Self
Taniguchi was appointed captain of the weak Sumiya Junior High School baseball team, and with his natural fighting spirit, he helped the team grow to the point where they advanced to the regional qualifiers. This theatrical film version, released after the two TV specials, depicts the great progress of Sumiya Junior High School during the Taniguchi era.
For the first time, Betsy Palmer does a one-on-one sit down interview - just her and the camera. During this hour long conversation, she talks about her roles on Broadway and on television, starring in motion pictures like Mr. Roberts with Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon, Queen Bee with Joan Crawford, Friday the 13th and her latest motion picture Bell Witch: The Movie. She also candidly discusses life and her past during this once in a lifetime interview. -Written by Amanda Maples
Amsterdam, 1982. When journalist Jan Brokken meets Youri Egorov – the world-famous Soviet pianist who fled his homeland because of his sexuality – an unexpected friendship begins. Jan, quiet and guarded, is drawn to Youri’s brilliance, excess and freedom; Youri, in turn, recognizes in Jan a kindred outsider. As their bond deepens, Youri inspires Jan the courage to pursue the life he has always postponed: becoming a writer.
As he turns 50, filmmaker Pini Schatz sets out to explore his life-long obsession with the band Sparks (the brothers Ron and Russell Mael). Pini charts the impact of Sparks on his life while meeting with fellow Sparks fans, among them famous musicians, in Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, Rotterdam and NYC. Structured as a personal quest of the filmmaker to prove that Sparks are the coolest underrated band in the history of popular music, this docu-comedy explores the universal themes of growing old and being an outsider, the importance of art in daily life and the power of non-conformism.
The rumors and myths are finally erased as the two men who shared Hank William's final days tell their stories. Charles Carr, then seventeen, was the driver of Hank's Cadillac on his last ride. He describes in detail the events that unfold on that final trip. Braxton Shuffert was a mentor to Hank and a family friend. One of the last remaining pallbearers of WIlliam's funeral, Schuffert shares his memories of his friendship with Hank, the funeral, and the sorrow felt upon Hank William's death. His story also includes audio recorded at Hank William's funeral.
On the cusp of turning 40, wheelchair badminton champion Nina Gorodetsky, has her first and maybe last, chance to participate in the Paralympics. However, she is negotiating a ticking biological clock both as a mother and as an athlete. What would she be willing to sacrifice to realize her Olympic dream?
The immature young ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph, was extremely shy around women but (according to this film) was constantly being propositioned, lewdly or otherwise, by ambitious courtesans. When he was finally married to his Empress, the teen-aged Bavarian princess Sisi (Elizabeth), it seems that his relief knew no bounds, for he was now sure that he would never have to think about sex ever again. According to the filmmakers, this is the true history of that marriage. This story is a complete reversal of the romantic legend depicted in the popular 1955 film Sissi, which helped brighten the emerging stardom of Romy Schneider.
Documentary about the Groningen comics maker Barbara Stok (1970). She has received worldwide praise for her work for more than twenty years. She knows better than anyone else how to portray philosophical ideas with humor in her books, which are published in many languages. De Volkskrant called her graphic novel 'The philosopher, the dog and the wedding', about the philosopher Hipparchia, one of the best books of 2022. Behind the colorful drawings lies a comic strip creator with a idiosyncratic philosophy of life.
