Rail Report 12: This Year by Rail

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

Investigating autumn, temporal alterations, and their effect on movement

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. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)

10 Meter Tower is a short film taking place in a swimming pool with 6 cameras aimed at the tallest diving tower. All focus is on the 43 people between 9 and 78 years old. They have one thing in common, this is the first time in their lives they climb up to the platform to make the decision whether to jump or not. The situation itself highlights a dilemma: to weigh the instinctive fear of taking the step out against the humiliation of having to climb down.

A subway jigsaw of Marker's work: PASSENGERS.

Chauffer le dehors

Je suis là

Short documentary by Karl Schedereit

Under the sign of the swastika, it was, amongst other things, turned into a naval base, it got heavily destroyed in two waves of attack in April of 1945 by British bombers. After the war, Heligoland was made available as bombing training ground for the English army by the West-German government. Seven young people occupied the isle and began to repair the emergency shelter for sailors who got in danger. This and further major actions eventually ended the bombing exercises. Back then, the watchword was: “Heligoland to the Germans! “ – “Heligoland for peace!”

Originality in a time of poorly made copies, a filmic inventory of a strange time, a kaleidoscope of images, in a constant game of ruptures and continuities. All this from 365 videos published on an Instagram page in 2018, added to an original soundtrack and a text adapted from Dürrenmatt's play Dialogue of a Vile Man, a text that synthesizes our time well.

Deep in the forest of Overland Park, Kansas little gnomes made a home. But how did they get there? Experience the feel-good story of paying it forward, one tiny magical house at a time.

A mockumentary about four people and their idiosyncratic ways of saving the planet.

The Alberts (Bruce Lacey, Tony Gray and his brother Dougie Gray) attempt to take off. There are two edits of this film, both with their own distinct ending.

Choreographer Dave Gould and his students demonstrate various tap dancing steps. Also featured are an adagio and Russian sword dancers.

Orson Welles — with contributions from scientists George Wald, Carl Sagan, and others — examines the possibility and implications of extraterrestrial life. In examining our perceptions of alien 'martians' from his "War of the Worlds" broadcast, to then-modern explorations of Mars, this film from NASA provides a unique glimpse at life on earth, and elsewhere in the universe.

Modelování

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Steeve Day has been suffering from ALS for eight years and decides to call for assistance in dying. At the same time, however, visits to hospitals are suspended. Steeve then rents a hotel room in which to spend his last days and receive his loved ones.

Documentary with fragments and records about the boundaries between art and counterculture, based on a debate held at the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, in October 1968.

Short educational film about watching TV.

This Pete Smith Specialty is a semihumorous look at basic first aid techniques for mishaps that often occur around the house. It was produced in cooperation with the Beverly Hills First Aid Unit of the American Red Cross Disaster Service. —David Glagovsky