Disasters Hanging Out

In the context of Australia's cold war a 'hidden history' of Melbourne's Realist film movement (1945-1959) is explored through the first person account of a filmmaker of another generation, speaking to the 'indy-media' movement of the present day.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to put on a major fan convention, the likes of San Diego Comic Con or MegaCon? Well, look no further as director Steven Shea trains a surprising lens on all the backstage triumph and tragedy it takes to pull off South Florida’s gigantic Florida Supercon. Surviving Supercon follows owner Mike Broder and his wife and partner Sandy Martin—a “mom & pop” duo—who launched the convention in 2006, inspired by Atlanta’s DragonCon and Orlando’s Spooky Empire, as they run their four-day convention over a weekend of monumental victories and disasters. From crazy celebrity stories, to amazing connections in the wake of unsuspecting tragedy, plus inept security teams and anarchic attendees, the film is a love letter to all the passion and madness it takes to brave a sea of Harley Quinns and deliver a seemingly flawless weekend to the tens of thousands of guests who cross the threshold into a convention center where dreams are made.

Special Effects Supervisor Jeff Okun gives an overview of his responsibilities on Sphere, and takes us through some of the techniques used to create the illusions that sell the film, from storyboards and concept drawings through scaled miniatures and CGI. The segment ends with Elkins giving some advice for those who might want a career in the special effects industry.

Feature-length documentary on the making of the 1984 slasher film classic.

Capturing the history of the infamous and beloved old UK home video label, with the man himself Michael Lee appearing for the first time ever on camera to tell his story. VIPCO brought many bizarre and horror released titles to the UK shores in the 80s on home video, who ended up getting caught up in the video nasty scandal.

Academy Award-winning actor Alan Arkin discusses his life and career with TCM host Robert Osborne at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival.

David Parkinson reconstructs the documentary he directed in 2018 about Muckie, the Muckross Lake monster, in an attempt to definitively figure out what it was, while also exploring ideas around it and other cryptids.

An overview of the making of Wolf Creek (2005).

Documentary following the history of America's first cinematographers.

This remarkable documentary dedicates itself to an extraordinary chapter of the second World War – the psychological warfare of the USA. America’s trusted cartoon darlings from the studios of Warner Bros., Paramount, and the “big animals” of the Disney family were supposed to give courage to the people at the homefront, to educate them, but also to simultaneously entertain them. Out of this mixture grew a genre of its own kind – political cartoons. Insightful Interviews with the animators and producers from back then elucidate in an amusing and astonishing way under which bizarre circumstances these films partially came into existence.

The order comes in the summer of 1941 from propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels himself: The best animators are summoned to Berlin. Their task: Producing feature-length cartoons in ‘Disney-Quality’ with the newly founded ‘Deutsche Zeichenfilm GmbH’. To get trained, the Disney movie “Snow White” is re-traced frame by frame. After the final victory, one new feature-length production of quality shall be released every year from 1947 onwards. – that is the plan. Only in 1943, the first production is completed: “Armer Hansi” a 17-minute-long colour movie, realized with the effortful Multiplane-technology. The second film by the ‘Deutsche Zeichenfilm’ is only completed in 1946 – by DEFA. In the territories occupied by Germany, cartoons are produced as well, sometimes harmless ones, sometimes propagandistic ones. With excerpts from animated movies, life-action film documents, and witness reports by contemporaries, this documentary draws a picture of the cartoon production in the third Reich.

E! Entertainment special on the making of Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film.

Examines the early 1980s Hong Kong filmmaking community. Tony Rayns interviews some of the new generation of filmmakers and figures from the wider film culture.

A documentary on the making of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), featuring interviews with the cast and crew, as well as behind-the-scenes footage.

Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, and producer Fred Caruso are interviewed for this 68-minute documentary about the making of David Lynch's Blue Velvet

A feature-length, retrospective documentary about the troubled production of 1985's SPOOKIES, which began its life under the title TWISTED SOULS.

Superfan David Whiteley celebrates the unsung British heroes behind the first film in the Star Wars’ franchise, 1977’s eponymously titled Star Wars. The Star Wars saga ends with the release of The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019. This documentary celebrates where it all began. It includes previously unheard stories from the people who made one of the most successful movies of all time, with additional interviews and previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage. The presenter, Star Wars superfan David Whiteley, who has his own connection to the original film (he was born on May the 4th), tracks down the often modest British talent who brought the galaxy to life. David explores the contribution of the London Symphony Orchestra and meets Ann Skinner, who was in charge of continuity. As well as seeing her original stills from the set, Ann reveals how she helped Sir Alec Guinness with one of the most famous speeches in Star Wars.

A strange story from Somerset, England about a filmmaking farmer and the inspiring legacy of his long-lost home movies.

Spain. 1978. Year of the first democratic elections following the dictatorship, and of the birth cine quinqui (delinquent movies): films that rapidly became a big commercial success, showing things that were banned by the censorship not too long before.

A short documentary on the Francis Ford Coppola musical One From the Heart.