Alexis, who has a life-threatening disease, spends her time in the wooded expanse of northern Scotland where she takes care of dozens of sick, wounded and dying animals. Some have terminal cancer, some were about to be killed because of their disabilities, some were saved from slaughterhouses. Alexis provides essential palliative care.
Crannog follows Alexis as she works tirelessly to nurse a neglected sheep back to health. A quiet reflection on kindness in the face of death, the film intimately explores the fragility and strength that comes from dedicating one’s life to the care of others. A Crannog is a traditional Scottish home for an extended family.
Crannog: Watch the full documentary Photograph: Crannog (The Guardian)
The director, Isa Rao, is a film-maker and cognitive neuroscientist based in Glasgow. She was born and raised in Germany and has lived and studied in India and the UK.
The subject of the film, Alexis, wrote about her experience of running the animal hospice for Weekend Magazine’s Experience column last year.
Coming up: Share
Tim, an 18-year-old Asian American, has 3 million followers on Instagram. He spends a lot of time online, grabbing his phone first thing in the morning and even taking baths with it sometimes. He usually shares funny memes on his page but occasionally he posts about mental health. As the film explores his reason for these posts, we discover that Tim has created a different identity for himself online than in real life. Will he be able to reconcile the two? Released 19 July
Guardian screenings this week
This week we have two special screenings of Guardian documentaries: the London premiere of our feature documentary Seahorse will take place on Tuesday 16 July. The film, about Freddy, a trans man embarking on his pregnancy journey, follows him from conception through to birth. Join us at Everyman King’s Cross at 7pm for a screening followed by a Q&A with Freddy and the film’s director, Jeanie Finlay.
On 17 July, we will screen four of our films at Bertha DocHouse, including an advance premiere of Share, followed by a discussion with some of the film-makers. Join us at 6.30pm.
