"With the barrel bombs falling on Ghouta, civilians sought shelter in the basements of their homes. I was one of them, holding on to my camera, I tried to film what I couldn’t express in words."
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The 13th short film as part of the Magica series dealing with pre-cinema. The Pathé-Baby, or ‘cinema at home’, the precursor to home cinema, was launched in 1922 and made it possible to watch comedy stars such as Max Linder, Laurel and Hardy, and Felix the Cat, as well as ‘big films’ such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Abel Gance's Napoléon, at home.
Young singer Dmytro creates the rock band "Shadows," but realizes that the other members are only slowing down his path to the big stage. He wants to turn his life around 180°, leaving the dangerous and depressing city of Sumy behind to find a successful music career in the capital.
The 11th short film as part of the Magica series dealing with pre-cinema. Documentary on the work of Etienne-Jules Marey. Marey is a doctor and is interested in movement. He first captures it graphically (the pulse of a man, the stride of a horse, the beating of a bird's wings).
A father tells his son a story from his past, where he ventures through various African countries, with unexpected encounters, to the heart of the Congo jungle in a Mercedes Benz.
The main (super)hero of Beatrice Baldacci’s documentary is a person depicted as the sum of her memories. The story of the director and her family is told in the first person, with home VHS recordings that show both Beatrice’s mother and Beatrice as a child taking on the role of an agent of memory. Outdated technology transforms the events of twenty years ago into an archaeological object.
Time as punishment — of juvenile inmates and bodies that become heavy in prescribed spaces.
The July 2, 2019 solar eclipse, filmed in 100% totality, over the Chilean coast, in 16mm black and white. Condor is the national bird of Chile.
This is a rare look at one of the worst horror stories in the long infamous history of warfare. This series features captured German and Russian film footage, much of which has never been seen before. For decades the Cold War prevented us from looking closely at what really happened between the Russians and the Germans on the Eastern Front during World War II. More than a struggle between nations, it pitted maniacal tyrant against maniacal tyrant, evil ideology against evil ideology. The lives of tens of millions of human beings were consumed by its raging hatreds and appalling indignities. One in every ten Russians died. One in every four Poles died. Whole divisions of Italians, Romanians, Hungarians disappeared with barely a trace. An average of 17,800 people died on every single day and this, the war on the Russian German Front, lasted for 1,400 days. This series features captured German and Russian film footage, much of which has never been seen before.
Exploring the art of Armenian portraitist Hakob Hovnatanyan, Parajanov revives the culture of Tbilisi of the 19th century.
The 15th short film as part of the Magica series dealing with pre-cinema. A magic lantern slide show.
Five dancers explore shadeism/colourism in the Black community through a series of personal interviews, performance pieces, and dance vignettes leading up to a final performance.
In 1972, the astronaut Charles Duke landed on the Moon with Apollo XVI and was in charge of taking photos of the lunar surface. An exploration of space to cyberspace, from analogue to a virtual Moon in Google Earth today.
In 1981, Tomislav Gotovac carried out an unannounced action of being an artist begging for alms wearing a sign "Alms please! Thank you! Begging Artist" on the Triple Bridge in Ljubljana, which someone recorded from afar on film. The author overlaid the film with Tom's speech about how "the content of films is pure shit" and how it does not specify why some films would remain for the future. He shows this with the example of three films: Air Force (Howard Hawks), Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein) and Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl)
For many decades, the Caribbean island of Vieques was used for military tests and training. In Mississippi, a small-town lawyer receives a phone call, drawing his attention to increased incidences of cancer. He takes the case to court. Based on his investigation, "Kings in Paradise - The Vieques Case" shows how the military destroyed the island's ecosystem and its people. It is a story about a desperate fight for justice.
Ultrarunners overcome every kind of hardship. During her first run of the season, Mirna Valerio has to silence those who think she's not fit for this sport.
The film is a reportage showing the help of workers from the GDR in the industrial reconstruction of Syria. We witness the friendly relationship between workers from both countries, who are jointly involved in the construction of the cotton spinning mill in Homs. In impressive pictures the exoticism of the environment and the mentality of the Syrian hosts is shown. At the same time it becomes clear that the workers from the GDR become 'ambassadors of the GDR' through their collegial behaviour and good work.
Comets and the laws governing them are explored.
The sun motif in the art of various peoples (including the Egyptians and the Incas) and the sun’s role as the Earth’s source of energy are explored. The film also features footage of the total solar eclipse on June 30, 1954, on the Swedish island of Galtol.
Based on the findings of lunar research, the film introduces viewers to the moon and presents images of Earth's closest neighbor in space captured by large telescopes, supplemented by animated imagery.
A short film about the first artificial Earth satellite.
A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.
Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.
A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
An on-the-scene documentary following the events of September 11, 2001 from an insider's view, through the lens of two French filmmakers who simply set out to make a movie about a rookie NYC fireman and ended up filming the tragic event that changed our lives forever.
A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.
A journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.
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.
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
In 2015, Christopher Nolan curated a selection of short films by the surrealist animators the Quay Brothers to be distributed as a touring 35mm presentation. The three films—"In Absentia" (2000), "The Comb" (1991) and "Street of Crocodiles" (1986)—were accompanied by this brief portrait of the brothers at work in their London studio.
As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.
A purely observational non-fiction film that takes viewers into the ethically murky world of end-of-life decision making in a public hospital.
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
For a year, acclaimed British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay was embedded on the set of the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” chronicling the creation of the show’s most ambitious and complicated season. Debuting one week after the series 8 finale, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH delves deep into the mud and blood to reveal the tears and triumphs involved in the challenge of bringing the fantasy world of Westeros to life in the very real studios, fields and car-parks of Northern Ireland. Made with unprecedented access, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH is an up-close and personal portrait from the trenches of production, following the crew and the cast as they contend with extreme weather, punishing deadlines and an ever-excited fandom hungry for spoilers. Much more than a “making of” documentary, this is a funny, heartbreaking story, told with wit and intimacy, about the bittersweet pleasures of what it means to create a world – and then have to say goodbye to it.
JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.