Social & External
The people behind it
Grupo de Maracatu Ilê Aláfia
Aline Morales is one of the main broadcasters of Maracatu in Toronto. From a meeting with members of Recife's Maracatu Estrela Brilhante Nação, she and her traveling companions reflect deeply on the different aspects of this genre, beyond music.
No measure of hellfire preaching can quell the boisterous and bawdy passions of Maracatu, an Afro-Brazilian burlesque carnival tradition with roots in slavery that takes place in the northeast state of Pernambuco. As the Falstaffian character Tiao, Valmir do Coco leads a nonprofessional cast of authentic Maracatu practitioners in a tale told through dance, music, and the supernatural, set in the sugarcane fields outside Recife.
Honoré and Grégoire prepare their mother’s funeral. They are faced with the common and individual expenses inherent to funerals in Porto-Novo (Benin). Money is the nerve of their concern.
Wings of Kyrgyzstan (2019) This reverent cinematic journey is a deep lyrical look into the lives of diverse mountain families, vivid portraits of young men and women, semi nomads, who have one foot deep in their ancestral past, and one reaching for a new future.
Accidents, theft, violence, disturbances. Calls to 17, the police emergency number, are intended for urgent situations. In reality, the number of calls keeps increasing, with many being considered "non-urgent." However, these calls capture raw moments of emotion, distress, or anxiety, offering insight into a society facing a growing sense of insecurity. How do officers, expected to handle everything and sometimes the impossible, manage their demanding work?
In August 2020, the well-known Swiss polar researcher Konrad Steffen died on the Greenland ice. It is suspected that he fell into a crevasse covered in fresh snow while on a routine trip to a measuring station. To this day, there is no trace of him.
The President of East Timor (Timor-Leste), Xanana Gusmao, takes us on a breathtaking and intimate journey. Revelations from the 24-year Resistance against Indonesian occupation, to the present-day challenges of the world's youngest nation.
Le Mirail, Toulouse. Crime, rioting, religion, and terrorism: it seems there is no common ground between the different communities of the ghetto. The divisions are widening beyond control. This documentary offers straight talk, rooted in time and trust. It can be direct or abrupt, sometimes even confusing or shocking, but it is essential in forming the first few threads of a dialogue. Only through learning and understanding can we resist the reflex to reject the Other.
From the son of an immigrant to a billionaire building contractor: Bruno Stefanini has a crazy biography. This documentary chronicles Stefanini's conflict with army abolitionists and squatters as well as his passion for collecting everything from tanks and works of art to Empress Sissi's underpants, castles and nuclear bunkers. When he died, his entire estate was lost in a huge, moldy mess.
Throughout history, the world has been ruled by men. But in the 20th century, women showed they could thrive without male domination. Men discovered that women did not view life or the world in the same way. Some rejected feminism, while others redefined their masculinity. This film explores the stories of six men who have struggled with what it means to be a man, especially in terms of love and fatherhood.
James Roberson on Superstition (1982)
This short documentary explores how the First Nations staple of wild rice is exported as a luxury food thanks in part to bush pilots. Follow the families of the Pauingassi band as they comb the reedy shores with brooms, paddles and baskets for manomim (wild rice).
Documentary talking about bravery in the context of Green Lantern, the hero, and the Green Lantern Corps.
A retrospective of Dracula's appearances in film. It includes trailers and scenes from many Dracula-related films. There is an emphasis on films which feature the actors Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, as they portrayed the most popular versions of Dracula. Also covered are films depicting sons and daughters of Dracula, and Dracula-like vampires. Many of the trailers focus on the beauty of Dracula's victims, or the beauty of female vampires.
Dan Didio, Geoff Johns, and Grant Morrison talk about bring Hal Jordan back to Green Lantern.
Over twenty years, the Russian documentary filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya interviewed pioneers of American documentaries, such as Richard Leacock, Robert and Anne Drew, Albert Maysles, D.A. Pennebaker, Jonas Mekas, among others. In long conversations, they discuss the elaboration of titles that are now fundamental to the genre’s world history, commenting on the introduction of new light and portable cameras that allowed the advent of Cinema Verite, in addition to sharing the fundamentals and principles of the art of capturing life. The sum of these parts corresponds to a singular opportunity of re-encounter with the thinking of these masters, even those that have already passed away.
An in-depth look at the hidden meanings and blistering truth buried within Ed Wood's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, which has long been considered the worst movie ever made.
A 3-year-old girl and her family's long journey from a Greek refugee centre to Uppsala.
Law of the Dragon takes a fresh look at a vast and culturally rich China, examining how justice is served in rural areas so remote and isolated that the villagers have almost no contact with, and are deeply mistrustful of, the central government. Principally following the austere Judge Chen as he travels around the rural and sparsely populated Xuan-en province, resolving the grievances of the residents and dispensing nuggets of Confucian-Communist wisdom.
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 string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
A candid look at rehearsal footage in support of a focus on pre-viz.
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
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.
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
