IRL: In Real Life

The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.

Filmed in Zimbabwe, the film depicts the romantic relationship between two women, and the aftermath of the discovery of their relationship

Robert Mapplethorpe gets his nipple pierced while his boyfriend lends his support in person. Patti Smith lends her support via voice over as she rambles on about her childhood, her transvestite brother, her breasts and Bob Dylan?

Jia Zhangke’s short for Modern Weekly’s special tenth anniversary issue.

This film features unreleased concert footage of Elvis Presley's afternoon performance at the 'Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show' held at the Fairgrounds in Tupelo, Mississippi on September 26, 1956. The professionally filmed black and white newsreel footage was synchronized with an amateur audio recording of the concert that had previously appeared on the 'Elvis Presley: A Golden Celebration' LP/CD box set.

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1942.

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1946.

Translating History to Screen (2008) Video Short - 10 June 2008 (USA)

“This film is part of a series of films on gay men who survived the Nazi era. I met Walter Schwarze when he was already in his eighties. My camera recorded his first public account of his five-year incarceration as a homosexual at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was in his fifties when he met Ali in his hometown of Leipzig; the two men became partners and remained close until his demise. And yet, Walter told me, he felt he had lived in vain because he had not had the good fortune of today's gays, who are able to grow up in freedom. Walter Schwarze died of cancer on May 10, 1998.” Rosa von Praunheim

Short documentary commissioned by the magazine Présence Africaine. From the question "Why is the African in the anthropology museum while Greek or Egyptian art are in the Louvre?", the directors expose and criticize the lack of consideration for African art. The film was censored in France for eight years because of its anti-colonial perspective.

"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.

Inspired by a poem by William Blake: a short experimental film about the perception of vision.

A unique look at the making of Stand by Me including interviews from Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell.

Documentary about the making of and legacy of The Creature from the Black Lagoon included in The Legacy Collection box set.

Strange Parallel is a documentary/short film revolving around the American singer/songwriter Elliott Smith. The film features interviews with Elliott himself as well as fans, friends and other acquaintances of his (including Gus Van Sant, Larry Crane, and the members of Quasi). The film also includes snippets of Elliott Smith performing as well as footage of him recording an unreleased song, "Brand New Game". The film sometimes moves out of reality, with acted-out, metaphorical sequences that involve Elliott considering purchasing a mechanical hand (a "robot hand" ) to improve his music.

Abelardo is a documentary about José Antônio da Silva Ballestero who has been a projectionist for 53 years at cinemas on the west border of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. José Antônio learned how to do the work with his father, who also was a projectionist and encouraged him to work in the projection room since he was a boy. The film tells the journey of a humble man showing his simple passionate view of the cinema. The memories, the films and opinions are revealed through a very spontaneous and amusing language. The projection problems, when the TV started, the VHS, DVD, pirate, internet, and the new technology that is coming to replace the old way of projection. Abelardo captivates people with his sincerity and friendliness. This is a nice story of the difficult job of a projectionist.

'Set Apart' is a documentary about monasticism, a portrait of four men who have made a radical choice in response to a beautiful calling. Brother Joseph Bruneau, Frater Caesarius Marple, Father Anthony Nguyen, and Abbot John Braganza, all live in Westminster Abbey, a community of Benedictine monks situated in Mission, BC. The film documents their daily life of prayer, work, and community life, and seeks to explore their own personal journeys in becoming monks. The monks discuss not only what it was like to feel a calling, to leave their families behind, and to embrace a celibate lifestyle, but also the deep joy and peace they have found since they followed that calling and became members of the monastic community.

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1938.

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1940.

In 1972, the camera eye observes Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the ambiance he has created for himself and presents a wide selection of his beautifully coloured pictures, which are owned by collectors all over the world, while the artist himself speaks about his life, his work, his ideas, and his manifestoes.