Documentary

  • Deborah Stratman – Last Things (2023)

    Deborah Stratman2021-2030DocumentaryExperimentalUSA
    Last Things (2023)
    Last Things (2023)

    Synopsis:
    The project originated from two novellas of J.-H. Rosny, the joint pseudonym of the Belgian brothers Boex who wrote on natural, prehistoric and speculative subjects—sci fi before it was a genre. The film takes up their pluralist vision of evolution, where imagining prehistory is inseparable from envisioning the future. Also central are Roger Caillois’ writing on stones, Robert Hazen’s theory of Mineral Evolution, Clarice Lispector’s Hour of the Star, the Symbiosis theory of Lynn Margulis, multi-species scenarios of Donna Haraway, Hazel Barton’s research on cave microbes and Marcia Bjørnerud’s thoughts on time literacy. In one way or another, these thinkers have all sought to displace humankind and human reason from the center of evolutionary processes. Passages from Rosny and interviews with Bjørnerud form the film’s science-fictional / science-factual spine. Stones are its anchor. To touch stone is to meet alien duration. We trust stone as archive, but we may as well write on water. In the end, it’s particles that remain.Read More »

  • Yigal Lossin – Pillar Of Fire – A Television History Of Israel’s Rebirth (1979)

    1971-1980DocumentaryHolocaust HistoryIsraelPoliticsYigal Lossin
    Pillar Of Fire A Television History Of Israel's Rebirth (1979)
    Pillar Of Fire A Television History Of Israel’s Rebirth (1979)

    Quote:
    The incredible story of Israel’s rebirth – this landmark series is the masterpiece of Israeli documentaries and the crowning achievement of Israeli television.

    Pillar of Fire relates the drama of the Jewish people’s return to Zion and the establishment of the state of Israel. It is an extensive documentary production that feature rare documentary footage collected from more than 30 archives and private collections throughout the world, as well as many eye-witness interviews. This documentary series also portrays the Jewish-Arab struggle for Palestine, persecution of Jews in Europe, the war of 1948 and David Ben-Gurion’s declaration of independence.Read More »

  • Chad Freidrichs – The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (2011)

    2011-2020Chad FreidrichsDocumentaryPolitics
    The Pruitt Igoe Myth (2011)
    The Pruitt Igoe Myth (2011)

    It began as a housing marvel. Two decades later, it ended in rubble. But what happened to those caught in between?

    The Pruitt-Igoe Myth tells the story of the transformation of the American city in the decades after World War II, through the lens of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing development and the St. Louis residents who called it home.Read More »

  • Aliaksei Paluyan – Courage (2021)

    2021-2030Aliaksei PaluyanBelarusDocumentary
    Courage (2021)
    Courage (2021)

    During the presidential elections in Belarus, three actors from an underground theatre in Minsk are caught up in the wake of mass protests. It draws them onto the open streets of Minsk to protest for freedom of speech and the long-awaited change of power. But the people’s voice is brutally crushed by the regime’s security apparatus. Members of the theatre group are arrested. The country is on the brink of civil war. COURAGE accompanies the brave and peaceful resistance of Maryna, Pavel and Denis before and during the protests and offers a personal and deep insight into the Belarus of today.Read More »

  • Lutz Hachmeister – Das Goebbels-Experiment AKA The Goebbels Experiment (2005)

    2001-2010DocumentaryGermanyLutz Hachmeister
    Das Goebbels Experiment (2005)
    Das Goebbels Experiment (2005)

    Joseph Goebbels has often been cited as the man who did the most to help Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power; he was the architect of the party’s propaganda machine and helped to craft the public image of Hitler as he became one of the most hated and feared leaders of his time, and masterminded the greatest crime of the 20th Century. However, while Hitler’s life outside of politics has long been a subject of interest, less is known about Goebbels, and The Goebbels Experiment is a documentary which draws upon Goebbels’ own journals and rare archival to craft a portrait of his private side, including his passion for the Nazi cause, his devotion to Hitler, his battle with depression, his dramatic mood swings, and his severe contempt for anyone who did not live up to his standards. Kenneth Branagh narrates the English language version of the film.Read More »

  • Wenguang Wu – Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers (1990)

    Wenguang Wu1981-1990ChinaDocumentary
    Bumming in Beijing The Last Dreamers (1990)
    Bumming in Beijing The Last Dreamers (1990)

    Quote:
    A documentary following five young artists from around China, who travelled to Beijing in the 1980s to work as freelancers, exploring their lives, careers, and what aspirations they may have for the future.

    This is an EXTENDED CUT of this important “6h generation” doc.Read More »

  • Rithy Panh – L’image manquante AKA The Missing Picture (2013)

    2011-2020CambodiaDocumentaryRithy PanhWar
    L'image manquante (2013)

    The Missing Picture (French: L’image manquante) is a 2013 Cambodian-French documentary film directed by Rithy Panh about the Khmer Rouge. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the top prize. It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 Cinemanila International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize.

    The film has been selected as the Cambodian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, and was nominated.Read More »

  • Kamal Swaroop – Rangbhoomi (2013)

    Kamal Swaroop2011-2020DocumentaryExperimentalIndia
    Rangbhoomi (2013)
    Rangbhoomi (2013)

    Rangbhoomi follows the filmmaker as he attempts to trace Dadasaheb Phalke’s life in Varanasi, where Phalke withdrew, disillusioned with the world of cinema, and decided to take up theatre. During his life there, Phalke wrote a semi-autobiographical play titled Rangbhoomi, which forms the core of this film.Read More »

  • Elfi Mikesch – Mon Paradis – Der Winterpalast (2001)

    Elfi Mikesch2001-2010DocumentaryGermany
    Mon Paradis Der Winterpalast (2001)
    Mon Paradis Der Winterpalast (2001)

    A portrait of five St. Petersburgians and their connection to The Hermitage.Read More »

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