North Bergen, North Bergen

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with celebrated collaborators – including Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman, and Robert Pattinson, we are given an exciting glimpse into the work and personal life of the iconic artist.

Unveiling Yasujiro Ozu’s legacy through his personal diaries, letters, and interviews, the documentary delves into his life, creative process, and lasting impact on filmmaking.

An extremely lovely tribute to Ozu, on the 20th anniversary of his death. It uses a combination of footage from vintage films and new material (both interviews and Ozu-related locations) shot by Ozu's long-time camera-man (who came out of retirement to work on this). Surprisingly (or perhaps not), it focuses less on Ozu's accomplishments as a film-maker than on his impact on the lives of the people he worked with..

Two young documentarists travel around a forsaken island in the aftermath of a cataclysmic volcanic eruption. Their wanders lead them to the encounter of Professor Pereda, an acoustic geologist, conducting researches on geo-acoustics.

Through the Fondren Fellows program, the Rice Media Center Archive Project has spent the past few months sifting through material stored at the now-defunct Rice Media Center. The team has identified several films as especially notable and will be presenting them in conjunction with documentary footage the team shot of people involved with the films. From lectures featuring Roberto Rossellini and Werner Herzog to films from former Rice students and faculty, the film presentation will tell the narrative of the Rice Media Center through the films and filmmakers that passed through its corridors.

“This film was a gift to me. I make no claims for it, nor do I offer any apologies. It comes from work on The Thoughts That Once We Had. There was one shot we had to cut whose loss I particularly regretted. It was a shot of a train pulling into Tokyo Station from Ozu’s The Only Son (1936). So I decided to make a film around this shot, an anthology of train arrivals. It comprises 26 scenes or shots from movies, 1904-2015. It has a simple serial structure: each black & white sequence in the first half rhymes with a color sequence in the second half. Thus the first shot and the final shot show trains arriving at stations in Japan from a low camera height. In the first shot (The Only Son), the train moves toward the right; in the last shot, it moves toward the left. A bullet train has replaced a steam locomotive. So after all these years, I’ve made another structural film, although that was not my original intention.”

It seemed like a typically quiet night... but the most unexpected encounter leads Chris to a difficult choice.

A pre-fame Werner Herzog (Adam Ezagouri) is asked to share a flat with a strange new actor only known as Klaus Kinski. Herzog agrees but soon regrets his generous decision as Kinski proves to be one uncanny flatmate. Despite their disagreements, both decide to try and shoot Herzog's own version of Don Quixote, with disastrous consequences.

Conspiracy, cover-up and condemnation... Those brave enough to share their stories from that mysterious night in Roswell 1947 faced humiliation and intimidation. 75 years later, as all those who had first hand knowledge of the event have now passed, the truth may never be accepted. We take a look back at the first hand accounts of those who saw, held and were instrumental in disclosing what the government could not, the crash of an alien spaceship. Diluted over the years, this documentary re-examines and focuses on the personal experiences, from witnessing a close encounter to traumatic military threats, which the ordeal had on unwitting bystanders within the Roswell community.

Bernard Tapie, le spectacle permanent

Documentary focusing on the SHARP FOCUS project, where four groups of Northern Irish teenagers (from Shankill Road, Belfast; The Falls Road, Belfast; Monaghan; and Muirhevnamor in Dundalk) come together to film four short films reflecting the effects the Troubles had on their contemporary lives.

The film 3211 is a true story about Stefan Đurić, a successful musician who one day loses everything and goes to prison, where only his songs remain from his former life.

What is 'a mother' really? Does Google provide an unequivocal answer? Wikipedia? Friends perhaps? The latter call it 'coming home' or 'someone who’s always there for you'. Now that his sister, twenty-five years after their own mother passed, is expecting her first child, filmmaker Wieke Kapteijns decides to examine the 'mother' concept. For the first time in his life, he has to venture into unknown territory and face up to long-suppressed grief

A land full of cliffs, streams, dotted with lakes and peat bogs, buffeted by strong sea winds... One of the most fascinating countries in Europe, but above all, one of the most mysterious. An island at the mercy of the sea winds, washed by the Atlantic and the waters of the Celtic and Irish seas. The island's beauty can be found in its rugged coastline, dramatic cliffs, streams, lakes and peat bogs. But above all, Ireland is a country full of spectacular stories. Its Celtic myths and legends have shaped its culture and our imagination. An air of mystery still hovers over the country of over 70,000 square kilometres. This is reflected in traditions, beliefs, folk music. This is also the legacy of thousands of years of history in an extraordinary land where, according to legend, giants and fairies still hide in the rocks and caves.

From the music of Hungarian composer Mihály Vig , Georgian filmmaker Koberidze, Alexandre crafts a story of pixelated dogs on a ledge. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

From the music of Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, Colombian filmmaker Juanita Onzaga crafts a story that aims to give account of everything that is worth to preserve and adore: shimmering reflections, dusty windows, a beloved mother, Virgin of Guadalupe, conspicuous trees, a chaotic city. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

Megacities is a documentary about the slums of five different metropolitan cities.

Kieslowski’s later film Dworzec (Station, 1980) portrays the atmosphere at Central Station in Warsaw after the rush hour.