The film tells the story of three women from the sultan's harem in an African kingdom, from three different generations, and documents 100 years of change: interventions of Islam and Europeans, tensions and contradictions between traditional identity and the lifestyle of today's black bourgeoisie.
One of the great pleasures of working on LOOK & SEE was collaborating with artist and wood engraver Wesley W. Bates. Wesley's work has long accompanied Wendell Berry's poetry. When he agreed to provide original images for our film we were truly thrilled. Because each image involves such painstaking effort, we asked Wesley to film a block from start to finish. At two hours long, the video is a distillation of three days of his effort. And Wesley provided over ten such engravings along with the film's signature block of Wendell Berry.
Green Lions tells the story of a team of amateurs who became heroes. Young men, and one veteran, who dared to dream, achieved the impossible and inspired a generation around the globe.
Unraveling the mystery of perfume creation, the House of Dior is opening its doors. Over the course of a year, we followed new perfumer Francis Kurkdjian in one of his greatest challenges: reinventing the iconic "J'adore". A unique sensory journey, from conception to launch, into a secret world of passionate artisans.
After a 20-year long fruitless search in the Cameroonian forest, Frenchman Michel Ballot is on the verge of giving up his lifelong quest to find the mysterious creature known as the Mokélé-Mbembé. Turning to local initiates for help, and torn between ancestral wisdom and scientific evidence, he embarks on a final journey into powers, knowledge and the unseen.
Dos Antigos aos Filhos do Amanhã
Koka
This short documentary pays tribute to the craftsmen everywhere whose work adds color and richness to life. Filmed in the Canadian Arctic, Finland, India, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, and Poland, it shows the special skills of artisans working at their crafts - stone sculpture, pottery, ceramics, weaving, dyeing, puppet making, embroidery. Each indigenous skill is a reflection of the culture of the country.
Aristide Gagnon... le huitième jour
Felix Moumié was a rebel leader in Cameroon. He was poisoned by thallium in October, 1960 in Geneva. After nearly fifty years, no one has been charged with his death, though many suspect the French and Swiss governments played a part in his death.
The film-essay Nur Al Yanub/Mediodia introduces the letter sent by a fictional character who explores cultural connections between South Spain and Morocco through patterns of different kinds. It departs from the notion of "mediodía", coined by Rodolfo Gil-Benumeya. In his book "Nor Orient, neither Occident. The Universe seen from Albaycín" he proposes a epistemology of the midday, which comes from the South and the Levant, connecting the different shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and beyond, towards the South. The film questions some of the ideas of Benumeya, proposing a friction with other thinkers, while presenting the continuity of different material productions and their relation with the rhythm of the landscape the character travels though.
Alfred Bama, an animal keeper from Cameroon, has an extraordinary connection with gorillas. "Nyango," one of the gorillas he looks after, is the world's only Cross River gorilla in captivity. Until just a few years ago, this species was thought to be extinct. Now, Bama embarks on the greatest challenge of his life: locating Nyango's family in the wild to protect them before it's too late.
Since the arrival of the Internet in the African republic of Cameroon, Internet Cafes have mushroomed. In a country where nearly half the population lives under the poverty threshold, many young women, who dream of escaping a life of misery by marrying a rich, white foreigner, surf the Internet for European marriage prospects at cybercafes such as Love.com, Affection.org, Flirt.net and Meeting.com.
Manos que hablan
Set in Kumba in South West Cameroon Sisters in Law follows Adultery, Rape and Abuse cases led by a Female Judge.
Intimate story of a Baka family living a traditional life in the rainforests of Cameroun.
There is a popular theory that it takes at least 10,000 hours of focused practice for a human to become expert in any field. In Japan, there are craftspeople who go far beyond this to reach a special kind of mastery. These people are called Takumi and they devote 60,000 hours to their craft. That's 8 hours a day, 240 days a year, for over 30 years. It's an almost superhuman level of dedication to a life of repetition and no shortcuts. This film asks the question: Will human craft disappear as artificial intelligence reaches beyond our limits?
Valérie and Jérôme, a baker-pastry chef couple seeking freedom and a balance between tradition and modernity; Joachim, a watchmaker torn by a distant love and the desire to reinvent his life; Adam, a boilermaker overwhelmed by family and professional life, dreaming of a past freedom. Between introspection and everyday gestures, the film explores their hesitations, desires, and existential dilemmas. By capturing their desires and frustrations with emotion, it weaves a universal tale about the human aspiration for change, revealing how each person tries, at their own pace, to shape their future.
A portrait exploring the enduring craft of wood canvas canoe building, and the quiet philosophy it inspires. "The Shape of Cedar" is both a celebration of craftsmanship, and and a guide to a more intentional way of moving through the world.
The film documents the ascent of Monga ma loba, the mountain of the gods in the Cameroon Mountains, and a visit to the town of Buea. The material was shot on an expedition to Cameroon in 1934.