First Stories: Two Spirited

At various points in its history, tiny St. John's Island was where Singapore's colonial founder Sir Stamford Raffles docked his ship upon arrival, a quarantine centre for immigrants and pilgrims returning from Mecca, a penal colony for political detainees and secret society leaders, and a sleepy holiday resort. Unlike its neighbouring islands, however, St. John's was never fully developed. It occupies an in-between space, the vestiges of its history scattered around the land. Its indeterminacy stands in sharp contrast to Singapore, where land use is meticulously planned to fulfil economic and social functions. In this film, St. John's Island - otherwise known as 'Bukit Orang Salah', a nickname coined by the people who were quarantined there - becomes a site of and for reflection, prompting questions about our history, heritage and identity.

This documentary reports on the master potter Otto Engelmann from Klingmühl, who was commissioned to make black painted clay heads of Karl Marx in the spring of 1973. Engelmann briefly explains the individual work steps from mixing the casting slip to firing the clay heads and then painting them. An old craft is vividly captured on camera and accompanied by original sou

Short film about the never-built 60-minute route from Hamburg to Berlin, on which the Transrapid was supposed to operate.

Four Spanish-language shorts about the importance and complexity of people's perception from award winning directors. Stories of identity, misconceptions, regrets, dreams and love are told in this diverse collection. Includes: Tenants [Inquilinos] (2018); My Brother [Mi hermano] (2015); Guillermo on the Roof [Guillermo en el tejado] (2018); You Are Not a Woman [Usted no es mujer] (2018).

A documentary exploring social life in Yaffa before 1948 through a miniature portrait of a Palestinian couple, Wadee’a Aghabi and Naim Azar, constructed through the oral histories presented by their daughters and relatives.

A working day for a group of young open-pit miners by a quarry in Apulia, Italy.

A documentary on the history on mankind's attempts to reach high speeds. Starting with the invention of the bicycle, going on to sports cars, cars with jet engines, rocket-powered cars, attempts to break the sound barrier, and rocket-engine airplanes. Each achievement is documented by title card indicating the speed reached in miles per hour.

The film is a short documentary about alchemical engravings.

This documentary, the final film directed by Frank Capra, explores America's plans for the future of space exploration. It was produced by the Martin-Marietta Corporation for exhibition in the Hall of Science at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Journalist Dermi Azevedo has never stopped fighting for human rights and now, three decades after the end of the military dictatorship in Brazil, he's witnessing the return of those same practices.

This movie explores the history of electricity - from the first spark created by man's hand to today's industrial power plants. We meet scientists who changed the world, like Faraday, Franklin, and Tesla and we glimpse the future, as Solar Impulse becomes the first plane to complete a round-the-world flight powered only by the sun. With a mix of chalk animation, CGI, archival footage and spectacular aerials, the film also explores the challenges ahead: how to meet the growing energy needs of our industrialized world, while also protecting the health of our planet.

The East German Volksmarine Academy "Karl Liebknecht" introduces itself.

Poet, rapper, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest is one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in Britain today. They are the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Ted Hughes prize and have been nominated for both the Brit and Mercury music awards. Tempest has always found support and respect within the queer art scenes, a place close to their heart. In July 2020, they came out as non-binary, announcing that they would publish and perform under the name Kae. This film delves deep into their creative process and gains rare, intimate insights into Kae’s life throughout a period of profound personal and artistic change.

Heroes from the GDR's past are presented. Heroes will also be needed in the future.

The East German Navy's newest submarine hunter is presented. Also, a historical excursus about older anti-submarine ships and the hunt for enemy submarines is shown.

A secret culture of foragers hunt the Matsutake, a coveted Japanese mushroom worth up to $1,000 a pound—although its true value lies underground as a brilliant networker and healer of ruined landscapes. The Matsutake might just be our last, best hope for an American forest system run amok.

This short documentary tells the story of Garret Walsh, a twelve-year-old Canadian body-builder.

An artist leads his Infection Procession to the water.

U knows? They say that torment has been removed from the people of this cemetery, so why should you suffer? A story about the healing of a Paralyzed boy in a different form among the dead and his peace after sunset. Based on a true local story.

A lyrical and nostalgic analysis of how Casablanca, the mythical film directed by Michael Curtiz in 1942, has influenced both film history and pop culture.