Bolshoi Babylon

A Delicate Balance

November 2018 •French

A Delicate Balance explores the life and dreams of young dancers at the dawn of adolescence. A tender and captivating documentary in which the students of the Quebec Superior Ballet School tell each other with candid lucidity.

Ella

July 2016 •English

Ella Havelka made history in 2013 by becoming the first Indigenous dancer at the 50-year-old Australian Ballet. In this engaging, MIFF Premiere Fund-supported world premiere, Ella – a descendant of the Wiradjuri people – charts her inspiring journey from growing up in modest circumstances as the only child of a single mother in rural Australia to gaining entry to National Ballet School, then spending formative years with the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre before accepting the invitation of The Australian Ballet's artistic director David McAllister to join one of the world's foremost ballet companies.

Kids for Cash

February 2014 •English

Filmmaker Robert May chronicles the case of a once-respected judge who received kickbacks for sending juvenile offenders to prison, even for minor crimes.

Dance of the Little Swans: Vaganova Academy Auditions Young Dancers

June 2016 •English

Many young girls dream of becoming ballerinas, but only very few are prepared to apply the all-out effort and make the sacrifices that this dream demands. The famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in St.Petersburg welcomes the most talented and determined young dancers, but it makes them no promises. RT Doc meets some of the young hopefuls storming the doors of the famous Academy to find out more about the dream they share, and to follow them on their first steps towards achieving it.

Memories of Nijinsky

August 1980 •Russian

A valuable testimony that approaches the essence of Nijinsky who did not leave a video. Boris Kochno, who was at the center of Russian ballet, vividly tells how Nijinsky, who had fallen ill, witnessed his newly choreographed self-made work. Nijinsky's successor machine is a rare record of transferring Nijinsky's appearance in the popular work "Afternoon of a Faun" to two great dancers, Grigorowich and Wasiriev, who carry Bolshoi ballet on their backs.

Rhythm is it!

June 2004 •English

RHYTHM IS IT! records the first big educational project of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. The orchestra ventured out of the ivory tower of high culture into boroughs of low life for the sake of 250 youngsters. They had been strangers to classical music, but after arduous but thrilling preparation they danced to Stravinsky's 'Le Sacre du Printemps' ('The Rite of Spring'). Recorded with a breathtaking fidelity of sound, this film from Thomas Grube and Enrique Sánchez Lansch documents the stages of the Sacre project and offers deep insights into the rehearsals of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

April 2005 •English

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.

Not Bad at All

Invalid date •English

Every weekend for six years, Jessica takes a bus from NYC, where she lives and works as a set decorator, to Boston, her hometown, where she cares for her dad, Aloysius, who is 87 and has advanced Alzheimer's disease.

Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo: The Nutcracker

December 2021 •English

New 2021 version of the classic. One of Tchaikovsky's three major ballets, The Nutcracker, a heartwarming story of Christmas. The Maki Asami Ballet Company started a regular performance of "The Nutcracker" in 1963. And it has been performing for about 60 years until today.

Dance for All

September 2007 •English

KARO

October 2018 •English

Karolina Kuras is a Toronto-based ballet and portrait photographer. In this piece, we explore her creative collaboration with Canadian National Ballet dancer/choreographer Brent Parolin and Tanya Howard, as well as make-up artist Ashley Readings. We wanted to encapsulate the essence rather than the information. There are many pieces where Karolina is featured as a photographer discussing her work, but we wanted to get underneath the surface, into the intangible matters that drive and inspire her to create and collaborate so intimately. This project was captured on 35mm film, with a small crew in Karolina’s home studio.

Dancer

September 2016 •English

Sergei Polunin is a breathtaking ballet talent who questions his existence and his commitment to dance just as he is about to become a legend.

Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus

January 2023 •English

FRONTLINE and Forbidden Films investigate Pegasus, a powerful spyware sold to governments around the world by the Israeli company NSO Group.

The Plot Against the President

October 2020 •English

Based on Lee Smith's book of the same name, this documentary follows the story of the biggest political scandal in U.S. history.

Men at the Barre - Inside the Royal Ballet

May 2020 •English

Is there still a stigma for boys who want to enter ballet? Film-maker Richard Macer investigates the reality of being a male dancer today at the Royal Ballet.

The Biggest Fraud in Geometry Dash History

August 2023 •English

The best player in Geometry Dash History wasn’t who we thought he was. Let me tell you the story.

Crossing the Line

May 2018 •English

Relive the highly controversial 2018 Australian cricket tour to South Africa; five weeks that rocked the gentleman’s game and captivated the globe.

Darcey Bussell: A Ballerina's Life

March 2014 •English

Prima ballerina Darcey Bussell talks about her life at the top. From tears at ballet school and forgetting the steps, to becoming the Royal Ballet's youngest-ever principal and her favourite roles, Darcey recalls her performing career from its earliest days.

The Money Masters

January 1996 •English

A documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. The modern political power structure has its roots in the hidden manipulation and accumulation of gold and other forms of money.

Flight Dance Live

February 2023 •Ukrainian

Stories about young Ukrainian dancers and their hasty flight to the Netherlands. You see their new life as refugees. The former conservatory in The Hague is a shelter for them where they collect their lives and find refuge in their profession: dance. The formation of a new ballet company, The United Ukrainian Ballet, is an important foothold in winning back their lives. They find comfort in each other and close friendships develop. In addition, there is the great love for ballet, for the dancers the best way to express themselves.