Merton: A Film Biography

In his lifetime, Thomas Merton was hailed as a prophet and censured for his outspoken social criticism. For nearly 27 years he was a monk of the austere Trappist order, where he became an eloquent spiritual writer and mystic as well as an anti-war advocate and witness to peace. Merton: A Film Biography provides the first comprehensive look at this remarkable 20th century religious philosopher who wrote, in addition to his immensely popular autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, over 60 books on some of the most pressing social issues of our time, some of which are excerpted here. Merton offers an engaging profile of a man whose presence in the world touched millions of people and whose words and thoughts continue to have a profound impact and relevance today.

1984-01-01 | en

The Devil and Father Amorth

William Friedkin attends an exorcism with Father Gabriele Amorth, as he treats an Italian woman named Cristina for the ninth time. Prior to filming, Cristina had purportedly been experiencing behavioural changes and “fits” that could not be explained by psychiatry, and which became worse during Christian holidays.

2018-04-20 | en

Ryeohaeng

A group of women climbs a summer mountain situated in South Korea. They are refugees who have settled into South Korean society after fleeing from North Korea. For them, climbing the mountains has been an unavoidable journey for survival - a matter of life and death.

2019-08-08 | ko

Religulous

Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Traveling around the world, Maher examines the tenets of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and raises questions about homosexuality, proof of Christ's existence, Jewish Sabbath laws, violent Muslim extremists.

2008-10-01 | en

The Devil Came on Horseback

While serving with the African Union, former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle documents the brutal ethnic cleansing occuring in Darfur. Determined that the Western public should know about the atrocities he is witnessing, Steidle contacts New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof, who publishes some of Steidle's photographic evidence.

2007-01-19 | en

Twinsters

Adopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth.

2015-07-17 | en

Behind the Veil: Nuns

The history of nuns mirrors the history of all women -- in what we are taught about the past, women are almost invisible. Although today's one million nuns outnumber priests two to one, they must struggle to be heard by the all-male Roman Catholic hierarchy from which they are excluded. Behind the Veil: Nuns is the first film ever to record from a global perspective the turbulent history and remarkable achievements of women in religion, from pre-Christian Celtic communities to the radical sisters of the 1980s. Contemporary nuns of strength, dignity and commitment speak of their lives and of their predecessors.

1984-09-19 | en

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word

Pope Francis responds to questions from around the world, discussing topics including ecology, immigration, consumerism and social justice.

2018-05-18 | en

Sands of Silence

Inspired by the transformation of the sex-trafficking survivors whose lives she follows, the filmmaker finds the courage to break the silence about sexual abuse in her own life.

2016-10-02 | en

Hexenkinder

The movie recalls children who suffered mental and physical harm both during the last century, particularly in religious orphanages, and during the time of early modernperiod witch-hunts. It shows that the mindsets and behavioural patterns of both time periods are more alike than one might think.

2020-09-17 | de

Two Crowns

Recreation of facts and stories of both experts and people who met Maximilian Kolbe and were shocked by his words and actions.

2017-10-13 | pl

Ka Ke Ki Ku

This early work from Pierre Perrault, made in collaboration with René Bonnière, chronicles summer activities in the Innu communities of Unamenshipu (La Romaine) and Pakuashipi. Shot by noted cinematographer Michel Thomas-d’Hoste, it documents the construction of a traditional canoe, fishing along the Coucouchou River, a procession marking the Christian feast of the Assumption, and the departure of children for residential schools—an event presented here in an uncritical light. Perrault’s narration, delivered by an anonymous male voice, underscores the film’s outsider gaze on its Indigenous subjects. The film is from Au Pays de Neufve-France (1960), a series produced by Crawley Films, an important early Canadian producer of documentary films.

1960-01-15 | fr

A Different Kind of Gun

"The reason why they kill people is because they do not have any education," a Sudanese boy says about the bloody conflict in his fatherland. Shortly before, we see images of a bombed school. In this film, the youngest and most innocent generation of Sudanese explains how it deals with the war that is tearing the country apart. Will the orphaned children avenge their murdered parents, or will they forgive the killers and start working on a new life? At any rate, these children's dreams for the future are anything but violent. One of them wants to learn English to be able to liberate his country, another wants to study to "be something," a third wants to become president to bring total peace, and yet another simply wants to be like her grandmother. Despite all the atrocities they have witnessed, the children mainly want to rebuild things, to put an end to the destruction.

2007-01-01 | ar

President - Documentary

2019-11-07 | ko

Darfur Now

This acclaimed documentary follows the story of six people who are determined to end the sufferings in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur. The six - an American activist, an international prosecutor, a Sudanese rebel, a sheikh, a leader of the World Food Program and an internationally known actor - demonstrate the power of how one individual can create extraordinary changes.

2007-11-02 | en

Diaspora: Arirang Road

During the Japanese occupation period, Koreans were forced to deport or drafted to work in other countries. Now 150 years passed, it appears around 7million of those people and their families are spread in 170 countries. There, a world-famous Korean-Japanese musician Yang Bang Ean follows the pathways of Korean diasporas as an inspiration, and performs his cross over music concert called ‘ARIRANG ROAD’.

2019-12-12 | ko

Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs

The Kush Empire was an ancient superpower that dominated the Nile Valley and rivaled the Egyptians, and now, a new, cutting-edge investigation at a mysterious tomb could reveal the secrets of this formidable lost kingdom.

2019-12-01 | en

Procession

Six men who were sexually abused by Catholic clergy as boys find empowerment by creating short films inspired by their trauma.

2021-11-12 | en

Day of the Fight

'Day of the Fight' shows Irish-American middleweight boxer Walter Cartier during the height of his career, on the day of a fight with black middleweight Bobby James, which took place on April 17, 1950.

1951-04-26 | en

Sudan's Forgotten Films

Benjamin and Awad run Sudan's national film archive. The two men, who have worked together for more than 40 years, are devoted to protecting their country's visual memories. Home to some 13,000 films, the archive preserves pivotal moments of Sudan's turbulent history and is one of the largest in Africa. But the archive is in a fragile state. Following years of neglect and poor storage, many film reels are turning to dust in Sudan's unforgiving tropical climate. The two friends are determined to turn it around and embark on a mission to save the old films. Will they succeed in preserving Sudan's visual history for future generations before it's too late?

2017-10-22 | en