Cult Of VHS

The filmmaker revisits the diaries she kept during the years when video was banned in Iran. Using her personal VHS archive of films as a point of reference, the film explores a very personal film history with audio interviews with film historians, film buffs and those involved in the film black market. This is the story of an underground subculture of cinephiles hiding amongst the first Iranian post-revolution generation, who pursued their love for cinema despite strict government restrictions and the threat of imprisonment.

Aunt Neirud was always present at family gatherings. Neirud was big, strong, and worked in the circus. Who was this woman so close to the family and about whom we know so little?

Marion Stokes secretly recorded television 24 hours a day for 30 years from 1975 until her death in 2012. For Marion taping was a form of activism to seek the truth, and she believed that a comprehensive archive of the media would be invaluable for future generations. Her visionary and maddening project nearly tore her family apart, but now her 70,000 VHS tapes are being digitized and they'll be searchable online.

85-year-old Margers stores his life's work in banana boxes - VHS tapes and DVDs that fill an entire room. However, as his eyesight rapidly deteriorates, it becomes unclear what fate awaits this unique cultural and historical material, which he has continuously documented over the years.

After seeing a strange advertisement on television about an fugitive who has escaped from prison, Monni hopes that her boyfriend will arrive home soon, however, she receives an unexpected and sinister visit

Samuel sees his life change completely when he receives a call from people who were taking care of his father. He needs to abandon his plans in the big city, when his life was stabilizing. Returning to the countryside, Samuel is confronted with the ghosts of his traumatic childhood, when his mother burned to death and his father left him to live with another woman. The hatred he holds towards his father cannot even be shown, as the old man does not have the physical or mental health to understand what is happening. As he takes care of the hollow shell his father has become, Samuel remembers old friendships and starts a romance with his father's stepdaughter, Marcela. Then, he starts to notice strange things happening.

Following the events of 'SOMNIPHOBIA,' the rogue machine Clackers struggles to find purpose in it's existence, sending it spiraling through breakdowns trying to comprehend self purpose.

After obtaining a video camera, a serial killer starts stalking women around town.

Carson Griggs and Mike Cather thought breaking into the school library at night would be easy: Grab the answers to a test, prove their friends wrong, and call it a win. But a month ago, Jake Wei vanished in that very library—and the teachers’ frantic warnings to stay away suddenly make sense.

An experimental short film about sensory seeking behaviour in childhood. Filmed on VHS.

Born from steel and glass Kino Kopf is created by two inventors. They are assembled by their mother, a nurturing artist, and their Father a greedy entrepreneur. Kino Kopf is the first of its kind a sentient humanoid VHS camera. They are given a life by their mother but presented to the world by their father. Kino Kopf is the next big sensation and spurs a technological revolution. They are soon forgotten and alone as new models surpass them. Kino Kopf is left alone to contemplate if they ever had a soul, as visions of an electric cowboy dance through their dreams.

A twisted pizza joint's outrageous promotional stunt, advertising the films Pizza Boy & Bloodlust for Santa Claus.

During his morning routine, a teenager finds a mysterious tape containing an episode of a once lost children's television show that should have stayed forgotten. Will it illicit a reaction? Or is he just as desensitised as everybody else his age?

Tempo Rubato

Kelsey is working her way through a box of old horror tapes, what she isn't ready for is the strange programme on the battered old VHS that seems to want its sordid contents to be played no matter what, and it won't be long before she becomes part of the show.

Two video store employees discover a rare VHS tape contaminated with a bizarre mold that could hold deadly consequences.

When a new high technology is introduced in the grand city of Tokyo, everything seems all right until disaster strikes.

Sydney, 2004. Leo, a young film buff, comes across a mysterious VHS tape while working the nightshift at a DVD store. He soon realises his mistake, upon discovering its contents are obscurely edited snuff films, that only he can see.

In a very low stakes gamble of Go Fish, J.J messes with his friend Charles by pulling an old joke that confuses the dealers name at a famous casino.

Timo Novotny labels his new project an experimental music documentary film, in a remix of the celebrated film Megacities (1997), a visually refined essay on the hidden faces of several world "megacities" by leading Austrian documentarist Michael Glawogger. Novotny complements 30 % of material taken straight from the film (and re-edited) with 70 % as yet unseen footage in which he blends original shots unused by Glawogger with his own sequences (shot by Megacities cameraman Wolfgang Thaler) from Tokyo. Alongside the Japanese metropolis, Life in Loops takes us right into the atmosphere of Mexico City, New York, Moscow and Bombay. This electrifying combination of fascinating film images and an equally compelling soundtrack from Sofa Surfers sets us off on a stunning audiovisual adventure across the continents. The film also makes an original contribution to the discussion on new trends in documentary filmmaking. Written by KARLOVY VARY IFF 2006