Monica in the South Seas

Fieldwork Footage

January 1928 •English

Under the tutelage of anthropologist Franz Boas (her former Columbia professor) and Harlem Renaissance arts patron Charlotte Osgood Mason, Zora Neale Hurston spent nearly two years, from 1927 to 1929, studying the folkloric customs, work songs, spirituals, and vernacular language of African American communities along the River Road and from New Orleans to Florida.

Sala de Roteiristas

August 2019 •Portuguese

What is the difference between a story and a good story? In this short documentary, ten of the greatest screenwriters in Brazil answer this and other questions, guiding us through the universe of creative writing and all its possibilities.

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

September 1927 •German

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

Dogtown and Z-Boys

May 2002 •English

This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports. Featuring old skool skating footage, exclusive interviews and a blistering rock soundtrack, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS captures the rise of the Zephyr skateboarding team from Venice's Dogtown, a tough "locals only" beach with a legacy of outlaw surfing.

Niños del paraíso

January 2000 •Spanish

In the Juan Fernández Archipelago, 700 kilometers from the central coast of Chile, is Robinson Crusoe Island. There, a group of children who are in their last year of primary school will soon graduate, leaving the island where they learned to live.

Return

February 2023 •Spanish

Documentary about emigration between the Canary Islands and Cuba during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Fata Morgana

November 2004 •Finnish

A look into the recent history of the Chukchi people.

Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?

Invalid date •English

George Clinton's somewhat absurdist take on Parliament-Funkadelic history. Features never-before-granted access to his archive and spotlights his alter egos and friends

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Fifty by Four - Half a Century of CSNY

February 2014 •English

The incredible story of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, featuring exclusive interviews, rare performance footage and more. This is CSNY's story, a journey of breakthroughs, breakdowns, break-ups and incredible music. Featuring exclusive interviews, seldom-seen footage, classic and rare performances, and contributions from those who worked closely with CSNY across the years.

Around China with a Movie Camera

July 2016 •English

A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

Look Closer: The Rise and Fall of Robert Benfer

December 2018 •English

In 2013, online clay animator Robert Benfer scammed hundreds of fans out of thousands of dollars and has continued to become less of the independent film icon he used to be, though his unique influence on video creators remains to this day. This film not only sheds light on how Benfer's films impacted young filmmakers, but also how a talented independent artist can fall from grace no matter how obscure they are.

Povo da Floresta

January 2024 •Portuguese

Nanook of the North

June 1922 •English

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Alexa Boulton: Cinema

January 2023 •French

Alexa Boulton interviews the students and teachers of Kelvin High School to uncover the possibilities for the future of cinema

Crabs and Shrimp

December 1930 •French

Jean Painlevé is interested here, with the help of Eli Lotar, in crabs and shrimps. He is particularly interested in detailing their anatomy and observing their mating and fighting behavior.

Nothing As It Seems: The Films of Nicolas Roeg

January 1982 •English

Documentary on Nicolas Roeg

Storm

November 2021 •Spanish

Wood Mountain Poems

January 1978 •English

In this short documentary, Canadian poet Andrew Suknaski introduces us to Wood Mountain, the south central Saskatchewan village he calls home. In between musings on his poetry, which is tinged with nostalgia and the vast loneliness of the plains, the poet discusses the area’s multicultural background and Native heritage, as well as the customs and stories of these various ethnic groups.

When Liberty Burns

March 2020 •English

An in-depth analysis on the 40th Anniversary of the life and untimely death of Arthur Lee McDuffie at the hands of Miami Dade police officers.

The Society of the Spectacle

May 1974 •French

Guy Debord's analysis of a consumer society.