Documentary
In 2006, Roberto Saviano shook up all of Italy with his book about the Neapolitan Mafia. "Gomorrah. Journey into the Realm of the Camorra" hit like a bomb. It served as the basis for a feature film that won an award at Cannes. Saviano’s novel broke the Mafia’s vow of silence,…
Self
The four brothers Peter, Uwe, Manni and Günter live together in the German town of Dernbach and run what is probably the most chaotic car recycling business in Germany. Nothing is the same here as in other junkyards. Over four million spare parts lie in huge piles in the brothers' warehouse. Nevertheless, they manage to find just the right spare part time and time again and get a car back into shape.
Ecstasy, which started out as a psychotherapeutic drug, acquired the reputation of a happiness pill and thus became one of the most consumed recreational drugs today. Wandering through X culture exposes some surprising links between the subculture of parties, wild sex, consumerism and religion. By pointing the camera on Israel 2003 – war, religious fundamentalism, consumerism and drugs - the film depicts a world in which reality and hallucination are constantly recreating each other in an inseparable and crazy path.
In this revealing study of Norval Morrisseau, filmed as he works among the lakes and woodlands of his ancestors, we see a remarkable Indigenous artist who emerged from a life of obscurity in the North American bush to become one of Canada's most renowned painters. Morrisseau the man is much like his paintings: vital and passionate, torn between his Ojibway heritage and the influences of the white man's world.
The Victorian era is often cited for its lack of sexuality, but as this documentary reveals, the period's artists created a strong tradition surrounding the classical nude figure, which spread from the fine arts to more common forms of expression. The film explains how 19th-century artists were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works to highlight the naked form, and how that was reflected in the evolving cultural attitudes toward sex.
Amidst the grand walls of the Forbidden City, the film takes us on a deep journey through the ceremonial life of the Chinese emperor, unveiling the secrets and intrigues of concubines, eunuchs, and palace maids. As the West begins to influence China in the late 19th century, the dynamics within the city shift dramatically. The film highlights the preservation and restoration of invaluable treasures and paintings, culminating in the creation of the Palace Museum. With insights from renowned China scholar, Jonathan Spence, this is an intimate exploration of the rich cultural and historical tapestry that makes up the heart of ancient China.
In the narrow streets of Marikina City, where the sound of hammers once echoed endlessly, Soles of Marikina unfolds as a cinematic portrait of craft, struggle, and survival. The film follows aging shoemakers and young apprentices as they work by hand—cutting leather, shaping soles, stitching stories into every pair—while fighting to keep an industry alive in a rapidly changing world.
