Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go

A film by Kim Longinotto

15 April 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Smriti Nandan Auditorium
15/3 Palace Road, Bangalore 560052

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SYNOPSIS

"For the forty children who call it home, Mulberry Bush is their last chance.  Excluded from school for extreme behaviour, and often having suffered emotional trauma, they are given three years at the Oxford boarding school to try to turn their lives around.  Acclaimed documentary maker Kim Longinotto has once again turned her compassionate lens onto people living in extraordinary circumstances.  The fragile young boys at the heart of her film lash out in shockingly extreme ways - hitting, swearing and spitting their way through the misery of their blighted childhoods.  Endlessly patient and determined staff members verbally reason with the boys, whilst often having to restrain them physically.  HOLD ME TIGHT, LET ME GO is ultimately a heartbreaking, engrossing study of dysfunction - of what happens when families break down.  It also pays witness to the tremendous influence that adults hold - for bad and for good - upon growing children."
-Carol Nahra, Sheffield Film Festival


DIRECTOR BIO

Internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto is one of the preeminent documentary filmmakers working today, renowned for creating extraordinary human portraits and tackling controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion.  Longinotto's films have won international acclaim and dozens of premiere awards at festivals worldwide.  highlights include the Prix Art et Essai and Special Mention Europa at the Cannes Film Festival for Sisters in Law, Cinemas Amnesty International DOES Award at IDFA and Best Doc UK Spotlight at Hot Docs for The Day I Will Never Forget; the Grand Prize for Best Documentary Sand Francisco Int'l Film Festival and Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival for Divorce Iranian Style; Best Documentary at Films de Femmes, Creteil for Dream Girls; and Outstanding Documentary at the SF Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for Shinjuku Boys.

Copies of the film may be purchased from:
http://www.ucfilms.in/subject/violence/hold-me-tight-let-me-go/

FESTIVALS

International Documentary Festival Amsterdam
    (Special Jury Prize)

Britdoc
    (Best British Feature Documentary)

Birds Eye View
    (Best Documentary)

Britspotting British & Irish Film Fest, Berlin
    (Best Documentary)

London Film Festival

Sheffield Film festival


PRESS QUOTES

“Mixing ferocity with tenderness, delicacy with tenacity ...
a docu of uncompromised integrity and edge-of-the seat drama”
- John Anderson, Variety
 
“DISTURBING, DEEPLY MOVING and even at times, darkly comic ...a very strong piece of work... Kim Longinotto is one of the finest filmmakers working in the UK today”
- David Jenkins, Time Out London
 
HARROWING... an honest and heartfelt look "into the issues that colour the lives of those that call this place home”
- Carrie Bailey, Epoch Times
 
“REMARKABLE ... shot with clarity and human kindness.”
- Jason Solomons, The Observer
 
“MOVING AND REWARDING...sensitively filmed...shows [Longinotto’s] skill at capturing the humanity of people and situations in an extremely accessible manner”
- Paul Griffiths, Eye for Film

“Brave...Wonderful...Go see this film.”
- Peter Wintonick, POV Magazine


CREDITS

2007, 100 MINUTES, COLOR, UK
 
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Jane Bevan

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR THE BBC
Richard Klein

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR
FILMS OF RECORD
Roger Graef

SOUND
Mary Milton

EDITING
Ollie Huddleston

CAMERA, PRODUCING & DIRECTION
Kim Longinotto