An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.
A portrait of the ordinary life, passing time, routine and the contacts between characters.
This short documentary shows Canada's top swimmers in training for the 1964 Olympic Games. Under the critical eye of coach Ed Healy, they practice long hours in the gym and in the pool to build strength and stamina.
Handmade, direct animation film using rubber based masking material and colored dye. Rhthmic colored linear patterns of abstract grids move in syncopation to the allegro from the Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G Major by J.S. Back. Inspired by the handmade films of Norman McLaren, who once told Larry over milkshakes that Allegro was the best film he had seen made in 16mm.
Which image is real - the one staring at us from the mirror or the one standing in front of it? In hallways filled with illusions, a simulacrum behind the looking glass, he is trying to find out if he is looking at a stranger or a hidden part of himself.
A ship sets sail on an epic voyage through malignant natural and supernatural elements from which one man alone survives. An adaptation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner illustrated by19th Century wood engravings which are animated by scratching directly into the surface of color filmstock. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with its message of ecological redemption has a curiously contemporary resonance, but it is at the level of the mythic that the poem has lasting relevance; for this epic tale of extraordinary events simply mirrors the struggle that each human being faces on their own in his or her life. -VDB
A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.
Documentary featuring interviews with several of legendary Spanish director Luis Buñuel’s close friends and collaborators.
Sun Scream tells the comedic tale of a down-on-his-luck vampire named 'Pippin', and his last-ditch efforts to sell at least one bottle of sunscreen before facing the wrath of his ferocious boss 'Cy the Cyclops'. Luckily for Pippin, the truck of an extremely sunburned farmer breaks down in front of his stall on the hottest day of the year. However, 'Billy' ain't no bumblin' yokel, and Pippin will have to do everything in his power to prove his product will protect anyone, even a vampire, from the sun's deadly rays.
Stuart Iredale was born with Fragile X during the 1950s; a time when the disability was little know. At 60 years old Stuart was correctly diagnosed.
The Dream
Lena is nine-year-old. One day, she spontaneously makes an act of love that will change her life. She will take care of a plant. An action so simple yet unusual that nowadays only children could instinctively do. Will this revolutionary gesture change the future of our world? In a blurry society made by technological progress and innovation, can a simple action become a revolution?
Hummingbird is the only one able to drink the nectar of Angel’s Trumpet. What could be the next step in its evolution?
The peacock is a big star onstage. His feathers, however, want a fair share of the fame.
Sloth wants to buy an ice cream cone. Unfortunately, he is way too slow and sleepy.
Documentary presenting the different stages of General de Gaulle's trip to Quebec in 1967, accompanied by extracts from his speeches.
A woman is forced by her husband to be shut-up for ever. But when she listens to nature's song, she refinds her own song and the hope of a different life.
Set in New Brunswick, "Éloge du chiac" takes the form of an open discussion between a young French-language teacher and her students in Moncton. Through their exchanges, Michel Brault examines the challenges of preserving French in a bilingual region where English predominates, and explores the contested status of Chiac, a local French dialect shaped by centuries of linguistic contact.
Augusta tries everything in order to make herself look beautiful.
To the memories of my mother.