Underground explosions cause the snow to flutter down from the trees and the houses to shake. The ground beneath Kiruna is so brittle that soon all the inhabitants of Sweden’s northernmost town will have to move to another place. It seems the mining company has decided everyone’s future – for good or for bad. In her first feature film, which only has sparse dialogue and is more a series of atmospheric images than a linear story, the director describes the feelings of the young people who live here. Markus has no interest in anything except cars and resists all of his parents’ well-intentioned attempts to give him advice. Daniel has big problems with his father who is addicted to alcohol. Both lads are continuously on edge. The sound of heavy machinery, the squealing of conveyor belts and the metallic hammering of drills pervades the air. In winter it’s bitterly cold; in summer it’s sunny and green. The breathtaking beauty of the landscape is ruptured by the huge industrial sites and slag heaps.Read More »
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Sofia Norlin – Ömheten AKA Broken Hill Blues (2013)
Drama2011-2020Sofia NorlinSweden -
Natalya Meshchaninova – Kombinat ‘Nadezhda’ AKA The Hope Factory (2014)
2011-2020DramaNatalya MeshchaninovaRussiaIndustrial city of Norilsk: factories, cold, chemical air. The only desire of young people living here is to leave, against all odds. A docu-style, emotionally-driven drama about a young girl desperately fighting for an escape which is so blurry, and for love which is so insecure.
Due to its vast industrial areas and enormous industrial output, the Russian city of Norilsk has become one of the most polluted places in the world. However, despite the persistent ecological crisis, the severe northern climate and harsh living conditions, life goes on there in its own extreme, as well as routine, way. But the will to live that such an existence fosters is actually the will, or rather the dream, to escape, especially for a young generation. A desperate, hardly possible dream that moves and traps its adherents, turning against them.Read More »
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Hal Hartley – The Girl From Monday (2005)
2001-2010ArthouseHal HartleyQueer Cinema(s)Sci-FiUSAIndependent auteur Hal Hartley wrote and directed this satirical exercise in what he calls “fake science fiction.” In the near future, following a violent overthrow of the American government, the United States has come under the rule of the MMM, a Multi-Media Monopoly which runs the country as a business. Every citizen now has a personal bar code, which is used to monitor his or her consumption of practically everything, including sex, now that aphrodisiacs have become the nation’s biggest consumer product. Jack (Bill Sage) and Cecile (Sabrina Lloyd) are two MMM executives who are vying for the same level of advancement within the organization, while William (Leo Fitzpatrick) is a member of the Partisans, a cadre of anti-MMM activists who are attempting to bring down the corporation’s rule, though they are regarded as both dangerous and powerless by MMM’s leaders. In the midst of this situation comes a beautiful woman from the planet Monday (Tatiana Abracos), who knows about Jack’s little secret — he’s a fellow alien hiding out on Earth. The woman has come to Earth to bring Jack back to planet Monday, but given the currently miserable state of Jack’s life, he’s more interested in having a relationship with her than heading back home. The Girl From Monday has its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. — Mark DemingRead More »
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Jan Svankmajer – Konec stalinismu v Cechách AKA Death of Stalinism in Bohemia (1991)
1991-2000AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort FilmA bust of Stalin is cut open on an operating table, leading to an elaborate animated depiction of Czech history from 1948 (the Communist takeover) to 1989 (the Velvet Revolution). Some knowledge of the subject is essential in order to understand the film, which is entirely visual. Read More »
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Polidor – Polidor e la parrucca (1917)
1911-1920ComedyItalyPolidorSilentThe Birth of CinemaPlot:
The little Agenore (Ferdinande Guillaume) combines a lot of trouble to family friend Ilario Mentecatti (Natale Guillaume).(European Film Gateway)Read More » -
Jan Svankmajer – Zamilované maso AKA Meat Love (1989)
1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort Film -
Jan Svankmajer – Tma/Svetlo/Tma AKA Darkness Light Darkness (1990)
1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort FilmA human body gradually reconstructs itself as its various component parts crowd themselves into a small room and eventually, after much experimentation, sort out which part goes where.Read More »
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Jan Svankmajer – Flora (1989)
1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort FilmThe last moments of a creature made out of fruits and vegetables.
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Richard Brooks – Crisis (1950)
1941-1950DramaRichard BrooksThrillerUSAPlot:
Dr Ferguson is a brain surgeon, on vacation with his wife in a small Spanish-speaking country. This is actually a dictatorship ruled by tyrant Raoul Farrago.Read More »