And breathe.

April chill.

Ed Rigg
March 27, 2026

People doing important things tend to like to divide years into quarters. Manageable sections. Each chunk a sort of race to the end. No sooner has a quarter finished a new one is started. As if some perennial overseer weighs up time taken with money made. A watch in one hand, and the other hand open, ready to count your coffers, depending on the speed at which you move through the quarter, of course.

At least in my imagination that’s how it goes. This is how we get things done. But in this way, life can feel like a race to the end of the month. Only for a new quarter to start, blink and you’ll miss the beginning, take a breath and you’re already behind. The tick of a clock’s tock ticks around. And around. So we are held, by ourselves in the race against our own need to provide. Or something like that. So rarely do we take a moment to stop, to listen, to appreciate.

I think that’s what I found so beguiling about Train Dreams this year. A delicate piece which meandered through thought provoking moments, what does it mean to live?Companionship, work, change, and everything in between.

So, given we here at RecDek have been hurtling through the year with 3 of our busiest events now in the rear view mirror: Sundance, Berlinale and SXSW - each so very different in their own right, I thought it would be a good time to take a moment and take stock - throw the recent BAFTAS and the Oscars in the mix and the year feels full of incredible inspiration already.

(Btw, reallllly enjoyed PTO’s Best Picture acceptance speech “in 1975, the Oscar nominees for Best Picture were Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, Nashville, and Barry Lyndon.There is no best among them, there is just what that mood might be that day, but we're happy to be part of this. A wonderful, wonderful journey with our fellow nominees, our fellow filmmakers, our fellow filmmakers that even weren't recognised by the Academy.”)

SO, AT THE END OF Q1 here are 3 things we’re working on, here at RecDek:

1) Social discovery in our industry doesn’t exist in any really useful form, yet film and tv is often the talk of the town, a modern social currency. That’s why we’ve built the RecDek App, but how can we further our community aside from the events we do?

2) Indie filmmakers are struggling to get their projects seen, how can we help them find the audience meant for their project. Audience trends tend to focus on what’s available, of course, what if we can help audiences access more of those indie shows.

3) Our events provide places for the industry to learn from creative leaders, commissioners, each other and more. Networks mean so much in our world film. How can we bring businesses and people to our community that are mutually beneficial to filmmakers and those we bring.

STAY TUNED AS WE HEAD INTO Q2! I guess.

As always we’ll try and recommend a show that has caught our eye of late. Our pick of the week today might have caught yours too, it won Best Documentary at both the BAFTAS and the Oscars. It’s currently available on BBC iPlayer too.

OUR PICK OF THE WEEK

Mr Nobody Against Putin

In case you’ve ever wondered what being a teacher in suburbia Russia is like, then this documentary is for you. But moreover, if you’ve ever wondered how an authoritarian government begins to mould and shape its youth’s mind, through school propaganda, this documentary is definitely for you.

The story of Pavel Talankin is one of bravery. A teacher and videographer in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region: all round great bloke, mentor to students, friendly face around campus. He films for the school, and the government. Pavel starts to notice commands come down from on high about the war in Ukraine, new diktats for teachers to read to kids, nationalist propaganda and misinformation about the history of Ukraine. As Russia’s war at large struggles, so the kids must be open to Putin’s message, after all they may be called upon sooner than they think.

Despite the danger, Pavel, enraged that his students could be conscripted to fight a senseless war and encouraged by co-director David Borenstein, decides that he should continue filming all of these goings on, and sneak out of Russia with the footage. Up close and personal with Putin’s orders, the victims here are the children of Russia, the sort of doc that the world needs more of.

ADD IT TO YOUR RECDEK WATCHLIST

Finally, I’d like to take a moment to thank our SXSW sponsors who made sure we had a night to remember.

Project Blackbird - Destigmatizing mental health through storytelling, connection, and free access to care, Project Blackbird provide mental health support to children and youth in crisis. Contact Alex if you have a mental health related film in development.

Misfit Productions - an award-winning boutique studio handcrafting independent films for misfits, outcasts and general riff-raff around the world.

Banjo Beaver Productions - Based in Houston, Texas, Banjo Beaver are dedicated to creating narrative-driven stories that captivate audiences while fostering a collaborative, team-oriented spirit inspired by professional sports.

Monumental Studios - A full service film company out of New Mexico that manage film and tv production from script through distribution.

Voodoo Ranger - With bold IPAs that are hop forward and occasionally hazy, Voodoo Ranger has your back.

Catch you soon.

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