Tehran Is the Capital of Iran (1966-79) documents life in a deprived district in the south of Tehran. The images of destitution in Tehran's poor areas is accompanied by a variety of spoken accounts: the official viewpoint on the district's living conditions, what the inhabitants have to say, and occasional extracts read out of school manuals. The key element in Shirdel's film is the counterpoint effect he creates with image and sound. His impressively powerful portrayal of social unease helps reinforce the impact of his astonishing documentary images and social themes.
A documentary film about the cherished tradition of costuming during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Members of the city's colorful costuming community share their unique traditions while gathering at the epicenter of all things costuming - the family-owned fabric store, Jefferson Variety.
A day in the life of an old shepherd during the lambing season on the Sussex Downs. He talks of the problems in Winter, when lambing is complicated by snow. -BFI
This film is the result of more than two years of work tracking down archive material and witnesses close to Mobutu in Africa, Europe and the U.S. More than 950 hours of footage have been seen by the world. Among the 104 hours selected as the basis for this film, are 30 hours of archives recently discovered in Kinshasa and never before released. Completing these exceptional documents, are more than 50 hours of interviews with those close to the former president and the events surrounding his reign, conducted by the director in Kinshasa, Brussels, Paris and Washington. Like a vast historical puzzle, this film pieces together the tragic history of a country, and its self-styled leader - the dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, "King of Zaïre".
María Domínguez. La palabra libre
Some months after the fall of the Berlin wall, during the time of federal elections in Germany in 1990, Chris Marker shot this passionate documentary, reflecting the state of the place and its spirit with remarkable acuity.
Several behind the scenes aspects of the movie-making business, which results in the enjoyment the movie going public has in going to the theater, are presented. They include: the production of celluloid aka film stock, the materials used in the production of which include cotton and silver; construction crews who build sets including those to look like cities, towns and villages around the world; a visit with Jack Dawn who demonstrates the process of creating a makeup design; the screen testing process, where many an acting hopeful gets his/her start; the work of the candid camera man, the prying eyes behind the movie camera; a visit with Adrian, who designs the clothes worn by many of the stars on screen; and a visit with Herbert Stothart as he conducts his musical score for Conquest (1937). These behind the scenes looks provide the opportunity to get acquainted with the cavalcade of MGM stars and their productions that will grace the silver screen in the 1937/38 movie season.
Short silent film about some models of silk stockings.
Currently, Martha Street has become a "Hotspot" for heroin dealing, consumption, prostitution and petty crime. The Shadwell Youth Club finds itself at the centre of unsafe surroundings with young people threatened by local dealers returning from mosque, to youth workers finding knives hidden on the Centre's allotment, to dealers selling in broad-daylight to their clients in front of the club as home-schooling mothers arrive with their children.
For Millions of years, our planet has been floating in space. Millions of creatures have lived on its surface. Many a quaint being was among them, but they affected only our, human imagination, for in the evolutionary struggle we are the only ones who have obtained the advantage of reason.
Jasmin gazes in delight at the screen of the laptop she uses to make video calls with her father in faraway Somaliland. She asks him if there are hedgehogs there—an important question, because soon she and her brother and sisters will be living there. Her father once fled the war in his native Somaliland. In Finland, he found a second home, and his four children were born there. But he missed Somaliland, and was tired of the racism in Helsinki, so he decided to return with his family.
POSSESSED enters the complicated worlds of four hoarders; people whose lives are dominated by their relationship to possessions. The film questions whether hoarding is a symptom of mental illness or a revolt against the material recklessness of consumerism. When does collecting become hoarding and why do possessions exert such an influence on our lives?
A building in Israeli Hebron, which has been deserted by its Palestinian occupants, is called 'The Mute's House' by the Israeli soldiers stationed there and by the tour guides who pass by daily. The building's only occupants are a deaf woman, Sahar, and her 8-year-old son, Yousef. The family's unique story, in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, unfolds through the eyes of the young and charismatic Yousef, as he goes through his daily routine on both sides of the torn city.
Documentary focused behind the scenes of the making of the play 'io' by Antonio Rezza and Flavia Mastrella
Thelema Now! host Frater Puck discusses William S. Burroughs, possession, synchronicities and chaos magick
Behind-the-scenes documentary of one morning on the set of "Gerry" directed by Gus Van Sant.
The world of the favela Reboleira is coming to an end. A motorway project is threatening this little village in the heart of Lisbon. Alternating documentary segments on the local history with narratives by various inhabitants, the film captures a vulnerable way of life, in danger of imminent disappearance.
Take a technological thrill ride The Magic of Flight takes you on a technological thrill ride faster, higher and wider than modern science or even your imagination! Relive the first flight of the Wright Brothers, then soar with the Blue Angels as they defy the laws of gravity. Narrated by Tom Selleck.
Guangzhou, a.k.a. Canton, is southern China’s centuries-old trading port. Today the booming metropolis of 14 million is a mecca of mass consumption, its vast international trading centers crammed with every “Made in China” good imaginable. Every year more than half a million Africans travel to Guangzhou where they buy goods to sell back in Africa. Over time, some have chosen to stay, and for these Africans China looks like the new land of opportunity, a place where anything is possible. But is it? Featuring a dynamic cast of men and women from Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY weaves the stories of Africans chasing alluring, yet elusive, “Made in China” dreams into a compelling critique of 21st century global capitalism. Following a filmmaker’s journey from Ghana to China and back to Africa, GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY provides a rare glimpse of African aspirations in an age of endless outsourcing.
Take a four-minute journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include, Iceland, Igauzu Falls Brazil, Atchafalaya Basin Louisiana, Lake Tahoe California, Black Canyon of the Gunnison Colorado, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.