Stars

Funny Up North

July 2011 •English

Documentary featuring a cavalcade of Northern comedy stars including the great Frank Randle, George Formby, Arthur Askey, Norman Evans and many more. The North of England has always enjoyed its own very particular brand of comedy, best seen today in Coronation Street. 80 years ago however Mancunian Studios produced feature films for the northern masses. Funny Up North tells the story of the Mancunian Studios, its eccentric owner John E Blakeley and its cavalcade of stars including such household names as Arthur Askey, Jimmy Jewell, George Formby and the legendary Frank Randle. Hosted by Professor Chris Lee, the authority on northern cinema, Funny Up North takes you on a journey from its humble beginnings to its sad demise in the 1960s.

The Wild Blue Yonder

September 2005 •English

An alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visitations to Earth and Earth's self-made demise, while human astronauts in space are attempting to find an alternate planet for surviving humans to live on.

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.

Atuel

July 2022 •English

ATUEL is the story of a community and its river; of a river and its community. Everyone in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, lives in one of three oases. The southern oasis, home to the cities of San Rafael and General Alvear, depends primarily on The Atuel River. Yet incredulously, the river remains under threat. People cannot care for what they don’t know and so we decided to ask the river what story it would like to tell about itself. To do so, we travelled its entire length from its source in the heart of The Andes to where it dries out prematurely in the sands of The Cuyo Desert. We’re told we are the first to do so since 1884 and the first ever to do so by boat. 43 days. 480 kilometres. 38 people interviewed about their relationship with the river.

Working But Poor - The Middle Class in Crisis

January 2023 •German

Citizens across Europe who used to belong to the lower middle class have fallen into poverty. An in-depth investigation into the precariat, a new social class of financially insecure citizens who, although they are employed, find it very difficult to make ends meet.

Inverosímil Jardiel Poncela

December 2014 •Spanish

The Spanish author Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901-1952) was one of the best comedy writers of all time, a novelist and newspaper columnist, misunderstood, even censored, both by the Second Republic government and Francoism, an outsider ahead of his time; also a filmmaker and screenwriter in Hollywood, architect of a revolutionary theatrical building and scenographer, cartoonist and illustrator. An implausible genius.

Argentina Beat

May 2007 •Spanish

Through the second half of the 1960's the Beat movement and the first National Rock were the flagship of the youth, leaders as never before of a society in transformation. The formation of the first bands, the venues for concerts, the difficulties to sing rock in Spanish and interact with other artists create new ways to communicate previously unavailable. This documentary presents the story of these first pioneers of the Argentinean rock music.

Innocence

January 2006 •Thai

In the mountains of Northern Thailand lies a boarding school. The students come from different tribes in the area and live together with their Thai teacher, grow their own crops and cook their own meals while continuing their education. The biggest question on their mind, having spent all their lives in the mountainside, is where the rivers running down the hills end. If they pass the final exams their reward is a trip to the end of the river, to the ocean itself. The children are poor, some orphans, and most of them only speak their tribe's language, but all try their best to pass the exams to be able to take the long-awaited trip. This trip is not only a journey from the children's villages to the ocean but also a journey that symbolizes the change from childhood to adulthood.

Children in Crisis: The Story of CHIP

January 2024 •English

In the midst of a catastrophic steel industry collapse, a remarkable grassroots community effort leads to a national healthcare program that helps more than 200 million children...and counting.

Presencia lejana

January 1982 •Spanish

A documentary about Finnish twin sisters, one of whom disappeared in Argentina in 1977.

Into Great Silence

September 2005 •German

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

Botánicos

October 2014 •Spanish

Documentary about the abandonment of cats in the Carlos Thays botanical garden, in the city of Buenos Aires, which is a very old problem. To help alleviate this problem there is the Botanist's Cats Protection Commission. This documentary not only reflects the work of the group but also the risks to which an animal exposes when abandoned. This documentary is produced, recorded and edited by Georgina Zanardi, image and sound designer, founder of Mondo Lila Producciones and volunteer for the Botanical's cat protection commission. The music is composed by Leandro Bajar, guitarist and composer in various musical groups, the music was recorded by Christian Vieyra. The sound design is done by Iván Rivelli, an audiovisual graduate, the graphic design is in charge of Francisca Brown, graphic designer and volunteer for the Botanist's cat protection commission.

Mercy of God

August 2020 •English

A silent portrait of the devastated condition of coastal Odisha after the cyclone 'Fani'

Dreaming Nicaragua

May 2010 •English

DREAMING NICARAGUA is a film about HOPE. It's about love for the dignity and courage of the human spirit that, even immersed in uttermost tragic conditions, fights for a better life, and in this case, with a friendly SMILE. DREAMING is a sensitive and lyrical portrayal of four children living in extreme poverty in Nicaragua. The film takes us beyond their hardships and gives voice to the youngsters, who are surprisingly funny, hopeful, and optimistic. A traveling art teacher provides a safe arena for our four unlikely protagonists to express their innermost thoughts. When painting, the kids momentarily escape the stresses of their reality into a world of dreams and ideas, a stark contrast to their lives outside: a vicious cycle of hunger, child labor, and violence. Despite the extreme circumstances, the children and their families face their lives with an inspiring unity, strength and humor.

No End in Sight

July 2007 •English

Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over.

WISHBONER: Making an Awkward Thanksgiving

August 2016 •English

A feature length documentary look at the making of the independent comedy Awkward Thanksgiving. See the trials and tribulations of making a no-budget independent comedy in a 5 day shooting schedule! Lot's of laughs ensue. A must have for fans of the infamous indy comedy favorite!

Kayfabe

April 2007 •English

The TCICWF is shutting down forever, and these colorful, eccentric, clueless, indie wrestlers have one last chance to show the world that they belong in the big leagues.

Darwin's Nightmare

January 2005 •English

Africa in the sixties. The Nile perch, a ravenous predator, is introduced into Lake Victoria as a scientific experiment, causing the extinction of many native species. Its meat is exported everywhere in exchange for weapons, creating a globalized evil alliance on the lake shores. An infernal nightmare in the real world that wipes out Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

No tan nuestras

March 2005 •Spanish

The Falklands/Malvinas War has proved a powerful motif in contemporary Argentine film-making and Ramiro Longo's new documentary offers a unique take on the conflict and its pervasive legacy. While Argentina suffered 649 casualties during the War, subsequently over 350 ex-servicemen have committed suicide while attempting to come to terms with civilian life in the aftermath of the 1982 defeat. Longo's film is structured around an extended interview with War veteran Sergio Delgado who provides a moving testimony on the conflict and the ways in which it has subsequently haunted his life and aspirations. As much an insider's view of the conflict as a tale of the legacy of trauma, Not Really Ours offers a reflection on memory, fear and the shaping of a nation's psyche. Longo's deft editing juxtaposes telling footage alongside Delgado's story. The result is both a moving tapestry of war and its scars and a telling reflection on the ways in which official history is constructed.

Ciclo da Reciclagem

January 2019 •Portuguese