Beauty and the Beast: Comparing Two Igbo Masquerades By Herbert M. Cole
Colour, form, area - this is the formula of the greatest pioneer of abstract painting. Kandinsky came to art late in life, but his impact through Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) and Bauhaus paved the way for modern art. In 1913, he created one of the first abstract pictures, the theoretical basis of which was inspired by his essay Uber das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art). Accompanied by Mussorgsky's Pictures From An Exhibition Labarthe goes on a sensual journey which makes the soul resound with colours and forms. "A picture has to resound and must be bathed in an inner glow." Kandinsky
Dresden is famous for its attempt to meticulously reconstruct its once bombed-out historical center and bring the colorful baroque settings of the 18th century back to life. It’s infamous for the right-wing-surge that has since 2015 swept the city and made it a center of far-right activity in Germany and Europe. This film is an exploration of where the two intersect.
Through a series of animated art boards depicting a decaying Venice, the film unfolds like a set of postcards, capturing the mythical city's final moments of fragility. Blending archival footage with contemporary observations, and anchored by the story of the 1902 collapse of St Mark's Campanile, Venezia Diorama invites us to reflect on a city slowly eroding, yet suspended in time.
México-raised and currently Chicago-based artist Sofía Fernández Díaz details her process of adorning found objects and handmade textiles with beads, dyes, and melted wax to imbue them with new meaning, and to give them patitas.
An intimately raw and magical journey through the life, mind, and heart of iconic artist Frida Kahlo. Told through her own words for the very first time — drawn from her diary, revealing letters, essays, and print interviews — and brought vividly to life by lyrical animation inspired by her unforgettable artwork.
Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War.
Celebrating the splendor and grandeur of the great cinemas of the United States, built when movies were the acme of entertainment and the stories were larger than life, as were the venues designed to show them. The film also tracks the eventual decline of the palaces, through to today’s current preservation efforts. A tribute to America’s great art form and the great monuments created for audiences to enjoy them in.
"I believe that every artist needs to be reborn", declares Marcel Janco, one of the co-founders of the Dada movement. Janco, 82 during filming, tells in this film about his various periods as an artist: from the first sketches on a school notebook, to the foundation of the Dada in Zurich, ending with foundation of the artists' village Ein Hod in Israel
Elliott Erwitt has spent his entire adult life taking photographs, of presidents, popes and movie stars, as well as regular people and their pets. His work is iconic in world culture while his life is largely unknown.
Rafael França: obra como testamento
"In the shade of fallen chinar" is a short documentary that was shot in kashmir valley a few days before the current unrest began, It takes a peep into the lives of a group of young kashmiri artist's who are also University students. It talks about the factors that inspires their art and how it takes the form of resistance in a conflict ridden Valley.
A film about the pioneering community-building project of the world-famous architect Frei Otto in Berlin, called the Okohaus-an experimental, ecological, customized housing project in the city center. Including interviews with Frei Otto, Christine Kanstinger-Otto, Hermann Kendel, Yona Friedman, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, and other involved architects, planners, and inhabitants, the film shows the development and the philosophy of the project, which was built for the International Building Exhibition in Berlin 1987 (IBA).
A powerful portrait of Africa's most widely acclaimed contemporary artist El Anatsui. It gives an insider's view of the artist's practice, the ingenious steps and thousands of hours of labor that convert used bottle tops into huge, opulent wall hangings.
Janina Ramirez explores the BBC archives to create a TV history of Leonardo Da Vinci, discovering what lies beneath the Mona Lisa and even how he acquired his anatomical knowledge.
The artist J.M.W. Turner is widely recognised as England’s greatest painter. Tate has the world’s finest and most extensive collection of his work. Turner at Tate explores Turner’s art through many of his best-known canvases and exquisite sketches and watercolours, all newly and exceptionally filmed in HDTV from the original artworks. Incorporating the landscapes and places that inspired the works, the film provides an overview of Turner’s life and - in an accessible and engrossing way - of critical approaches to his art. The film’s focus is Turner and England, and his work is considered against the radical social and political changes of the early nineteenth century. Turner at Tate is a film about ideas and history and landscape, a film about colour and light. Contributors include Tate curators Ian Warrell and David Blayney Brown, and art historians Sam Smiles and Barry Venning. Also featured on the DVD are ten additional short films, each of which considers in detail a major work.
Seattle artist Dale Chihuly and his team test the limits of working in the glass medium as they pioneer “a new creative concept.” This documentary depicts Chihuly’s five-year creation of "Rotolo." The Italian word for coil, Rotolo is a series of large-scale sculptures twisting upward toward the sky.
Invisible Water Layers discusses and questions the origins of Teresina and its urbanization over the years. The film deals with the move from the capital of Piauí to Oeiras in 1852, the ideas of modernity at the time and the problems that resulted from this process in people and in the city. Along with the idea of progress of the railway, factories and steamboats, many families and workers were relocated from the central areas of the city to more distant parts. The traditional ways of life of these people coexisted, not free from conflict, with the will of civility of the local elites. With 4 interviewees, including architects, historians and researchers, the film also brings a rich set of images from different places in the city, such as the Center, the Parnaíba riverbank and the Poty Velho neighborhood.
Embark on the epic ride of Jim Phillips, the genius behind skateboarding and rock culture's electrifying art. Drawing inspiration from his life in Santa Cruz, CA, Jim helped shape the golden era of skateboarding. Jim's story is a profound narrative of resilience, passion, and enduring artistic vision. This documentary explores Jim's dynamic life and career, showcasing his iconic work that has defined an era and secured his place in modern art history.
A great traveller always in search of light, Henri Matisse criss-crossed the world, from Morocco to Tahiti, to draw inspiration from far off lands. His travels were reflected in his art, often years later in their mood, colour, or composition. This documentary shows how Matisse’s many trips are crucial to understanding him as an artist.