Inventorium of Traces

Faces Places

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

8.0

2004

Dragon's World: A Fantasy Made Real

"The Last Dragon" is a nature mockumentary about a British scientific team that attempts to understand the unique incredible beasts that have fascinated people for ages. CGI is used to create the dragons.

2008

Religulous

Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Traveling around the world, Maher examines the tenets of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and raises questions about homosexuality, proof of Christ's existence, Jewish Sabbath laws, violent Muslim extremists.

40 Under 40

Some of them move. Others make noise. One weighs in at 700 pounds. Collectively, they represent the future of contemporary craft. Go behind the scenes of the "40 under 40: Craft Futures" exhibition, featuring traditional and non-traditional works of decorative art created by the top 40 American craft artists under the age of 40. Observe this wildly creative and diverse exhibition, assembled for the 40th anniversary of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, and witness the challenges and rewards of bringing together 40 unique artists at the top of their craft.

1.0

Leninland

At the peak of Perestroika, in 1987, in the village of Gorki, where Lenin spent his last years, after a long construction, the last and most grandiose museum of the Leader was opened. Soon after the opening, the ideology changed, and the flow of pilgrims gradually dried up. Despite this, the museum still works and the management is looking for ways to attract visitors. Faithful to the Lenin keepers of the museum as they can resist the onset of commercialization. The film tells about the modern life of this amazing museum-reserve and its employees.

9.0

2003

Traces: The Kabul Museum 1988

The Kabul National Museum, once known as the "face of Afghanistan," was destroyed in 1993. We filmed the most important cultural treasures of the still-intact museum in 1988: ancient Greco-Roman art and antiquitied of Hellenistic civilization, as well as Buddhist sculpture that was said to have mythology--the art of Gandhara, Bamiyan, and Shotorak among them. After the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992, some seventy percent of the contents of the museum was destroyed, stolen, or smuggled overseas to Japan and other countries. The movement to return these items is also touched upon. The footage in this video represents that only film documentation of the Kabul Museum ever made.

6.2

2005

King Tut's Final Secrets

As part of a high-tech forensic probe into the demise of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, scientists use X-rays and CT scans as they attempt to reach a conclusion about just how this famed king died. In addition, they explore the mysterious curse on explorers linked to Tut's tomb excavation.

5.0

2001

Mon Paradis - Der Winterpalast

A portrait of five St. Petersburgians and their connection to The Hermitage.

The World of Dario Argento 3: Museum of Horrors

7.5

1997

The World of Dario Argento 3: Museum of Horrors

Documentary about Dario Argento, "Profondo Rosso" shop in Rome, and most important works throughout his career.

8.0

2014

Hermitage Revealed

To celebrate its 250th anniversary, this documentary tells the story of one of the world’s greatest museums, from its foundation by Catherine the Great, though to its status today as a breathtakingly beautiful complex which includes the Winter Palace. Showcasing a vast collection of the world’s greatest artworks together with contemporary art galleries and exhibitions, it holds over 3 million treasures and world class masterpieces in stunning architectural settings. This is its journey from Imperial Palace to State Museum, encompassing a sometimes troubled past, surviving both the Revolution in 1916 and the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis in 1941-44.

2004

Stolen Spirits of Haida Gwaii

Filmmaker Kevin McMahon accompanies the Haida delegation on a repatriation trip to Chicago in 2003. His film reveals the whole repatriation process through the stories and experiences of the people who participated, both Museum staff and the Haida people.

2020

#monalisa

People looking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre – or are they just looking at themselves?

Joanne Martin: A Life in Miniature

A septuagenarian woman from St. Louis, Missouri has been a miniaturist, businesswoman, museum president, Girl Scout leader, teacher, student, mother, daughter, and most of all, an indomitable human spirit. Life is what you make it.

2022

Where

The ninth opus of his Walker Films series, which was shot at Centre Pompidou.

4.7

2011

The Desert of Forbidden Art

How does art survive in a time of oppression? During the Soviet rule artists who stay true to their vision are executed, sent to mental hospitals or Gulags. Their plight inspires young Igor Savitsky. He pretends to buy state-approved art but instead daringly rescues 40,000 forbidden fellow artist's works and creates a museum in the desert of Uzbekistan, far from the watchful eyes of the KGB. Though a penniless artist himself, he cajoles the cash to pay for the art from the same authorities who are banning it. Savitsky amasses an eclectic mix of Russian Avant-Garde art. But his greatest discovery is an unknown school of artists who settle in Uzbekistan after the Russian revolution of 1917, encountering a unique Islamic culture, as exotic to them as Tahiti was for Gauguin. They develop a startlingly original style, fusing European modernism with centuries-old Eastern traditions.

7.5

2021

Leaving Tracks

Leaving Tracks tells the intimate and compelling story of the founder of the Haas Moto Museum, and his immense impact on the lives of the custom builders whose masterpieces elevate the Museum to the pinnacle of its industry.

5.4

2001

Little Frank and His Carp

A single channel video featuring the American artist Andrea Fraser as she walks around the atrium of the Guggenheim Bilbao listening to the institution’s audio guide. After an initial shot of the entrance, the video shows Fraser wearing a short green dress and high heels picking up an audio guide inside. Once she begins listening to the guide the soundtrack changes so that the viewer also hears the same male voice as the artist (and without any background noise). Shot with five hidden cameras – one on Fraser herself and four others operated by assistants moving around the atrium – Little Frank and His Carp depicts Fraser from varying angles and proximities as she initially follows the audio guide’s instructions closely, her emotions visibly changing in response to the material she hears. Told that modern art is ‘demanding, complicated, bewildering’, she appears anxious, but when the guide tells her ‘the museum tries to make you feel at home’, she immediately seems reassured and happy.

3.0

2022

Il museo degli orrori di Dario Argento

Newly edited version of Luigi Cozzi's 1997 documentary "Il mondo di Dario Argento 3: Il museo degli orrori di Dario Argento" focusing on the museum-part of the "Profondo Rosso" shop.

When You Listen to This Song

In August 2021, writer Lola Lafon spent a night alone in the Annex of the Anne Frank Museum, where the young girl and her family hid from 1942 to 1944. This experience gave rise to a book, Quand tu écouteras cette chanson, and now its documentary adaptation. Over the course of a night, the author revisits her story. An inner journey around the figure of Anne Frank and the power of writing in the face of oblivion.

10.0

Dinolandia

A mechanic discovers the fossil of a huge carnivorous dinosaur, unleashing a war between scientists, mayors and neighboring towns to keep “the biggest dinosaur in the world.” Among bone thefts, replicas and a mayor obsessed with creating Dinolandia, anything goes when it comes to surviving.

Recommended Movies

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

7.5

2018

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

7.3

2012

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

6.5

Downloaded

A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.

6.8

1996

Looking for Richard

Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."

6.7

Gilbert

The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.

7.1

2021

Marvel's Behind the Mask

A documentary special that explores the power of identity behind the iconic superheroes we know and love today. These legendary Marvel creations and stories have not only reflected the world outside our window – they have become a reflection of our own identities and who we truly are.

7.4

2016

For the Love of Spock

The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.

6.1

Gunslingers

When the most wanted man in America surfaces in a small Kentucky town, his violent history -- and a blood-thirsty mob seeking vengeance and a king’s ransom -- soon follow. As brothers face off against one another and bullets tear the town to shreds, this lightning-fast gunslinger makes his enemies pay the ultimate price for their greed.

7.4

I Am Heath Ledger

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

7.1

The Class of ‘92

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

8.1

2020

Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King

A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.

6.5

2010

Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora

The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.

2019

In Search of the Last Action Heroes

The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.

6.2

Seduced and Abandoned

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad

8.4

No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad

A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.

7.7

1978

The Last Waltz

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.

6.1

2002

Naqoyqatsi

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

8.0

My Mom Jayne

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

6.6

2014

Harmontown

A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.

Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

5.9

2021

Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.