Art in Ethiopia

Gutierres

A documentary about the artist Desiderio, directed by Andrea Rotini. With the partecipation of Alessandro Riva, Chiara Canali, Francesco Santaniello. Texts and translations by Gemma Jalenti

This documentary follows mural artists of different cultures and styles as they live together for several weeks ahead of an exhibition in Barcelona.

Janina Ramirez explores the BBC archives to create a TV history of Leonardo Da Vinci, discovering what lies beneath the Mona Lisa and even how he acquired his anatomical knowledge.

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

Colour, form, area - this is the formula of the greatest pioneer of abstract painting. Kandinsky came to art late in life, but his impact through Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) and Bauhaus paved the way for modern art. In 1913, he created one of the first abstract pictures, the theoretical basis of which was inspired by his essay Uber das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art). Accompanied by Mussorgsky's Pictures From An Exhibition Labarthe goes on a sensual journey which makes the soul resound with colours and forms. "A picture has to resound and must be bathed in an inner glow." Kandinsky

The multi-talented outsider artist Richard McMahan is on a quest to painstakingly re-create thousands of famous and not-so-famous paintings and artifacts–in miniature.

Manet’s portraits are rarely afforded such close attention as they are given in this exquisitely crafted and insightful film presented by art expert Tim Marlow. Manet’s portraiture comprised about half his work, giving life on canvas to family, friends and the literary, political and artistic figures of the day.

Stuck in a creative rut, filmmaker Gilda Pourjabar returns to Iran, her homeland, to talk with her brother Siamak, an illustrator based in Tehran. This encounter raises questions about their relationship to Western popular art, as they grew up in a culture that the current political regime describes as “westoxicated.” This documentary uses playful animations by Siamak, inspired by Franco-Belgian comics and rock concert posters, superimposed on archival footage of the most recent popular uprisings in Iran to become a logical collaboration for these artists who shared a record collection as children. Together, they examine how art slips through the cracks of repression to light the rebellious sparks in the hearts of young people.

A documentary about the Kosmos collective in Timisoara: a self-organized group of artists, curators, and musicians who revived a former textile factory.

This film traces the elusive trajectory of Mark Rothko (1903-1970), the American master of abstract expressionism who called his work "a pharmacy for the soul." Moving from Latvia to the US as a child, he left Yale to paint, later inspired by Italy to create his iconic color fields. Full of vibrant colors, drama, and emotion, this subtle portrait makes his legendary art shine forth.

Elliott Erwitt has spent his entire adult life taking photographs, of presidents, popes and movie stars, as well as regular people and their pets. His work is iconic in world culture while his life is largely unknown.

How did Bonnard, one of the great masters of 20th-century painting, a secretive, anxious man with an ordinary everyday life, become this undisputed painter of intimacy, capable of transforming reality into a unique and incandescent world? Through his paintings, but also his private journals, his correspondence with Matisse and Vuillard, the photographs he loved, and the places where he lived, the film immerses us in the world of this master of color.

An intimate view of a young autistic savant named Richard Wawro from Scotland who is also an internationally acclaimed artist. Describes the joy and self-confidence that have accompanied his developing skills. Intended to help those working with the profoundly handicapped to recognize the creative potential that may lie hidden within these individuals

A documentary following JR's artwork giving a global voice to everyday people.

Introduces the world of painter René Magritte through an assemblage of the painter's images. Includes statements by Magritte about his intentions and anecdotes from his friends Mesens and Scutenaire.

Pyhä

Krag Kantora

The true identity of Perth's enigmatic Walking Man is revealed through a compelling investigation in the lead up to the unknown artist's debut exhibition after his untimely death.

The story of one of Australia's greatest 20th century painters, incorporating rich archive material including rare interviews with Smart and his long-term partner Ermes De Zan.