Las Vegas Meditation

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

An experimental essay film about terrorism, media, violence and globalisation. Three infotainment news broadcasts - a rollercoaster, a hijacking, and an influencer - are soundtracked by pulsating experimental electronics that push the psychic residue of a post war-on-terror world out of the unconscious and onto the screen. Capitalism, imperialism, desire; all three are implicated in a nihilism that has seeped from the news into the social psyche.

Iggy Pop reads and recites Michel Houellebecq’s manifesto. The documentary features real people from Houellebecq’s life with the text based on their life stories.

Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.

A behind-the-scenes look at Céline Dion's opening night in Las Vegas.

A labyrinthine portrait of Czech culture on the brink of a new millennium. Egon Bondy prophesies a capitalist inferno, Jim Čert admits to collaborating with the secret police, Jaroslav Foglar can’t find a bottle-opener, and Ivan Diviš makes observations about his own funeral. This is the Czech Republic in the late 90s, as detailed in Karel Vachek’s documentary.

An essay-film about images and politicians.

Basically an artist is also a terrorist, the protagonist thinks in an unguarded moment. And if he is a terrorist after all, then he might just as well be one. Not an instant product, but an experimental feature in which diary material is brought together to form an intriguing puzzle.

Filmmaker John Torres describes his childhood and discusses his father's infidelities.

A 25-minute visual essay by Kent Jones about Jean-Luc Godard and his film 'Weekend'.

From 1973 to 1992, the hottest action in Las Vegas was the University of Nevada, Las Vegas men's basketball team and their controversial coach Jerry Tarkanian. Led by 'Tark the Shark' and a rotating group of future NBA stars, the team became a dynasty as they went on to four NCAA Final Fours, winning one NCAA title in 1990, before collapsing in scandal and controversy.

A strippers' convention and a major contest. The movie focuses on a few strippers, each with her own strong motive to win.

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you couldn't tell the difference between the real world and the dream world? On November 18, 2001, the world's biggest star, Britney Spears, brought her "Dream Within a Dream" Tour to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in legendary Las Vegas. Watch this defining concert, witnessed by millions of fans, as it was broadcast live on HBO.

Lies can kill. Transgender Nuclear Suicide Sojourner is an exploration of propaganda, lies, and the overwhelming urge to end it all.

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

Born June 8, 1964, Frank Matter films four "twins", born the same day as him, but in other latitudes. Interweaving their life stories with rich archival material, the filmmaker links these Parallel Lives with elements from his own biography, to compose a fascinating fresco where intimate trajectories are part of the advent of the global village.

On October 1, 2017 58 people were killed at the Route 91 country music concert in Las Vegas... and by 2 weeks the media dropped the entire story due to all the lies and holes in the police and FBI’s story. These are all the things they’ve covered up about the tragedy that they don’t want you to know about... One of the largest mass shootings to ever occur, happened at the Route 91 country music festival here in Las Vegas. 58 innocent people lost their lives and rather than look for answers or a motive, the mainstream media dropped the story instead after major inconsistencies and holes started appearing in the FBI’s “investigation.”

A fresh look at the everchanging adult Disneyland of Las Vegas, featuring pirate ships, volcanos, 25 casinos on the Strip, 10 more casinos in Glitter Gulch, plus a guide to Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, old Nevada and more.

A found-footage essay, Filmfarsi salvages low budget thrillers and melodramas suppressed following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Seven days, 45 finalists, one World Champion. Shot on location in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rank takes us from the ranch to the arena for the struggle of the three highest-ranking bull riders competing for the title of PBR World Champion. The three contenders: Justin McBride, a third generation bull rider; Mike Lee, 21 year-old born-again Christian and 34 year-old Brazilian Adriano Moraes, already a two-time PBR World Champion, who has been riding since the age of 18 and is now in the twilight of his bull riding career. This documentary brings the reality of this hazardous sport into focus for the first time. From preparations to ride through severe injuries and finally, victory for one: a gold belt buckle and a check for one million dollars.