"If a person doesn't go to church anymore, then the church should go to them," says Rinalds, a calm, smiling, young man with a good sense of humor. He is a priest from a small village in Latgale, Latvia's easternmost and poorest region, and the documentary Prīsters (The Priest) follows the routines of his daily life, his thoughts of life and religion and why he chose this path for himself.
Destroying your own artwork. For many artists it is unmentionable, but Loes Heebink from Kolderveen irreparably destroyed her artwork "Fluisteraars" herself and came up with the idea for a documentary of the same name, directed by Saskia Jeulink.
A documentary film telling the story of true friendship and commitment to Japan’s recovery by the international community following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Many of these people dropped what they were doing and dedicated themselves to Japan’s recovery. Many of these them even took it upon themselves to establish non-profit organizations aimed at connecting with and rebuilding Tohoku and its communities.
An ordinary woman finds hope and an unexpected friend in her last months on Earth. A sensual film about life and death, where gratitude gets the last word.
Evie Lake introduces The Magic Hat Cafe, an anti-food waste cafe in Newcastle. In today’s climate, it’s hard not to worry about waste. Not just our own, but that of supermarkets and suppliers. Is every carrot, potato and piece of meat going to be used? What happens if they’re not? Magic Hat acts on these worries and turns would-be-wasted produce into meals and experiences for people to enjoy. Magic Hat is an innovative and progressive organisation in the way that it puts people first. Instead of purchasing your coffee and food, there’s an option to pay it back by working for them for a few hours. They also let people volunteer to learn new skills, to make themselves more employable and, in addition to being an environmentally conscious operation which eradicates waste in their supply chain, their sustainability also feeds directly into the community through food bank donations, education and delicious food.
Switzerland is the only country in the world that allows foreigners to come and die on its territory. Since its founding in 1998, more than a thousand people have traveled to Zurich to end their lives with the help of the organization Dignitas. "Dignitas - Death on Prescription" is a documentary about an organization that provides people with terminal and incurable illnesses, intense unrelenting pain, and depression with a peaceful death. The organization's founder, lawyer Ludwig Minelli, is often the target of insults, especially from politicians, despite the fact that most Swiss citizens support the option of medically assisted suicide.
In 2012, Stephen Vaughan and Kay Ferreter are invited to address the congregation at St. Joseph's Redemptorists Church in Dundalk, Ireland for the Solemn Novena Festival. In a powerful speech, the pair describe their experiences being gay and lesbian in Ireland, feeling excluded by Catholic doctrine, and the importance of a more inclusive church.
Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace. Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming. These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream. Described as "more real than real," these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, meaningful events and themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life's meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance.
Colin, from the North East of England has been an inspiration to thousands, raising money by running marathons in Big Pink Dresses. The documentary gives an insight into Colin’s fundraising journey, the highs and lows he has faced along the way, and why it may be time to hang up the dress.
Through Daniel Balavoine's greatest songs, which have become cult classics, this documentary traces the dazzling career of a free-spirited singer, driven by an urgent need to speak out, denounce injustice, and love, whose lyrics continue to touch several generations. Rare archives, testimonials from those who knew him, expert analysis and insights from today's musicians highlight the enduring modernity of his work and examine the legacy he left to French music.
Concorde was an icon of the skies, but on 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 left Paris for New York and caught fire during take-off before crashing to the ground just over a minute later, killing everyone on board. The tragedy brought an end to the dream of supersonic passenger flight. But what caused the disaster? Investigators, survivors’ loved ones and those who examined the wreckage recall the tragedy and describe how the evidence led to a shockingly simple conclusion about what went wrong.
49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man," interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the "children" every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now again at age 49.In this latest chapter, more life-changing decisions are revealed, more shocking announcements made and more of the original group take part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, career, class and prejudice.
A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.
A very visible, but misunderstood group dressed as Star Wars Stormtroopers do charity work worldwide. The story comes full circle when the amputee founder's own daughter is diagnosed with cancer and this surrogate family he created comes to his aid. We follow their public and private worlds in this documentary.
Father Des Wilson was a priest with a socialist outlook. In trouble-torn Belfast he embedded himself in a community that needed help, where he lived and worked from 1969 onwards. An extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances.
An intimate portrait of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Framed through a personal lens, it's the story of loss, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Raymond Roy is a 64-year-old idealist, an energetic social activist ready to give everything he has to those living on the edge: the alienated, impoverished and exploited members of society. Raymond is also a priest, doing what he has wanted to do ever since he was a teenager. Filmmaker Serge Giguère paints an intimate portrait of a man who has spent 30 years fighting for an alternative vision of life in his community. The film is a blend of cinema vérité and social history that provides a view of the man and his work from without and within, from the poetry of his personal diary laced with doubts and self-criticism, to the many achievements of the community groups he helped. Filming over several years, Giguère gives us a sense of the changes in values and attitudes of those who run our society, along with the role of the community groups who provide solutions, inspiration and a sense of renewal.
In 2015 a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil was killed by Walter Palmer, an American dentist, provoking a global outcry. The story of Cecil’s death turns the gaze back on to us and our behaviour. The simplicity of the outrage is a stark contrast to the complexity of the reality.
For a Moment More is a warm documentary film about the quiet but invaluable work that end-of-line caring houses do for the benefit of the dying and their relatives. The stories of three nurses will open a world that is coloured by death but where the leading role is acted by hope of happiness in last days of lives. Death and nurses open same doors in nursing home but death will keep the last moment with itself. Until that moment the nursing home is full of life.
INERCIA