Why Movies?

Ergui as Mãos aos Céus e Não Havia Mais Luz

July 2024 •Portuguese

Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist

July 2021 •French

A subtle portrait of Japanese director Satoshi Kon by the specialist of Japanese cinema Pascal-Alex Vincent and a dive into a rich work. With interviews of the greatest Japanese, French and American directors inspired by his work.

Archive of Life

June 2024 •English

This documentary short-film follows the story of The White Bus Cinema based in Southend-on-Sea. They keep the process of projecting real celluloid film alive by showing films from their archive of over 3,000 films, ranging from Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm prints. The film argues why it's important to continue the shooting and projection process of film in our current age of digital shooting and projection in modern Hollywood, amidst the chaos of studios removing films from their streaming services.

Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie

January 2021 •English

The story of the abandoned production of 'Day of the Champion', a movie about Formula 1 which was set to film in 1966.

Great Western Road

April 1980 •English

Take a virtual stroll down the streets of Glasgow’s iconic Great Western Road.

Tour de Cinema: The Nifty Fifties

December 2022 •English

Experience the 1950’s in the second installment of the “Tour de Cinema” series.

The Silent Laugh

July 2023 •Arabic

Charlie Chaplin, The Tramp. In this documentary, we will take a look at the life of actor and director Charlie Chaplin, and talk about his films and hidden symbolisms.

The Way of Folk

January 2016 •English

In this brand new featurette, executive producer T Bone Burnett and the Coen brothers discuss the history of some of the songs that heard in Inside Llywin Davies and possible origin of the stories they tells, the folk movement during the 1960s and the social and cultural ideas that it represented, the authenticity and the identity of folk music and the balance between the two, the future of folk music, etc. Included with the featurette are illustrations by Drew Christie. The featurette was created exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

Tour de Cinema: The Grunge Era

October 2023 •English

Experience the 1990’s and the end of a millennium in the sixth installment of the “Tour de Cinema” series.

Le Modernissimo de Bologne

December 2022 •Italian

Pré-Práxis

May 2024 •Portuguese

a documentary and a fiction about reflecting on "pre-cinema".

Jacques Rozier: From One Wave to Another

May 2024 •French

Jacques Rozier or the fierce, independent itinerary of a filmmaker in perpetual disarray, admired by his peers and pampered by the critics.

Schauburg Mon Amour

May 2024 •German

Room 999

October 2023 •French

In 1982, Wim Wenders asked 16 of his fellow directors to speak on the future of cinema, resulting in the film Room 666. Now, 40 years later, in Cannes, director Lubna Playoust asks Wim Wenders himself and a new generation of filmmakers (James Gray, Rebecca Zlotowski, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Nadav Lapid, Asghar Farhadi, Alice Rohrwacher and more) the same question: “is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?”

Discovering Christmas Films

December 2018 •English

Gathering for a Christmas lunch, the film critics and writers of Discovering Film discuss the merits of 20 films from Bill Murray's star turn in Scrooged, the James Stewart classic It's a Wonderful Life, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny & Alexander, to Bruce Willis' memorable Die Hard.

Fulano de Tal

Invalid date •Portuguese

Caro Nanni

Invalid date •Spanish

Alone In Movie Theater

July 2023 •Arabic

This documentary was written with passion and love for cinema, and on the other hand, he blamed her. Our fictional character for this documentary talks about her passion for cinema and how it affected her life and recounts the decades that passed on the cinema one after the other.

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee

August 2024 •English

Aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. And one of the most iconic actors of all time.

Habito

December 2023 •Portuguese

Habito tells the story of a poor, fat black man in pursuit of his dream of being a filmmaker, facing academic and personal challenges after his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. A narrative that intertwines life, family and cinema, exploring the roots of Alagoas and Bahia.