Social & External
The documentary portrays the art historian Wilhelm von Bode as a realistic visionary.
In 1952, the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) decides to establish a "Museum of German History" (MfDG) in the Zeughaus Unter den Linden. As the central history museum of the GDR, it is committed to the Marxist-Leninist conception of history. The film Museum of German History. Insights and Encounters - a GDR television documentary from 1988 - shows the reconstruction of the war-damaged building, presents selected eras such as the Peasants' Wars and the Revolution of 1848 and observes the preparations for a special exhibition on "Artists in the Class Struggle". The film also provides insights into the restorers' workshops, the coin collection and the painting depot.
This documentary explores the creation of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin as designed by architect Peter Eisenman. Reaction of the German public to the completed memorial is also shown.
Bosom buddies BeV StroganoV, Ovo Maltine, Ichgola Androgyn and Tima die Göttliche are four Berlin drag queens who met in the mid 1980s. These four queens became Germany’s most popular drag performers and have been busy fertilizing the German cultural scene. Besides being performers, they are also political activists – in AIDS awareness, anti-gay violence, the sex workers movement and the struggle against the extreme right and racism. The film tells their story.
A documentary film that highlights two street derived dance styles, Clowning and Krumping, that came out of the low income neighborhoods of L.A.. Director David LaChapelle interviews each dance crew about how their unique dances evolved. A new and positive activity away from the drugs, guns, and gangs that ruled their neighborhood. A raw film about a growing sub-culture movements in America.
"The MC: Why We Do It" takes a look inside the world of Hip Hop and MCs to explore the issues and concerns that define todays most popular music form. The MC started out as a mere introducer of musical acts, but when DJs began spinning tracks at block parties in the Bronx in the late 1970s, the MC began to rap along to the beats, emerging as the focal point of a new music form. The film not only explores the origins of MC'ing, but the environmental, spiritual and moral aspects to this art form. As Hip Hop turns 25 years old, MC's consider the past, present and future of their music, giving a unique insight into what drives these artists to continue spitting rhymes. Written by Iain Kennedy
Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 1992-2017. The end of the GDR gave rise to new artistic freedoms in reunited Berlin. Shortly after the fall of the Wall, rebel director Frank Castorf was appointed artistic director of the Volksbühne. His way of working altered the public’s perception of this theater. The chronological history of the Castorf era between 1992 and 2017 is told here in excerpts from the productions and in a series of conversations conducted on the long sofa in the theater's foyer.
THEY DANCED. The documentary is about women and men who danced and helped make a lot of Rappers and Singers performance presentations exciting and unforgettable.
A documentary short on the history and culture of graffiti, featuring many of the major players such as JA, Ket, Noxer, Skuf, Chino and more. Produced by Ecko Unltd and released in conjunction with the video game Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
The greatest rapper to ever pick up a mic - with his velvety flow and unparalleled rhyme style he captivated everyone from Jay Z to Tupac. Now Notorious B.I.G. is revealed.
Two decades after the album’s critically acclaimed release, hip-hop artist Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to stage a symphonic rendition of “Illmatic,” one of the most revered albums in hip-hop history. Nas: Live From the Kennedy Center captures the energy and nostalgia of this collaborative performance.
On October 1, 2013, the elusive street artist Banksy launched a month-long residency in New York, an art show he called Better Out Than In. As one new work of art was presented each day in a secret location, a group of fans, called “Banksy Hunters,” took to the streets and blew up social media.
Dragan Wende has lived in Berlin since the '70s and has seen the city change through the years. His nephew comes to live with him as Dragan remembers the better days he lived as a Yugoslavian immigrant in a divided city.
Hip hop started on a small block in the Bronx but today it's a global phenomenon. This brand new special, hosted by Lenny S., takes us on an international journey with today's biggest hip hop artists as they find musical inspiration in cities around the world. The special features an inspiring trip to Jamaica for a behind the scenes look at the making of DJ Khaled's music video for “These Street Know My Name.”
1988 marked the year in which the debut album of the Chilean band De Kiruza - Oficial was released, where the single "Algo está pasando" stood out, the first Chilean rap recording.
Concert film combining the footage from 50 camcorders given to audience members of a sold-out Beastie Boys show at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2004. The audience members were instructed to keep the cameras rolling at all times.
The film chronicles the story of how the Nazis and the IOC turned, to their mutual benefit, a small sports event into the modern Olympics. The grand themes and controversial issues from the 1936 Games have continued to this day: Monumentality, budget overruns, collusion with authoritarian regimes, corruption and sometimes even bribery.
For three decades already a subculture marks the face of the capital. A purpose in life for those who write their names on rooftops, trains, bridges and houses. For others juvenile, delinquency or simply an eyesore.
In the 1960s, a white couple living in East Germany tells their dark-skinned child that her skin color is merely a coincidence. As a teenager, she accidentally discovers the truth. Years before, a group of African men came to study in a village nearby. Sigrid, an East German woman, fell in love with Lucien from Togo and became pregnant. But she was already married to Armin. The child is Togolese-East German filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain. In interviews with Armin and others from her childhood years, she tracks the astonishing strategies of denial her parents, striving for normality, developed following her birth. What sounds like fieldwork about social dislocation becomes an autobiographical essay film and a reflection on themes such as identity, social norms and family ties, viewed from a very personal perspective.
Day and night, wholecar or end-2-end -- get involved when Berlins craziest aerosol junkies visit their iron favorites, and the camera won't leave their side. Pure Hate is an explosive mixture of Berlin’s graffiti scene and shows 70 minutes of the hardest stuff writers from the capital of Germany have to offer. This masterpiece of underground graffiti videos sets new standards and will kick your ass!
A short documentary drama exploring motherhood and bringing up children with autism spectrum disorder.
A short comedy spoof about Universal Monsters and their everyday unconventional work done at their very own talent agency for their movies.
Saturnino Farandola: Raised by monkeys, taken in by sailors, captain of a frigate. He sets off to chart unknown worlds with his loyal crew. Beneath the sea he encounters love in the person of Mysora the beautiful. On land he comes up against a mad wise man, a Machiavellian mandarin and bloodthirsty Apaches, but nothing will be able to stop his desire to explore.
Rick Belrow Livingston, in love with Broadway star Lisa, is sentenced to 30 days in jail for speeding through a small town. He persuades the judge's daughter Cindy to let him leave for one night, so that he can visit Lisa on her birthday. After that he goes on the town with Cindy and she falls in love with him. But Dr. Schemmer wants his son to become her husband.
This short film follows a man lost in the woods driven by his fear of the unknown.
Outskirts of Moscow. A girl comes to an unfamiliar apartment to look after a dog. After a while, she realizes that the owner of the apartment has disappeared. She finds herself into a series of people that have been taking care of the dog for years in that same apartment, creating a weird community around this strange absence of the owner.
Intertwined stories from the gladiator/athletes participating to the Calcio Storico Fiorentino yearly championship.
An animated film that tells the story of Dian, a child bride whose dream of playing her favorite sport of badminton is cut short.
A documentary about the legendary and influential comedian, actor and writer, who went out from the BBC to conquer Hollywood, but sadly the system quickly withdrew its support when they couldn't contain his talents. This portrait is spiked with many comments from people who knew Feldman privately or had dealt with him professionally. His early death sadly rendered him all but forgotten by the public. The compilation consists of interviews, some film clips and photos as well as various audio clips from him.
Gordon discovers that his girlfriend's dog isn't quite what she says it is.
Yiddish live theater, a formerly lively theatrical form, is barely sustained by a few aging aficionados and its loyal but aged audience. Laura Adler is a big star of one of these troupes. She is attractive, middle-aged and quite content to spend her days performing obscure theater in her backwater town. One day, however, she learns that she is being considered for a part in a major U.S. film, and, while she is absorbing that news, she has an affair with a young man. Later, when she learns that she has terminal cancer, she decides to spend her remaining days onstage with her theatrical friends and family.
Historian Thomas Penn reveals the secrets of founder of Britain’s great Tudor Dynasty - and his amazing trajectory to power. Two weeks after landing on the shores Wales in 1485 with a small band of mercenaries, Henry of Richmond defeats the notorious Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. He is crowned Henry VII and then begins a career of realpolitik, a charming exterior making a savage ambition. The War of the Roses, his wife Elizabeth of York, and the beginning of the Renaissance are all part of this incredible history, as are Henry’s obsessions with money and astonishing spy network.
Yanki (Japanese delinquent) Hayato, is on his way with his senpai, (upperclassman) Yocchan to a so-called “resort” job with good pay, food, and housing. Hayato, not being able to commit to work, meets another Yanki who’s trying to work hard and form a family. Meanwhile, Yocchan ends up falling for the lunch lady at the “resort”... Will she be the one for him?
Hillary and Bonnie meet one morning by the side of the road. They become fast friends, share their secrets, and, on a rising wave of frenzy, later that afternoon, murder an old woman. They did it, they say later, for fun.
In a remote Kyrgyz village, a mother navigates daily life as her family is drawn into the upheaval of World War II. Left behind to tend the land and hold her household together, she clings to hope amid growing uncertainty. As seasons pass, the quiet weight of absence and memory shapes her world. A deeply personal story of endurance, Mother’s Field captures the emotional cost of war from the perspective of those who wait.
From this popular series that counts 37 works, the 6th compilation of episodes carefully selected by the staff.
A US newsman and a British entomologist spy on germ-warfare research in a mythical country.
A beauty contest is staged in the barn of a low-IQ dimwit called The Colonel. As you probably guessed, the beauty contest doesn't last too long as The Colonel and his buddies get down to business with the contestants.
