Hugo Chávez: Itinéraire d'un révolutionnaire

Hugo Chavez was a colourful, unpredictable folk hero who was beloved by his nation’s working class. He was elected president of Venezuela in 1998, and proved to be a tough, quixotic opponent to the power structure that wanted to depose him. When he was forcibly removed from office on 11 April 2002, two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace.

Trade union leader Manuel Taborda, a pioneer of workers' organisations in the oil industry, recounts his experiences and those of his colleagues from 1920 to 1936, with an emphasis on the struggles against foreign companies and the government.

In 1969, the Renovación Universitaria movement and the subsequent raid on the Central University of Venezuela by the government of Rafael Caldera, triggered a strong wave of protest in the Institutes of Higher Education in Venezuela. This documentary collects part of the events that took place in the city of Mérida, Mérida State, where the University of the Andes is located.

Documentary about the life of Luis Mariano Rivera.

Mayami Nuestro goes beyond the slogan "tá barato, dame dos" (“it’s cheap, give me two”) to force a rethinking of Venezuela’s relationship with oil and national identity. Produced at the height of the oil boom, this 34-minute documentary examines Venezuelan lifestyles in the 1970s and early 1980s, questioning the consumerist fantasies fueled by petro-wealth. Through interviews with merchants, bankers, U.S. academics, and the testimonies of Venezuelans themselves, the film maps the era’s version of the “American Dream” as lived—and projected—abroad. Winner of national and international awards and directed by Carlos Oteyza, Mayami nuestro offers a sharp, historically grounded critique and an open invitation for new generations to reflect on the legacy of oil and its cultural consequences.

Imagen de Caracas was an experimental film spectacle, directed by Jacobo Borges and Mario Robles in 1968 for the 400 anniversary of the foundation of Caracas. It needed more than 48768 meters of film and 5000 actors.

Cruz Quinal, "the mandolin king," lives near Cumana in a mountain valley surrounded by sugarcane fields. Perpetuating 16th century Spanish traditions of guitar-making, Cruz fashions such musical instruments as cuatros, marimba, escarpandola, and his own creation, a mandolin with two fretboards. He is an accomplished musician as well. In this moving portrait, Cruz compares himself to a decaying colonial church across the street: revered yet neglected, the village altar stands, paint peeling, under the open sky.

Short that tells the history of Campoma, a small Venezuelan town founded by black slaves.

The struggle of two men, Osuna and Funes, hungry for power and wealth in a small town in Venezuela, during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez.

Intertwined stories of people fighting for love, survival and the truth during quarantine.

Documentary about the life of Simón Bolívar, directed by Antonio Bacé.

“Forgetting is complicit in recidivism,” says the commentary of this film dedicated to the demonstration of October 17, 1961 in Paris and the savage repression that followed. 11,538 Algerians will be arrested, which is reminiscent of the great Vel d’hiv roundup of July 16 and 17, 1942 where 12,884 Jews were arrested.
 The film brings together eyewitnesses including a priest, a peacekeeper, a couple of workers sympathetic to the Algerian cause, a lawyer, Paris municipal councilors including Claude Bourdet (then one of the leaders of the PSU and journalist to France Observateur), Gérard Monatte, the future police union leader, and the editor and writer François Maspero.

The Poem of the River

“Carioca,” Chico Buarque’s first DVD of original songs since As Cidades (1998), features musical direction and arrangements by Luiz Cláudio Ramos and production by Vinícius França. The repertoire includes the choro-canção Subúrbio and Sempre, a track composed for the film O Maior Amor do Mundo, among others. In this work, the artist speaks about his city with the youthful spirit reminiscent of the age when he first earned his famous nickname. Voltei a Cantar / Mambembe / Dura na Queda / O Futebol / Morena na Angola / Renata Maria / Outros Sonhos / Imagina / Porque Era Ela, Porque Era Eu / Sempre / Mil Perdões / A História de Lily Braun / A Bela e a Fera / Ela É Dançarina / As Atrizes / Ela Faz Cinema / Eu Te Amo / Palavra de Mulher / Leve / Bolero Blues / As Vitrines / Subúrbio / Morro dos Irmãos / Futuros Amantes / Bye Bye Brasil / Cantando no Toró / Grande Hotel / Ode aos Ratos / Na Carreira / Deixe a Menina / Sem Compromisso / Quem Te Viu, Quem Te Vê / João e Maria

As a film about fertility, Water Children is an ode to womanhood and the body Filmmaker Aliona van der Horst followed the trail of the unconventional Dutch-Japanese pianist and artist Tomoko Mukaiyama who made a huge work of art on the theme of womanhood and fertility. She created a cathedral-like space out of twelve thousand white silk dresses in which visitors, as in a ritual, roamed around and fell silent. And where people confessed intimate details about children who were or were not born, about sexuality and life-choices. This resulted in a majestic epic about motherhood, miscarriages and menopause. In a visual and poetic way, the film penetrates into what is probably still one of the greatest of taboos, menstruation, and, as a consequence, touches upon universal themes around life and death.

Film on the refugee situation in Austria as a result of Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

From the Academy Award-winning director of When We Were Kings comes this enthralling tribute to the timeless power and magic of basketball.

This docuseries tells the story of female animation pioneers in both past and present days, looking into the challenges they have faced and the progress they have made while exploring the obstacles that still exist. Highlighting the determination and passion that moved women out of the ink & paint department and into the role of animator and beyond, the docuseries seeks to inspire the next generation of animation storytellers, while questioning the inequality between men and women within the creative workforce of animation.

The popularity of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage continues to grow. Four Czech pilgrimage stories also inspired a new pilgrim, who has just embarked on his long journey. He steps out of his comfort zone to not only discover the magic of the pilgrimage, but also to find himself. When a pilgrim meets a pilgrim on the way to Santiago de Compostela, their first question is clear: “Where are you coming from?” Because every step counts. This is evidenced by four pilgrims’ stories: Kvakin, who came from Boskovice; Olga, who managed her own pilgrimage at an older age; Mario, whose journey summoned him on its own accord; and Peter, who was paralyzed in half his body but got up from his wheelchair and hit the road. We also follow the pilgrimage of Kamil Bartošek, better known as the entertainer and mystifier Kazma Kazmitch.

Tarō Okamoto became world-famous by designing the “Tower of the Sun” at Expo ’70 in Osaka. The ideas and problems that came with its creation, however, are intertwined with the evolution of Japanese culture – from the Paleolithic up until modern times. In his documentary debut, director Kōsai Sekine takes us on a philosophical journey that transcends the visual limits of documentaries.