Life by Design

Making a documentary on Le Corbusier is not easy, because he is undoubtedly the architect most familiar to the general public but also the most unknown. If most people know his great achievements, such as the Cité radieuse of Marseille, the pavilions of the Cité universitaire de Paris or the Tourettes convent, many are unaware of his works in Moscow, Rio de Janeiro or Chandigarh. Roy Oppenheim pays a vibrant tribute to Corbusier, dismissing the criticisms and darker facets of the character. It presents the career of this pioneering architect, as well as his thinking, the essential principle of which was aimed at the development of human beings and the balance of society. Light, space and greenery are integrated into his large futuristic cities, because according to him the eyes of the inhabitants should be drawn into the distance and not into their neighbor's bathroom.

A jetliner spans the miles, sheering through clouds to open sky and scenic vistas of the provinces below. Glimpses of town and country, of people of many ethnic origins, of a resourceful and industrious nation - impressions it would take days and weeks to gather at first hand - are brought to you in this vivid 1800-kilometer panorama.

Southern California’s Coachella Valley, including the communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, boasts hundreds of extraordinary midcentury modern homes, public buildings and commercial structures. Modern designers such as William F. Cody, Albert Frey, William Krisel, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams left their collective mark on this desert paradise. Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the first bold forays into modernist design to the preservation challenges facing the region today. Director Jake Gorst’s film features rare archival images and footage as well as interviews with historians, homeowners and the architects who helped create this mecca of modernism.

Constructing freestone buildings on the cheap, Pouillon made a name for himself at the end of the 1940s in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, shaking up his peers who only dreamed of towers and concrete bars. In Algiers, until Independence, he built in record time thousands of homes for the poorest, real urban projects inspired by traditional forms. In the Paris region, to build comfortable buildings quickly and well, nestled in the greenery, he becomes a promoter: this too adventurous bet leads him to prison and retains his reputation. Not very explicit about this complex affair, but seduced by a contemporary architecture that combines technical inventiveness and ancient references, Christian Meunier films by multiplying the angles of view. Today's lively atmospheres are interspersed with archive footage, while Pouillon's writings are read off. Moved, his collaborators evoke a demanding and generous man, with an infectious passion.

"Clean Lines, Open Spaces: A View of Mid-Century Modern Architecture" focuses on the construction boom in the United States after World War II. Sometimes considered cold and unattractive, mid-century modern designs were a by-product of post-war optimism and reflected a nation's dedication to building a new future. This new architecture used modern materials such as reinforced concrete, glass and steel and was defined by clean lines, simple shapes and unornamented facades.

Julius Shulman: Desert Modern focuses on Shulman's remarkable 70-year documentation of the renowned Mid-Century Modern architecture of the Palm Springs area/ Shulman, at the age of 97, describes with humor and insight his artistic intentions and the back-story to some of his most legendary photographs. He is joined by noted architectural historian Alan Hess and Michael Stern, co-authors of the book, "Julius Shulman: Palm Springs". Stern is also curator of the "Julius Shulman: Palm Springs" exhibition which originated at the Palm Springs Art Museum in February 2008. The flm showcases Shulman's inspired photography of the architecture of Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, John Lautner, E. Stewart Williams, Palmer and Krisel and William Cody, among others. E. Stewart Williams' Frank Sinatra House is featured, as well as Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House, one of the most famous homes in America, largely due to Shulman's iconic 1947 photograph.

Lily Pierce is sick of being haunted. She decides to reconnect with her estranged father, a disgraced history professor, and learn how to draw upon a time of steel and blade when armor-clad knights rode out and dueled their monsters to the death.

Long blue hours characterise summer nights in the sleepy Norwegian port town of Ålesund. Asta is a young journalist working for the local newspaper, where she is expected to report on local sports, historic preservation, and cruise ships. It is only when she stumbles across the strange story of a refugee’s forced deportation, that she finds new meaning in her work and life.

A husband and wife's weekend in a mid-century modern vacation rental turns deadly when the husband discovers the owner is a psychopath with a backyard of buried secrets and designs on his wife.

A documentary/extrended commercial for FDB Møblerc (FDB Furniture).

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.