Social & External
The people behind it
Mireille Manuel
Herself
Once upon a time there was a morning, noon, evening and night when the inseparable shadows of man told us about memory... Interview with Ousmane Sow, life sculptor, for the first part of a series entitled Black Memory.
In this intimate portrait addressed directly to Hélène Hazera, filmmaker Judith Abitbol revisits a key figure of France’s countercultures from the late 1960s to the 1990s. A member of the Gazolines and the FHAR (Homosexual Front for Revolutionary Action), Hazera was a tireless LGBTQ activist who founded Act Up’s Trans and AIDS commissions—one of her proudest achievements. Her true victory, however, was becoming the first transgender journalist at a major national newspaper (Libération), and later a producer at Radio France and France TV. Through her story, Abitbol reconnects with the insurrectionary spirit and creative chaos of those decades—an era when French culture was shaken by radical imagination, humor, and defiance. The film celebrates these modern Antigones who dared to live their desires beyond the reach of any law.
Zina left Algeria to fulfill her childhood dream of driving trucks. At every turn, her cabin becomes a space of freedom and the highway a battlefield.
Patrick, who has had diabetes for 25 years and is treated with insulin, is gradually losing his sight. He has agreed to laser treatment as the only alternative to total blindness, a treatment that destroys almost the entire retina, leaving only central vision. For three years, the director followed him in his daily life, walking towards darkness, where he learns day by day to touch, listen, guess, feel, and resist. The camera narrows its field of view over time to "see" as Patrick does.
In an attempt to represent reality, the boundary between life and art blurs between fragmentary images of someone and the praxis of an essay film.
Fifty years after her first recording in Nashville, Sylvie Vartan decided to record the album she sings on to mark this anniversary there. In one of the songs, she says: I have forged my own path, without turning back. Leaving my mistakes behind me. I ventured into unknown territory, avoiding pitfalls, and I came back. It is on this "road," both public and personal, starting from her native Bulgaria to Paris, passing through a thousand places around the world, traversing fashions and overcoming the trials of an extraordinary life, that this film sets out to illuminate the trajectory of a shy young girl who became an international icon and a resolutely free woman.
Sylvie Vartan has had an extraordinary life: a Bulgarian child forced into exile, who became the icon of a youth in the midst of revolution in France. After a career spanning 64 years, with nearly 50 albums recorded and 40 million records sold, she has decided to bow out. During her farewell tour, the singer chose to open up to Augustin Trapenard.
Ocean Therapy is the story of an unknown hero, Bruno, surfer, skipper bound for living on the ocean, navigating and discovery. Bruno’s dream falls appart when, at 24 years old, he is victim of an accident and looses the use of his legs. After a deep period of depression and two suicide attempts, Bruno will reconnect with life through his passion for the Ocean. Ocean Therapy is the authentic story of a man that lives for his passions.
A woman with a deep love of the land, Yolande Simard Perrault sees her life as having been shaped by a planetary upheaval in Charlevoix, Quebec, millions of years ago. As enduring as the Canadian Shield, she’s a woman of strength and spirit, a child of the crater left by the meteor’s impact. This documentary portrays a determined woman who’s the reflection of a land created on an immense scale. She was the creative and life partner of filmmaker Pierre Perrault, who gave up everything to be by her side. The film charts the influence of her unquenchable dreams and her contribution to the building of a people’s collective memory. In a stream of images and words, Simard Perrault recounts the splendours of the landscape and the people who shaped it. Generous and boundless, she embarks on a quest for identity that nurtures and perpetuates the oeuvre of the man who breathed new life into Quebec cinema.
Portrait of a French mercenary working in Libya, hired by the Phalange to train the militias. War leaves its traces; and for some, who see death as part of the job, it’s a vocation.
Through eyewitness accounts and archival footage, viewers are taken on a journey through the great battles that defined President Gamal Abdel Nasser's life—from dramatic economic development initiatives to his ambitions for creating a unified Arab nation. The film chronicles his inspiring success and tragic failures while also exploring how he inspired generations of global leaders in both politics and activism.
Gaëtan Chataigner has been filming his friend Philippe Katerine for nearly thirty years. The director revisits all these accumulated images in an attempt to understand how and why his artist friend became such a phenomenon. By following him step by step, sometimes questioning him, listening to his loved ones, he weaves a touching, funny, and moving portrait of this unique artist.
A self-narrated portrait of a Polish immigrant in Winnipeg whose unglamorous job keeping streetcar switches working reveals dignity, resilience, and pride in everyday labor.
In this short documentary, five black women talk about their lives in rural and urban Canada between the 1920s and 1950s. What emerges is a unique history of Canada’s black people and the legacy of their community elders. Produced by the NFB’s iconic Studio D.
His work illustrates people. Densha Tattoo reflects on craft, inspiration and the scene. — What is the essence of a human being? One stitch at a time. A portrait about the tattoo artist.
Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.
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.
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
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.
From a prolific career in film and television, Anton Yelchin left an indelible legacy as an actor. Through his journals and other writings, his photography, the original music he wrote, and interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues, this film looks not just at Anton's impressive career, but at a broader portrait of the man.
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Musician Jon Batiste attempts to compose a symphony as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment.
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.
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.
Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.
Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity
Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s pulse-pounding action set pieces, and discover how iconic characters from the pages of Marvel Comics such as Kate Bishop were adapted and brought to life for the six-episode series.