Secrets of the Unknown: Dreams and Nightmares

El sueño Mexicano

August 2024 •Spanish

Third Shift Coming Home

March 2023 •English

This audio-visual tone poem uses the language of filmmaking to offer a first-hand evocation of the turbulent psychological effects one can experience due to prolonged lack of sunlight.

Death Is But a Dream

April 2021 •English

Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace. Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming. These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream. Described as "more real than real," these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, meaningful events and themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life's meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance.

What was not in the dream

January 1958 •Czech

Invisible Monsters and Tomato Soup

June 2021 •English

A batch of mushy sourdough. Two radioactive lizards. Three cans of Campbell’s tomato soup. When COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020, people around the world began reporting more vivid dreams.

Reclaiming the Night

November 2023 •English

In the aftermath of war, an extraordinary professor brings hope to children haunted by trauma-induced nightmares.

Vetal Nagri

December 2018 •Gujarati

In India, in the region of Gujarat, a man whose face is never shown travels through the large city of Vadodara by night and distributes a mysterious illustrated newspaper. It provokes an irresistable desire in all the street merchants and craftsmen to tell stories of ghosts and ghouls.

It Was Hot That Day: A Jandiman Story

March 2024 •English

Enduring 28 days of relentless construction labor, Frank struggles to prep a house for painting amidst Phoenix's scorching pandemic summer.

What is Your Dream?

January 2024 •Arabic

In the heart of Riyadh... Souq Al-Zal, between heritage and simplicity, the film depicts the dreams that simple people desire in life.

Dreams

May 2022 •Portuguese

A documentary filmmaker sleeps with his camera to film the dreams he has at night.

Tambour traditionnel innu (innu teueikan)

June 2005 •French

When the Road Ends

February 2020 •English

Growing up in poverty as a child, Dylan dreamt of travelling the world on a motorcycle. Many years later he broke the shackles of a normal life and took to the road. After journeying 200,000km across four continents, the road from Panama to Colombia comes to an end, swallowed up by an impenetrable jungle. Dylan has no choice but to take to the sea, building a raft powered by his motorcycle engine in the hope of reaching Colombia's road network 700km away. He must brave strong ocean currents and storm batterings in his journey from Central to South America.—Journeyman Pictures

Amelia 2.0

August 2017 •English

After his wife Amelia suffers an aneurysm that leaves her bedridden and slowly dying, police officer Carter Summerland searches for a way to revive her. He's approached by Wesley Enterprises pioneering a new program to extend life through robotics, they get caught in a public debate over human’s relationship with technology and her right to exist.

Dream State

February 2024 •English

A intense feeling of euphoria, no risks, no feeling hungover tomorrow, no consequences. Experimental super drug ‘Dream State’ is nearly ready for human trials. Seeing an opportunity to shake her lifelong ‘good-girl’ image, Rob, contacts a local drug dealer to get early access. In the dark, alone, the group all fall into deep sleep, but soon discover that not all dreams are as perfect as they seem…and waking up may be the real nightmare.

Dreams

November 1940 •English

This entry in MGM's Passing Parade series looks at the meaning of dreams, including one by Abraham Lincoln that foretold his death.

Nightmare

February 1964 •English

A young student is haunted by recurring dreams of her mother murdering her father, but her nightmare is just beginning as she tries to prove to her loved ones that she is not insane.

Ether

May 2024 •Polish

A movie that provokes reflection on the nature of reality and the veracity of our relationships and experiences. On questions of what is real and what is merely an illusion, the magic of the film's journey through different levels of consciousness, full of mysterious corners and strange memories, is revealed. The borders between dream and reality blur, creating an extraordinary story about feelings and the condition of human existence.

Nyctophobia

May 2024 •English

As Liz struggles with nyctophobia (fear of the dark), a form of anxiety disorder that causes sleeping issues, she desperately tries to fall asleep by entering her “inner world” where she can access her happy childhood memories. However, she ultimately becomes trapped in a time loop of sorts in her “lucid dream” world and encounters her nightmare, Dark Figure, who appears in various forms and shapes as a clown. The time loop pushes her deeper into her lucid dream world, forcing her to reach her subconscious world where she meets her worst nightmare, the original form of Dark Figure.

I Dreamt of Being an Actress

July 2023 •English

A woman undergoes a surreal experience while processing a lifelong dream.

Dreaming

Invalid date •English

In this gripping experimental short film, actor Colden Chierichella takes on a dual role, delivering a mesmerizing performance as he hunts down an alternate version of himself within the labyrinth of his own dream. The narrative explores the intricate layers of identity and the subconscious, pushing the boundaries of self-confrontation.