Cliff Edge. Dr Ashkan the man behind the smiles

A feature-length documentary about an unconventional dentist and entrepreneur, directed by Diego Barraza and written by Clive Martin.

Meet Ashkan Pitchforth. Born in Bexhill, England, Ashkan is a dentist who founded the South Cliff Dental Group in 2015, which is a group of practices that provide NHS and private dental care services to people in counties across Southern England. They are open seven days a week and also offer late evening appointments.

The docunemtary begins at a time where Ashkan is dealing with challenging times: constructions are taking place for the company's new headquarters and training facilities and the General Dental Council has filed a case against him. The film follows him as he pursues the former and struggles with the latter and also talks a great deal about himself, his background and his career.

Apart from dentistry, viewers will learn a great deal about Ashkan's life. Born to an English father and an Iranian mother, Ashkan had his ups and downs. An intelligent, ambitious and hardworking individual, he is a parent, he is quite slender, has a unique taste regarding clothing, has plenty of tattoos and earrings, used to be a bodybuilder and has suffered from steroid abuse and body dysmorphic disorder. Despite all this, he has managed to create an organisation that aims to make dental healthcare accessible to as many patients as possible.

As well as having Ashkan sharing his experiences, several of his associates also get the chance to be interviewed, including Operational Director, Garima Garg, Clinical Lead Ali Ostovan and HR Director, Rachel Pithie. The documentary also contains many photographs of Ashkan's younger days and childhood and they are all brought together efficiently thanks to Julien Pinault's methodical editing.

This film is as much about dentistry in the UK, particularly NHS dentistry as it is about mental health, especially body dysmorphic disorder and it aims to raise awareness of this condition. Additionally, this feature acknowledges self-reflection, aspirations, the world of bodybuilding, the significance of support and the challenges of running a business.

An informative and dramatic documentary that explores the field of dentistry and introduces viewers to Dr Ashkan Pitchforth and his intriguing story.