Produced by Burton Holmes. Released on December 28th, 1919.
Social & External
The people behind it
For First Nations communities, the headdress bears significant meaning. It's a powerful symbol of hard-earned leadership and responsibility. As filmmaker JJ Neepin prepares to wear her grandfather's headdress for a photo shoot she reflects on lessons learned and the thoughtless ways in which the tradition has been misappropriated.
"Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants" delves into the reasons behind the "silent" extinction of giraffes worldwide, and introduces us to the scientists who are gathering new information that may stave off their decline.
Battered Warsaw is getting back to life after the WW2 destruction. The ruins of the Old Town become homes once again.
Short documentary on Poland's first steam locomotive.
A miniature parable about a young boy who misunderstands the function of a bird feeder.
Haunted by the killing by Israeli police of a Palestinian friend from his youth, an Israeli queer filmmaker embarks on a cinematic dialogue across time — confronting memory, friendship, and the genocide unfolding today. In this intimate cinematic letter, Israeli filmmaker Roy Cohen addresses his Palestinian friend and fellow peace activist Aseel Aslih, who was murdered by Israeli police in their youth. Cohen tells Aslih of his experiences navigating a growingly genocidal society and seeks Aslih’s moral clarity and resilience in the evocative letters he had written as a teenager.
Based on home movies shot on Super 8mm film, A Family Film places the mother at its center as the narrator while tracing the memories of a family living in Istanbul in the 70s.
This short documentary features children aged 5 to 12 talking about their experiences with bullying and discrimination because they or their families do not fit into traditional gender and family roles. This film explores the contemporary diversity of families from kids' points of view, while featuring short animated sequences about the history of derogatory slang.
A visit to the factory in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the world's best-selling male adult toy is produced, the Fleshlight.
Vladan Vasev aka VaXz, is a lover of basketball and all kinds of team sports from Bosilegrad, who completely single-handedly restored faith in the hardcore music scene in Serbia. When the performers on stage noticed his jumps and the way of dancing specific to hardcore music and inquired about the most loyal member of their audience, they learned an incredible story. In order to attend the concert, VaXz travels from Bosilegrad to Belgrade sometimes up to ten hours, and then returns, sometimes immediately after listening to the gig. In this film, we meet Vladan and what it is that inspires him about hardcore, but through his portrait we also get to know life in a small town like Bosilegrad, as well as the history of hardcore music in Serbia and how bands came together to honor their most loyal fan.
At L'Abri, a short-term "hospitality community" in the English countryside, five strangers spend a summer together exploring their big questions about faith, being human, and finding belonging back home.
A look at the unrecognized work of the talented artists and craftsmen who've maintained the tradition of Japanese special-effects. Highlighted is Yasuyuki Inoue along with various crew members who crafted meticulously detailed miniatures and risked life and limb as suit actors. All done to bring to life some of film's most iconic monsters through a distinct Japanese artform.
A strange and mischievous documentary on an archeological site in the Qaytarieh hills in Tehran. This short narrates the story of the dead people who wished never to be found.
Squirrelly Man follows the journey of Teddy Treadwell, a young Squirrel Enthusiast who stays in the local park district trying to protect the squirrels. Teddy finds himself spending many summers with the squirrels before he makes the mistake of sticking his head near a trash can. When this occurs, Teddy is attacked by a squirrel and needs to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.
A short collection of local legends and ghost stories about Erie, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding areas. Produced by and aired on WQLN Channel 54 Erie.
Filmed during the production of the Columbia Pictures western "Mackenna’s Gold," this short work presents a non-narrative visual study of the Arizona desert. Rather than documenting the film set itself, "6-18-67" assembles landscape images, time-lapse photography, and ambient sound into an abstract record of place and duration.
Thea’s life is changed when she receives an unexpected call from her childhood ‘friend’, May. Memories of the past with May shake Thea out of the mundane and into the queer London landscape; although it doesn’t immediately welcome her with open arms. Except in the form of Mimi, a liberated and fellow queer femme, who shows Thea the unconditional love and friendship that queer community is built off. Inspired by a true story, this heartfelt short film celebrates the magic of queer femme friendship and love.
The Maharajah of Kapurthala and guests travel on elephants and men catch fish on the River Bias.
We meet big Jack Taylor, who hasn’t left his little flat in Bradford, West Yorkshire for 25 years. Jack’s become something of a celebrity, with German camera crews flocking to visit him. But the last time Jack got weighed was many years ago, and then he clocked in at 48 stone. So how much does he weigh now? We’re introduced to Barry, a young man of 41 stone. Barry makes nightclub appearances and talks about the fame that fatness brings. But now he’s determined to lose weight and consults his doctor to discuss medication and diet. Meanwhile, Jack talks about the tragic deaths in his past and his decision to stop inside the house for a quarter of a century. Eventually Barry and Jack meet to discuss the impact of the media on their lives. Determined to confirm Jack as Britain’s fattest man, the director eventually coaxes Jack onto a vast set of scales. So who is the fattest man in Britain? The tale of the scales causes surprise and quivering outrage…
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
The epic life story of Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968), a French screenwriter, director and producer, true pioneer of cinema, the first person who made a narrative fiction film; author of hundreds of movies, but banished from history books. Ignored and forgotten. At last remembered.
A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.
Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
The earliest surviving motion-picture film, and believed to be one of the very first moving images ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken on paper-based photographic film in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince’s son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. Roundhay Garden Scene is often associated with a recording speed of around 12 frames per second and runs for about 2 to 3 seconds.
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
The story lives forever in this feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Documentarian Ross McElwee originally set out to make a travelogue of sorts tracing General William T. Sherman's infamous scorched-earth march through the Confederacy in the latter stages of the Civil War. Instead, haunted by a recent breakup with a girlfriend, McElwee ends up documenting his progress -- or lack thereof -- in starting a new relationship. His journey then becomes one of self-reflection and self-discovery rather than a historical/sociological exploration.
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
