THE PERFUMED GARDEN is an exploration of the myths and realities of sensuality and sexuality in Arab society, a world of taboos and of erotic literature. Through interviews with men and women of all ages, classes, and sexual orientation, the film lifts a corner of the veil that usually shrouds discussion of this subject in the Arab world. Made by an Algerian-French woman director, the film begins by looking at the record of a more permissive history, and ends with the experiences of contemporary lovers from mixed backgrounds. It examines the personal issues raised by the desire for pleasure, amidst societal pressures for chastity and virginity. The film discusses pre-marital sex, courtship and marriage, familial pressures, private vs. public spaces, social taboos (and the desire to break them), and issues of language.
Director Drew Stone’s The New York Hardcore Chronicles Film is an incredible journey through the community and culture of the iconic New York hardcore scene. Not the typical history of a local music scene but so much more. Shot in an episodic format, the film contains over 60 interviews, never before seen footage, photos and a blazing soundtrack. With appearances by Roger Miret & Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), Lou Koller, Craig Setari (Sick Of It All), Ray Cappo (Youth Of Today), Billy Graziadei (Biohazard), Billy Milano (S.O.D. / M.O.D.) and Mike Judge (Judge). The film addresses the community, culture, straight edge and DIY ethic of the hardcore scene in the greatest city in the world that is still vibrant, relevant and going strong to this day.
The suburbs are often portrayed as dull, conformist and hermetic. But with over 80% of the UK population calling these areas home, this playful yet empathetic short film challenges enduring stereotypes by centring the experiences and eccentricities of their numerous residents. The development of these spaces, and the narratives surrounding them, has been captured over the past 100 years by early filmmakers, citizen journalists, amateur documentarians and, most recently, a growing charge of online moving image creators – all brought together here to reveal the multiple identities and realities underneath the cultural image.
Au bonheur des riches
Personal stories taken from a survey on how women's lives are affected by a culture obsessed with body image and thinness.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is possibly the most powerful technology of our time. It has the potential to solve humanity’s biggest challenges yet some fear AI will be our downfall. iHUMAN follows pioneers at the frontline of the race to develop the ever more sophisticated AI to find the questions we need to ask at this crucial point in history.
Young sociologist Stanislas Previne is writing a thesis on criminal women, so he visits Camille Bliss in prison for an interview. Accused of murdering her husband and her lover, Camille recounts her life and love affairs.
Tokyo. Kazu and Tatsu are two salary men in their thirties. One night, after work, they get drunk and decide to tell each other their deepest secrets to seal the friendship. Tatsu admits being still a virgin. Kazu reveals that every time he eats an egg sandwich, his body transforms, turning him into a woman. Tatsu doesn’t believe his friend and asks him to prove it...
Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal – when it comes to love and sex, these African countries are caught between tradition and modernity.
Mia is thirty and getting divorced. She moves into a studio apartment in a low-income housing project. As a former swimming champion, she now finds herself giving swimming lessons to the other inhabitants... Without a pool...
"I often say sociology is a martial art, a means of self-defence. Basically, you use it to defend yourself, without having the right to use it for unfair attacks." (Pierre Bourdieu) The world has witnesses who speak out loud what others keep to themselves. They are neither gurus, nor masters, but those who consider that the city and the world can be thought out. The sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu is one such witness." Over a three- year period, Pierre Carles' camera followed him through different situations: a short conversation with Günter Grass, a lively conference with the inhabitants of a working-class suburb, his relations with his students and colleagues and his plea that sociology be part of the life of the city. His thinking has a sort of familiarity, which means it is always within our reach. It is the thinking of a French intellectual who has chosen to think his times.
Fred, George, Doug and Howie are quickly reaching middle-age. Three of them are married, only Fred is still a bachelor. They want something different than their ordinary marriages, children and TV-dinners. In secret, they get themselves an apartment with a beautiful young woman, Kathy, for romantic rendezvous. But Kathy does not tell them that she is a sociology student researching the sexual life of the white middle-class male.
Fabrizio, Dante and Roberto have 14 years old and they live in Palermo in the ZEN. How is their life, their universe?
A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, the man's innocent questions and childlike curiosity take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting go.
A lonely young suburban housewife participates in a radio interview survey while simultaneously engaging in an extramarital affair.
In the 1980s, young people of North African descent born in France and a priest from the Lyon suburbs organized the "March of the Beurs." Launched on October 15, 1983, by seventeen people from the La Cayolle neighborhood in Marseille following a racist crime, the march concluded two months later—on December 3—on the streets of Paris, with 100,000 participants. This movement demanded equal rights. Was their cry heard?
In 1980, Lionel Stoléru—France’s Secretary of State for Migrant Workers—introduced a "repatriation grant" of 10,000 francs (known as the "Stoléru million"), paid to immigrants who agreed to return permanently to their countries of origin. One Algerian family decided to leave France. Upon arriving in the small rural town of Boufarik, Algeria, in a brand-new Peugeot 404, they caused a scandal. Their liberated ways drew the villagers' ire, and the two children knew nothing about Algeria or local customs. The film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 1981, and in 1982, it won the Critics' Prize at the Chamrousse International Comedy Film Festival.
Steve, a 25-year-old Black man from the Paris suburbs, seeks to escape the violence of his immediate surroundings by training to become an actor at one of France’s most prestigious drama schools. But soon he discovers that the theater world is only interested in having him inhabit “Black” roles.
NFL veteran Don McPherson examines how definitions of masculinity adversely affect women and create "blind spots" that hinder the healthy development of men. Using examples from his own life, and generously illustrated with clips from motion pictures, McPherson leads us beyond the blind spots of traditional masculinity and toward solutions that engage men in dialogue.
Vazio