as I leave I get a call from Nizam a friend from Norway who tells me my Japan film has won the top international documentary prize in Norway. Damn I wish I was there. Of all the films I’ve made this is the one I need to win an award and I wish I was there to accept it.

Oxdox - http://www.oxdox.com/2009festival/

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14/04/2009 by McAllister.

Wasn’t it Philip Larkin the famous poet who lived round the corner from me here in Hull that wrote - ‘hull, hell and halifax’, when writing about the city he loved to hate but never hated enough to leave?  Little like me it feels although today i write, ‘Dubai or Hull.  What a choice, between Larkin’s hell and hell.

What’s the difference between Hull or Dubai? well i know Hull, i love the chips here and the beer. Dubai? I love the Indian food, warm weather (although that becomes hell in summer) and mid-eastern food. The downside is that Dubai is like a large shopping centre in the desert with a mix of hopeless people looking to make ends meet. Hull isn’t so dissimilar these days.

But whats the story… the great British recession… Dubai crashing?

I feel an allegiance to  my city but can’t face the idea of filming here right now, maybe if i found a character quickly… but i always say that and it rarely happens. Besides which, as Dubai crashes it feels symbolic of capitalism as we know it today, and it is that that attracts me to the story. And then there is  the glimmer of hope provided by a charity out there that is helping abandoned Indian construction workers whose employers have gone bust and left them. On $4 a day they find it difficult to buy  a ticket home.

Although filming isn’t going to be easy and it may end up with me being kicked out. “Shrewdly” i hope to follow an Indian construction worker or workers home to India  as a way of filming freely, although my ultimate aim for the best film there is with a local, one of the few 18% (80% of people living in Dubai are ‘immigrants’) - I would love to find someone who can provide a sane voice to what is going on  in Dubai. Quite simple really, now all i have to do is find such a person.

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08/04/2009 by McAllister.

PLAY DOC, TUI. a small documentary film fest in Spain, the “local produce” led me astray for a while… but this was the best fest of the year so far for me. sweet and friendly small enough to still care passionately about films their makers and the audience. it reminded me of what sundance film fest must have once been like. can’t wait to go back!! check the theatre, full at 10.30pm screening before a night of madness. my kind of festival.

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27/03/2009 by McAllister.

Sean will show his 1998 iraq film THE MINDERS at THE FRONLINE CLUB in Paddington London 7pm friday eve,  17th april 2009. Afterwards there will be a discussion/talk about Sean’s work. The Chair for the evening will be announced closer to the date..

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20/03/2009 by McAllister.

I was at the wonderful one world festival in Prague last weekend. It’s great to see how big it has grown since my film ‘Settlers’ opened it in 2000.

Sadly on my arrival I got an email from Samir (the Liberace of Baghdad) from my last film. He is now living in USA but wrote to say he has prostate cancer and is going for 42 days radiation treatment.

That evening I sat by the grand piano in the foyer of the beautiful 1930s cinema and missed him dearly.

The Japan film was packed and was voted 4th fav film by the audience the next day. Not bad out of 300 films.

Today I arrived in Porto, Portugal, heading to small village festival just over the border in Spain. A place called Tui. But no-one has come to meet me. So I’m on a bus trying to make my own way there.

It gave me horror memories of my last time showing a film here in Portugal in 1996, I was with with Kev from ‘Working For the Enemy’ no one showed up to meet us and no one came to see the film

Well at least this festival is over the border in Spain. Let’s hope there is an audience at 22:30 for the film tonight. If I make it.

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11/03/2009 by McAllister.

I am told that the JAPAN season which ‘Japan: A Story of Love and Hate’ is part of, is now being trailered on TV, my film will be the final film on Monday 30^th March, 9pm BBC4. To be repeated on BBC2.

I’ve been away researching recently, this time in Dubai, and Damascus, I am also awaiting a response from the BBC about my ‘next’ project – and have also put in new idea about Hull, having been asked to so by BBC4 who are planning a season of films called ‘The North’.

Had 2 great screenings in Helsinki; One World Festival, very great fest, great people, great country one of my favs. I talked about going back and doing a workshop.

Enjoyed hot sauna’s and jumping into icy lake, sadly Nick Broomfield who I was naked with failed to jump in; I later caught him lying about his bravery in the shower. And gave him a lesson in documentary truth.

He was having a retrospective there, it was great to spend time with him and Barney his son, also the great master Ricky Leacock was the special guest with the funny and quite crazy Valarie who I went shopping with and bought a few vodka’s with.

Tempo festival Sweden, http://www.tempofestival.se/english/  film plays soon. I have no invite.

Friday 7.30 One World Festival Prague, Japan… plays Friday night, I always look forward to this one, I remember Settlers opening the festival there one year and playing to a great vibrant audience.

Will also take part in a documentary discussion on Sat 4pm with another film maker Joe Berliner about ‘truth’ in film making.

Following Friday night at 10.30 film plays in gorgeous little fest in Valencia Spain, film fest called Play Doc fest. http://www.play-doc.com/English/ seems very select, only 6 films in competition, and very politically aware, careful to choose films that matter.

Did 2 master classes’ couple of weeks back at Cardiff University.

Will do a talk soon at Salford university media school.

Beldocs is 8 - 12th April

Oxdox - Oxford doc fest, film showing Friday eve 7.30 24th April. Getting all prime time spots.

Showing a favourite film and mini retrospective at the frontline club, Friday 17th April, 7pm, hosted by Nick Fraser, BBC Storyville Editor… (I’m thinking of showing Settlers, a much unseen film of mine)

21 - 26th Norwegian documentary film festival, screening to be confirmed.

One day open-to-all master class and film in MAY, dates to be confirmed, at the London Film School in Covent Garden London.

2 screenings of Liberace of Baghdad in May (dates to be confirmed) in a series of the best of British doc at the Cinematheque / Danish Film Institute.

Docaviv in tel Aviv is 7 - 14th may, Japan is in competition, another great fest in great place. I love Israel despite its problems, great friends either side of the wall.

7th edition of Escenarios / Sights 2009 International Documentary Conference in Mexico City has selected Japan: a story of love and hate, 3rd - 11th July, invited to do a master class and maybe also show settlers.

http://www.flahertiana.ru/eng/2009/ International documentary film festival at Flahertiana Perm city in Russia. Invited to show Japan in competition. 16-22.october 2009

Ok, think that’s it for now.

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15/11/2008 by McAllister.

Sheffield was great. 2 sold out screenings. Had famous doc film maker D.A. Pennebaker who made 1960s bob Dylan doc ‘Don’t Look Now’ at one screening. He said “you took a loser and made him a winner”. Naoki was humble in Q & A.  The audience loved him. One of them suggested he write a book, another said he should have his own show on NHK.

He was the link that allowed them to see inside Japan.

Many said they’d never seen anything like this before. Especially the poverty aspect. They thought all japanese were rich, they were curious to know how Japanese people at home would receive this film.Naoki had drinks bought for him all weekend.

We got back to London and he said he missed being famous, which was funny.

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