Rebels & Renaissance (A Newport Story)
Rebels and Renaissance is a cinematic exploration of Newport's artists against the backdrop of a working-class history of the Chartists Rebellion.
Sparked by the destruction of the Chartist Mural, this film explores how art and culture connects communities, heals divides and inspires change.
Rebels and Renaissance gives an insight into the local artists and event organisers of Newport, documenting their vital contributions to a harmonious society. The film underscores the enduring legacy of rebellion within the city as a catalyst for creativity in a visually stunning homage to the power of artistic expression that unites, transforms, and shapes a brighter, more inclusive future for all.
Blending archive and modern day documentary footage, the film opens with Newport based Poet Earl Palmer who introduces the themes that shape the narrative throughout. The story unfolds as our contributors offer their opinions on the destruction of the mural and continue to reflect on their experience within the city.
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Keefa ChanDirectorFog Of Sex | Stories from the frontline of student sex work
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Earl PalmerKey Cast"The Poet"Outlaws
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Christian BrittenProducerFog Of Sex | Stories from the frontline of student sex work
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:16 minutes 34 seconds
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Completion Date:November 15, 2024
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Production Budget:13,500 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:RED Super 35
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Aspect Ratio:19:10
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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The Newport CutNewport
United Kingdom
November 29, 2024
South Wales Premiere
Official Selection
Keefa Chan’s career began in the unvarnished world of documentary filmmaking, where he honed his craft organically, lighting cramped interviews, chasing authenticity in raw footage, and learning to balance truth with visual integrity. Those formative years, spent filming television documentaries and grassroots projects, instilled in him a deep respect for light as both a technical necessity and a narrative responsibility. Documentaries taught him to illuminate subjects without exploitation, a principle that would later define his narrative work.
As his career evolved, Keefa transitioned to narrative features, channeling his documentary-honed instincts into stories centred on social justice, political conflict, and the resilience of marginalised communities. Projects such as 'Blood on the Crown', which interrogated Malta’s colonial history, and 'Fog of Sex', an intimate exploration of human vulnerability, showcased his ability to merge stark realism with emotional depth. His approach remained rooted in ethical representation, treating every frame as an act of solidarity with the story’s subjects.
Awards and Recognition (Best Cinematography)
1) BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Cinematography (Fog of Sex)
2) Prague Independent Film Award (Sally Leapt Out of a Window Last Night)
3) Malta Film Award Nominations (Blood on the Crown, Habbilni Ha Nirbah)
Expanding his horizon, Keefa steps into a new role as director with Rebels and Renaissance, a film that synthesises his documentary rigor and narrative sensibilities. The film sets in Newport’s underground art scene, examines creativity as resistance against systemic neglect. Directing represents a natural progression for Keefa, a chance to shape stories holistically while retaining his cinematographer’s eye for light as emotional language.
Keefa’s visual philosophical work, is the belief that cinema is a form of activism, a medium to interrogate power and amplify silenced voices. Whether collaborating on diasporic stories or mentoring emerging filmmakers, he prioritises ethical intentionality over style, but fused also with technical spectacles, if necessary. His toolkit spans high-end cameras like the Red Helium 8K to guerrilla-style smartphone shoots, but the goal remains constant: to compel audiences not just to see injustice, but to feel its weight and interrogate their role in it.
Keefa views his career as an ongoing dialogue between craft and conscience. His early documentary work taught him to listen to subjects and to light to the unspoken rhythms of human experience, a skill he now brings to every project. As 'Rebels and Renaissance' poised for festival circuits and with new collaborations on the horizon, Keefa continues to redefine what it means to wield a camera with both artistry and accountability.