Fanny, Alexander & Me

Three children living in a displacement camp in northern Uganda compete in their country's national music and dance festival.

A retrospective of the work of the late actor Warren Oates, with clips from his films and interviews with cast and crew members who worked with him.

Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the unconventional stance of this media-shy modern musical genius, regarded as one of the true giants of post-war music. Seated at his beloved and battered piano in his Brooklyn brownstone the maestro holds court with frequent stentorian pronouncements on life, art and music.

A look at the entire process of creating and developing Patrice Chéreau’s third staging of "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields" by Bernard Marie Koltès with Pascal Greggory and Chéreau himself. From the first reading around the table through the first contact with the performance space, rehearsals and lighting to opening night, the entire creative process unfurls in front of our eyes. The film shows us the evolving and ongoing dialogue between Greggory and Chéreau, a dialogue full of crises and magical moments of harmony and insight via which the truth, intensity, complexity, mystery and depth of Koltès’ text gradually emerge to form an implicit bond between these two men. The film also shows Chéreau directing rehearsals for Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" in Salzburg, revealing both the unity of and profound differences between his opera and theater work.

Ramba Zamba: a theater with handicapped and non-handicapped people/actresses and actors, which has been living and working on inclusive integrative togetherness impressively every day for thirty years now. The film accompanies the mentally and physically impaired actresses and actors for six months through the theatrical production of the play GOLEM, from the beginning of rehearsals to the premiere. In doing so, the film is also partly influenced by the portrayed persons themselves, quasi inclusively co-determined, by them capturing their own view and perception, their view of reality itself on film.

With passion, wit, intelligence and attitude, an LGBTQ youth theater group creates a play about love in all its forms, while bonding together to make change in their own lives. With candor, they tell their stories through intimate interviews, entertaining and powerful clips of their self-written plays, and glimpse into their everyday lives. Members range from a transgender woman being kicked out of her home, to a runway model who likes men’s clothing, to an out gay man accepted unconditionally by his mother. The plays they write and perform are close to their experiences and not only provide catharsis but insight into what it means to be gay, lesbian, transgender, or just queer. It’s an inspirational work of art about the hardships one faces in realizing that they are different and the courage it takes to find the pride within that.

Historic theaters capture the imagination with interesting architecture, lighting, and decorative lobbies. Award-winning videographer/ historian Darrell Jabin toured dozens of theaters, researched opera houses, vaudeville, movie palaces, and neighborhood theaters, and interviewed historians, theater owners and executive directors of community theaters to create a short film covering a unique part of Oregon history.

Developed from footage filmed during a road trip between São Paulo and Caraíva at the turn of 2008 to 2009, "coração-PALAVRA" grows from a domestic record into an essay film about memory, time, and plural forms of fatherhood. Drawing on a home archive accumulated over nearly two decades, the film moves between past and present to explore what endures and what changes in relationships between fathers and sons.

This documentary short introduces us to the Caravan Stage Company, the world's only horse-drawn open-air theater. Every summer it tours British Columbia and Alberta, bringing live entertainment to communities where television is often the main diversion. In a montage of short sketches, the film shows the troupe on the road and in performance. Hard work and laughter are basic ingredients of this unconventional lifestyle.

Halali und Halleluja

Piracema - uma carta de amor ao teatro

What is a street theater? How is it organized, and what is the life of its actors? The first part of the documentary is entirely dedicated to the team. In the film, you'll meet the comedians: Daniil, Zhenya, Natasha, Pasha, Nastya, and Lesha — the current troupe of Russia's oldest street theater.

Tom Hanks, un héros ordinaire

Peer behind the curtain as a cast of neurodivergent teens prepare to come of age and hit the stage in their school’s time-travelling, John Farnham–themed musical.

Portrait about the planning and rehearsal of Richard Wagner's Parsifal directed by Calixto Bieito at the opera house in Stuttgart.

Documentary following the actors playing the role of Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical as they prepare for their West End debut.

Sardou, autoportrait

On the 45th anniversary of GrETUA – the Experimental Theatre Group of the University of Aveiro – photography and its subjects narrate a journey through the memories of generations upon generations who helped shape this space of learning and creation. "There is no birthday party, this is all a photograph" reflects on memory through the emotional language of these encounters.

Relationships, rehearsals, performances, hobbies, and family life of the members of the Guarneri String Quartet.

From PBS - With unprecedented access, The Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain captures the unique creative process of one of North America's longest running, most distinctive and exciting theatre experiences. Each year between April and October, the Shaw Festival--which began in 1962 with the mandate on works by George Bernard Shaw--presents around 10 plays on four stages that attract patrons from all over the world. Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada--the Shaw's one-of-a-kind schedule has actors and directors working on several plays at once. Over eight months, crews design and build sets on a finely honed schedule that is both frenetic, creative, and amazingly well planned and executed. Follow the process of getting the play from the page to the stage as The Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain provides insight into every aspect of production at a summer theatre festival.