Costakis: The Collector

One public housing flat in Moscow stood out above all others: the home of George Costakis, the foremost collector of early 20th century Russian avant-garde art. Its walls were crowded with banned and forgotten works by artists such as Malevich, Tatlin, Kandinsky, Chagall, Lissitzky, Rodchenko, and Kliun; public figures such as Edward Kennedy, Stravinsky, and Alfred Barr visited. Barrie Gavin met the collector in 1982 at his home in Athens. Costakis, a Greek born in Russia, passionately shares his story and those of the great Russian avant-garde artists. Their works are his legacy – without him, they would not have survived the political upheavals in Russia.

Speeding, of Course

70-year-old Timo makes the most of his short ride to work. Speeding up on a bicycle ends up in a ditch, but the adrenaline rush leaves a feeling of pleasure.

Waking Sleeping Beauty

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.

Alexeï Guerman, cinéaste bien interdit

This film was broadcast on La Sept in October 1990 as a part of Hélène Mochiri's Cinéma de poche program devoted to Soviet cinema. The documentary was produced in-house at La Sept and based on an exclusive interview with Alexei Guerman in May of that year. It has not been seen since.

Dream on Silly Dreamer

Disney animator Dan Lund documents the studio's decision to shut down its hand-drawn animation department and focus instead on computer-generated animation.

The Restless Garden

Summer 1991. The last days of the Soviet Empire. Dark clouds gathered over Moscow as the Soviet government prepared to turn back the clock of history. While the world focused on the crashing Soviet Empire, this film focuses on the people who would've been among the first to suffer repression - the women and men who have broken sexual taboos in a consummate act of liberation against a rigid, crippled world. This is a view from their vantage point, unveiling the shadow-side of Soviet culture in the wake of the revolution, where the real provocative nudity is the nakedness of the soul.

I huvet på Per Åhlin

A portrait of Per Åhlin, who has been called the father of Swedish animation. Meet the man who created The Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonsson's Christmas Eve, Dunderklumpen, Resan till Melonia and Hundhotellet, and who for decades had a close collaboration with Hasse & Tage.

During the Journey to Melonia

Documentary about the production of Per Åhlin's feature film Resan till Melonia

The Sketch

Upon his arrival in Paris, filmmaker Tomas Cali immerses himself in learning French, as well as the language of sketching. In an art studio, he meets transgender life model Linda Demorrir, who helps him to connect with himself and his new city in a profoundly different way.

The Magical World of Chuck Jones

Documentary on animator Chuck Jones.

Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage

For 18-year-old Finnish–Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition: for the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.

Goldorak Go ! Le Documentaire

Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation

This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series, examines the life works of one of Hollywood's most celebrated animators, Chuck (Charles M.) Jones. He is best known for Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe LePew. Included are plenty of behind-the-scenes descriptions of how an animated film is made, and (best of all) many clips from Chuck's cartoons.

Life is a game

Redefining the Line: The Making of One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Making of documentary for Disney's animated feature 101 Dalmatians

Handmade - A Tale of Stop-motion

A documentary about an old animation technique and the film studio that tries to carry on the legacy. The worlds oldest animation studio still making film with stop motion technique is Nukufilm located in Tallinn, Estland. Here we can follow the work in the studio which was founded in the Soviet era and has survived heavy censorship and global competition.

Sweet Spot

“Sweet Spot” is an experimental animated short film that uninhibitedly explores the dialog between the work and its authors, Jorge Ribeiro and Paulo Patrício, whose points of view and creative approaches, both in terms of cinematographic language and ways of being, are quite different. Through this duality, and starting from a shared but at the same time individual process, the directors seek to understand at what point the short film they are making together reaches its “sweet spot”. In other words, the ideal point at which the work is considered finished.

Bursting at the Seams

Narrations of 3 women about their experiences, their inner fight with being feminine and masculine, and their acceptance journeys.

Disabled: A Love Story

“Disabled: A Love Story” is an animated documentary exploring the affect Multiple sclerosis (MS) has had on Terry and her husband/caregiver, Jon. Beginning with the diagnosis and continuing through their +35 year marriage, Terry struggles to continue working as a city planner and teaching while losing her mobility. Jon works as a writer, and together they learn to adapt to each stage of the disease while maintaining their relationship.

Save As…

A film about the importance of memories.