Sam Benstead

Spies Beneath Berlin

Sam Benstead, Jonathan Hacker

Jonathan Hacker

This film tells the story of the extraordinary risks MI6 and the CIA were willing to go take to get vital intelligence during the Cold War. It’s 1954, the height of the Cold War. As the arms race builds to a fevered pace, spymasters in Britain and America know they have to find a way of infiltrating the Soviet machine. They must find out what Russian intentions are. This is the gripping true story of Operation Gold: the mission to build a 450-metre spy tunnel under Berlin, one of the most heavily guarded cities in history.

Coach Zoran and His African Tigers

Sam Benstead

Zoran Đorđević

Documentary following Serbian football coach Zoran Đorđević as he helps form South Sudan's first national football team.

B Is for Book

Sam Benstead

Documentary following a group of primary schoolchildren over the course of a year as they learn to read. Some of them make a flying start, but others struggle even with the alphabet. The film takes us into their home lives, where we find that some parents are strongly aspirational, tutoring children late into the night, while others speak English as a foreign language, if at all. As the children master the basics, they discover the magical world of stories and look with fresh eyes at the world around them. The film gives us privileged access to a profound process that all of us only ever do once in our lives.

City of Dreams: A Musical

Sam Benstead, Brian Hill

City Of Dreams A Musical is a dizzying and unique musical extravaganza. Set in a school in Dharavi, Mumbai, the biggest slum in Asia, it combines observational footage of the children’s daily lives, with songs reflecting their hopes and dreams. This is the very first Bollywood style documentary musical. But this is not a depressing examination of extreme poverty, it’s an uplifting celebration of human spirit and endeavour.