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Self-proclaimed future award winning documentary filmmaker Amy Pennington presents their landmark documentary series TOPS. On the question that defines trans masc experience in the UK today: “What TOP did you wanna wear after TOP surgery?”

In this profound and intimate film, Amy meets four unique individuals: a powerlifter and gay-games Olympian hopeful, a housing-officer-slash-actor, an Essex filmmaker, and an equality diversity and inclusion-specialist-and-occasional-model. Amy's curiosity illuminates their experiences, through extraordinary unlimited access into their lives, homes, and bags of dicks. Insightful and invasive, TOPS allows audiences to fully understand the question on everyone's lips.

TOPS is a genre-busting documentary (with fictionalised elements) inspired by the chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless style of 1990s/2000s British TV. Presented by an ever-so-slightly desperate and lonely version of the artist Amy Pennington, who is willing to steal footwear and camp out in the gardens of interviewees for ultimate unencumbered access and the potential of their first-ever trans friend. TOPS wants to give space to the experience of top surgery, and those that have it, without being another sad or gory story. Your nipples might fall off - but you can still have a lol.

This artwork is co-commissioned by Homotopia, Studio Voltaire and Islington Mill with funding from Arts Council England.


Director, Writer, Editor, Executive Producer
Amy Pennington

Co-Director, DOP and A Cam Operator
Jos Bitelli

Interviewees
Maz Murray, Yaz Senghor, Elliot Davis, Oskar Marchock

Editors
Amy Pennington, Jos Bitelli, Jessica Crooks, Noemi Varga

Producers
The Uncultured — Ash Bowmott + Laura Sweeney

Music
Rubie

B Cam Operator
Tilly Garland  (Episode Maz)
Samara Addai (Episodes Yaz, Elliot, Oskar)

Camera assistant
Rowan Needham (Episode Yaz)

Sound
Toby Burroughs (Episode Maz)
Felix Waverley-Hudson (Episodes Yaz, Elliot, Oskar)

Costumes
Jordan Taylor + Threadmaidens

Graphics
Alex Lundström

Production assistant
Roshana Rubin Mayhew

Equipment + support
Grey Moth

Access Consultant
Abi Palmer
Sweden’s Indigenous Sami people fear the iron mines needed for ‘green energy’ threaten their traditional way of life. Mikael and Sara Elvira, a father and daughter from the Sami community in Scandinavia, are fighting against what they believe is Sweden’s exploitation of their land and resources.

The Swedish government is planning to increase mining in their area, to extract the metals needed to move to renewable power sources and a more sustainable economy. But the Sami say natural resources should only be used when necessary because without them, humans will cease to exist.

This film explores how Mikael, Sara Elvira and the Sami attempt to take on British mining company Beowulf Mining, whose proposed mine, they say, will break up important grazing ground for the community’s reindeer and destroy local land, jeopardising their way of life. We see how the community, along with climate activists, has protested against the mine for nearly a decade and how they vow to continue to fight to protect this remote corner of Sweden from the exploits of big corporations.

Credits

Director – Saila Huusko
Camera – Max Cutting / Daniel Demoustier / Mikko Leinonen
Editors – Noemi Varga / Saila Huusko
Dubbing – Mixer Paul Mallet
Online editor – Gary McMath
Translation – Håkan Carlsson / Emelie Eckerud / Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi

Series Staff / Black Leaf Films
Production Coordinators – Rozi Peters / Annys Hamilton
Production Assistant – Josh Miller Cundy
Researcher – Tiger Ritchie
Edit Assistant – Caius Williams
Executive Producer – Dan Davies
Kerim Nisancioglu is a climatology professor in Norway. He knows the best way to engage the next generation of climate scientists is not in a lecture theatre, but on a ship-turned-research vessel in the Caribbean Sea.

He joins an international team of academics, activists and students on the One Ocean Expedition. Their mission is to learn about the effects of climate change through the experiences of coastal communities on the front line. After months of preparation, they set sail to collect and share climate data with governments around the world.

Director: Rosie Collyer
I edited Peter Strickland’s short film made in collaboration with GUO. The film premiered in Venice and was released on MUBI in 2019. Production Company: Mindwax
I worked as an Assistant Editor on Stephen Isaac-Wilson’s short documentary on Ajamu for Random Acts. Presented by Pulse, produced by Julie Vergez. 
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