North Bergen, North Bergen

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with celebrated collaborators – including Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman, and Robert Pattinson, we are given an exciting glimpse into the work and personal life of the iconic artist.

Two young documentarists travel around a forsaken island in the aftermath of a cataclysmic volcanic eruption. Their wanders lead them to the encounter of Professor Pereda, an acoustic geologist, conducting researches on geo-acoustics.

Unveiling Yasujiro Ozu’s legacy through his personal diaries, letters, and interviews, the documentary delves into his life, creative process, and lasting impact on filmmaking.

RECONQUEST OF THE USELESS, a documentary film which follows the adventures of three young men as they journey nearly 5000 miles through the Peruvian Amazon, searching for inspiration and the legacy of Werner Herzog's classic film Fitzcarraldo & Les Blank's Burden of Dreams thirty years after they were made.

Through the Fondren Fellows program, the Rice Media Center Archive Project has spent the past few months sifting through material stored at the now-defunct Rice Media Center. The team has identified several films as especially notable and will be presenting them in conjunction with documentary footage the team shot of people involved with the films. From lectures featuring Roberto Rossellini and Werner Herzog to films from former Rice students and faculty, the film presentation will tell the narrative of the Rice Media Center through the films and filmmakers that passed through its corridors.

An extremely lovely tribute to Ozu, on the 20th anniversary of his death. It uses a combination of footage from vintage films and new material (both interviews and Ozu-related locations) shot by Ozu's long-time camera-man (who came out of retirement to work on this). Surprisingly (or perhaps not), it focuses less on Ozu's accomplishments as a film-maker than on his impact on the lives of the people he worked with..

Created from material developed during "The Thoughts That Once We Had," this short film presents an anthology of 26 scenes from films made between 1904 and 2015, each depicting trains arriving at stations. The sequences are arranged in a serial structure, with black-and-white scenes in the first half paired with corresponding color sequences in the second half, forming a symmetrical visual progression.

It seemed like a typically quiet night... but the most unexpected encounter leads Chris to a difficult choice.

A pre-fame Werner Herzog (Adam Ezagouri) is asked to share a flat with a strange new actor only known as Klaus Kinski. Herzog agrees but soon regrets his generous decision as Kinski proves to be one uncanny flatmate. Despite their disagreements, both decide to try and shoot Herzog's own version of Don Quixote, with disastrous consequences.

Jireh Gospel: Hearts in Chorus is an intimate and uplifting portrait of Montreal’s celebrated choir. Directed by Wylem Decaille, the film follows the ensemble as they prepare for their Christmas concert, revealing the group’s passion and commitment. Through soulful performances and candid moments, it celebrates gospel music as an act of faith and community that can transform hearts, heal the soul and inspire joy.

Tropical Sharks: Apex Predators

Revealing the life of the acclaimed martial artist and actor through ten defining images. Bruce Lee's image is famous around the world, but these iconic shots and private snaps reveal a new story.

Raging Bulls

Fernand’s Christmas is the story of an extraordinary man. Despite his fragile health, every year he dons the familiar red costume to delight the children in his region. For them, he’s the real Santa Claus, and watching this film, you’ll believe, too. Supported by his family’s love and driven by his devotion to children and his community, Fernand shows us what the true spirit of Christmas is all about: having a generous heart and a passion for giving.

La unitat que va fer trontollar el franquisme

This chronicle of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games marked one of the National Film Unit's most ambitious productions. Though a range of events (including famous runs by John Walker and Dick Tayler), are covered, the film often bypasses the pomp and glory approach; instead it dares to talk to the injured and mention that most competitors lose. The closing ceremonies of the "friendly games" feature the athletes gathering to — as the official song's chorus put it — "join together". Four directors joined together to work on it: Arthur Everard, John King, Paul Maunder and Sam Pillsbury.

Reconquista: El diario de Scalabrini Ortiz

A tender posthumous letter to Tamara’s father, who was a film actor in Soviet Armenia. She already watched him on TV as a child before later establishing herself as a filmmaker. A captivating sleepwalk through the landscapes of Armenian film history.

Larissa Behrendt uncovers the extraordinary story of the three landmark Yirrkala Bark petitions that sparked the flame toward recognition of Aboriginal rights. In August 1963, two bark petitions—traditional documents prepared and signed by Yolngu people—were sent to the Australian Parliament and became the first documented recognition of Indigenous people in Australian law. When a fourth bark petition is found in Derby, Western Australia, in 2022, the community begins the ceremony of guiding its journey back to Yolngu Country. The repatriation provides the opportunity to track the long political campaign—through petition, song, dance, and campaigning—to keep culture strong and to have a voice for country.

A piercingly open talk between a mother and a daughter about growing up as a woman in Uzbekistan, now and back then. Confessions about sex no one really wanted, about the experience of misogyny and gender asymmetry. Naked truths as a form of therapy.