Trembling Mountain

by Kesang Tseten (Nepal 2016)

A natural calamity of an order unseen this century in Nepal brought destruction of highland villages of mud-and-stone dwellings of Langtang, one of the most scenic trekking spots in the Himalaya. Premiere at IDFA 2016.

“Hiring an editor for several months for a feature length documentary can cost 10,000 to 20,000 euros. Often my budgets cannot sustain this cost. And yet I feel the need for editing help by people who know an international audience, who know documentary, and who are sensitive and understanding of stories faraway from their society, and know how to help bring out the universal elements in them while keeping the integrity and authenticity of the ‘local’.
The Rough Cut Service, which I have used twice now, answers all these needs. Their critique of the film is thorough, detail , and look at both the content (ie a faraway world) as well as the aesthetic and technical. The RCS responded to my rough cuts with a fine, nuanced critique, paying attention to all the seemingly small details that ultimate add or, their mishandling, spoil a film. Its comments are to the point, forceful, yet sympathetic, and leave room for the filmmaker to decide for herself the important decisions.
I have used the RoughCutService in my last two films and would use it again, without hesitation. Its affordability and ease of collaboration is a boon especially for filmmakers in the developing world.”
Kesang Tseten, director.

Continue Reading
Skulls Of My People

by Vincent Moloi (South Africa 2016)

A documentary film on the struggle of the smallest tribe in Namibia fighting for the return of the skulls of their people taken by the Germans for racial science profiling after the genocide of 1904. Premiere at IDFA 2016.

Continue Reading
Machines

by Rahul Jain (India 2016)

A cinematic essay on machines and workers in a pre-modern, huge textile factory in Gujarat, India. Premiere at IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam, 2016. Winner of the best cinematography at Sundance 2017. Grierson Award for Best Documentary – International, 2017.

Continue Reading
An Insignificant Man

by Khusboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla (India 2016)

The film follows the birth of the newest political party in India, AAP, that got a landslide victory in Delhi and grows to a universal story about how people are tired of the old elite of politics. Premiere at Toronto Film Festival 2016. Further screenings include IDFA, the BFI London Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival.

Continue Reading
My World Is Upside Down

by Petra Seliskar (Slovenia 2016)

Singers and musicians from different countries perform the songs of Frane Milčinski, who was an actor, comedian, musician, “Chaplin of the former Yugoslavia”. Premiere at MakeDox 2016. Awarded at South East European Film Festival LA.

“RCS helped our film a lot . The days when I felt trapped with our film only with my editor became much more dynamic, I had to think it all over again and answer all the questions (even the weird ones) and try all the possibilities in editing I did not try until then. And fight for everything I thought was important in the film, but not necessarily important to everyone from the RCS team. It was a gamble of ideas and trying to make them work in the final film. And I must say it was done with respect to authors, I never felt under pressure if certain ideas didn’t work out. I really respect this way of working.”
Petra Seliskar, director.

Continue Reading
The Beast Is Still Alive

by Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva (Bulgaria 2016)

In a fictional dialogue with her dead grandfather, a young woman takes a critical look at communist ideology. Premiere at Warsaw Film Festival 2016. Awarded at Aegean Docs, European Independent Film Awards, European Cinematography Awards, and Mexico International Film Festival.

Continue Reading
The Girl Who Saved My Life

by Hogir Hirori (Sweden 2016)

Because of a girl, a man does not board a flight with a fatal ending. This is not the story of a Hollywood rom com, but an incredibly incisive refugee portrait by the Kurdish-Swedish filmmaker Hogir Hirori. Premiere at Gothenburg Film Festival 2016.

“Before I contacted RCS I was in a very difficult place. I had so much material, a very complicated editing procedure and had a hard time choosing and prioritizing in the vast amount of material. Iikka and Per K. at RCS made me rethink, restructure and tell a story effectively, and shorten the film in a way that felt intuitive and natural.”
Hogir Hirori, director.

Continue Reading
Hospital

by Kesang Tseten (Nepal 2016)
High on the mountains of Nepal a hospital is receiving patients, who have been carried for hours or even days before they reach the doctors. Cinema verité-film grows to tell especially about the position of women in Nepal. Completed in autumn 2016.

Continue Reading
Noma

by Pablo Pinedo (South Africa 2016)

A documentary following the tradition of Italian neorealism follows the fight of shack dwellers against the brutal eviction. Premiere at Durban Film Festival 2016.

“For me and the project the RCS was very helpful. It helped to confront already existing doubts and to confirm final decisions towards the closing of the project. Even if in my case it was a low budget film, those few conversations we did helped a lot. Thanks for that!”
Pablo Pinedo, director.

Continue Reading
Olympic Pride, American Prejudices

by Deborah Riley Draper (US 2016)
Everybody knows who is Jesse Owens. But what happen to other black athletes who came in the US team to Olympic Games of Hitler´s Berlin? Premiere at LA Film Festival 2016.

“Having meaningful, productive, valuable access to some of the world’s greatest filmmakers and documentary editors is an incredible opportunity and is what Rough Cut Service delivers. RCS’s engagement with me, was solely focused on my film and my film’s needs around story, structure and the elements to take it from good to amazing. Skyping, chatting and exchanging ideas, notes and solutions with Iikka Vehkalahti and Jean Tsien is extraordinary and not only made the film better but made me better too.”
Deborah Riley Draper, director.

Continue Reading