In Search of Memory

Germans & Jews - Eine neue Perspektive

June 2016 •German

Following Germany's transformation as a society from the Holocaust to becoming the moral leader of Europe as the country embraces hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Cat Daddies

October 2022 •English

Man has a new best friend in this heartwarming portrait of nine men whose lives have been forever changed by their proud love of cats.

2 x 50 Years of French Cinema

May 1995 •French

At a lakeside hotel, Michel Piccoli discusses the centennial of cinema with Jean-Luc Godard. Godard asks why should cinema's birthday be celebrated when the history of film is a forgotten subject. Through the remainder of his hotel stay, Piccoli tests Godard's hypothesis.

One Nation Under Dog

June 2012 •English

.Americans have had a long love affair with dogs, with many of us referring to our canine companions as best friends, significant others, soul mates, even children. But lost amidst all the pampering and pedestaling are hard and often tragic truths surrounding dog ownership, care and commerce, not to mention the daunting odds continuing to face millions of unwanted shelter dogs. Divided into three parts – “Fear,” “Loss” and “Betrayal” – this 73-minute documentary is comprised of eight case studies that probe the complicated and conflicted relationship we have with canines. Collectively, the segments reveal the sobering realities behind our relationship with dogs, showing not only how far some dog lovers will go for their pets, but how far we as nation have to go in order to treat all dogs humanely.

Documentarian

April 2012 •Latvian

Inta is a brusque, crusty woman who lives alone on the edge of a picturesque marsh. One day her solitude is intruded upon by the arrival of a documentary filmmaker. In his eyes Inta is an outstanding would-be film protagonist but the wild woman would rather put a curse on the importunate intruder than let herself be filmed. But the filmmaker's persistence finally succeeds in melting the ice of Inta's heart... just in order to break it soon afterwards.

Persons of Interest

January 2004 •English

A documentary concerning the detention of Muslim-Americans in the wake of 9/11.

Journal de France

May 2012 •French

A journal, a voyage through time. He photographs France, she rediscovers the unseen footage he has so carefully kept: his first steps behind the camera, his TV reports from around the world, snatches of their memories and of our history.

Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out

September 2012 •English

A follow-up to the 2008 documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired", focusing on the filmmaker's successful battle to avoid extradition in to the U.S. in 2010.

Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember

September 1997 •Italian

In 1996, Marcello Mastroianni talks about life as an actor. It's an anecdotal and philosophical memoir, moving from topic to topic, fully conscious of a man "of a certain age" looking back. He tells stories about Fellini and De Sica's direction, of using irony in performances, of constantly working (an actor tries to find himself in characters). He's diffident about prizes, celebrates Rome and Paris, salutes Naples and its people. He answers the question, why make bad films; recalls his father and grandfather, carpenters, his mother, deaf in her old age, and his brother, a film editor; he's modest about his looks. In repose, time's swift passage holds Mastroianni inward gaze.

Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse

October 1996 •English

She came to the New York City Ballet as a teenager from Ohio and captured the heart and soul of the great Mr. B, inspiring the seminal ballets of her era and setting off a star-crossed love triangle as fevered and bizarre as anything in THE RED SHOES. As the greatest ballerina of her time looks back on her amazing career in Anne Belle and Deborah Dickson's intimate portrait, the on-stage triumphs and backstage turmoil come to vivid life.

El Sistema

December 2008 •English

El Sistema is a network of childrens and youth orchestras, music centres and workshops in Venezuela, in which more than 250,000 children and young people are currently learning to play an instrument. It was set up over thirty years ago by José Antonio Abreu, who was driven by the utopian vision of a better future. In the dangerous and poverty-stricken shanty towns of Caracas, Abreu lifts children out of poverty through music, changing both people and structures. The film El Sistema shows how Abreus astonishing ideas have led the way out of the vicious circle of poverty - and how the power of music has been able to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people.

Camus, l'icône de la révolte

January 2020 •French

The Joy of Life

May 2005 •English

A blending of documentary and experimental narrative strategies, combining stunning 16mm landscape cinematography with a bold, lyrical voice-over to share two San Francisco stories: the history of the Golden Gate Bridge as “suicide landmark,” and the story of a butch dyke in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. The Joy of Life is a film about landscapes, both physical and emotional.

Smile Pinki

December 2008 •English

Pinki is a five-year-old girl from a village in the Mirzapur District, India, born into a desperately poor family, and with a cleft lip. Pinki never realized that this condition required just one simple operation until she met Pankaj, a social worker traveling from village to village gathering patients to go to hospital in Varanasi that provides free surgery to thousands each year. This real-world fairy tale follows its protagonist journey to a dream smile from isolation and shame.

For You Naked

February 2012 •Swedish

The main character of Swedish director Sara Broos’s documentary is her godfather and close family friend Lars Lerin, one of Scandinavia’s most highly regarded modern painters. After a complicated period during which the extravagant artist pushed back waves of anxiety by overindulging in alcohol and pills (ultimately entering an abuse program), he focused on finding the love of his life. Via the internet he becomes intrigued by a young Brazilian dancer named Manoel, who flies to Sweden to see him. But due to the language barrier, age difference, and the Swedish artist’s frequent doubts, their relationship doesn’t appear very hopeful. This sensitive record of an untraditional love story takes the viewer through all the ups and downs of a relationship between two people from entirely different backgrounds for whom the tired old cliché of love moving mountains acquires absolute currency.

Dare Remember

March 2012 •English

"It's been 25 years and there is so little I remember. I can not remember the police investigation and I can not remember the trial. I have never talked to my parents about the rape, but it is always there anyway. " Dare Remember is an exceptionally brave documentary film that put words to what has been hushed. About meeting what you prefer to forget. A movie about moving forward.

Europa 2005 – 27 octobre

October 2006 •French

Inspired by Rossellini's Europa '51 Straub-Huillet made a film consisting of two pans of a street corner in Paris.

How Yukong Moved the Mountains

March 1976 •French

From 1972 until 1974, Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan, along with a Chinese film crew, documented the last days of the Cultural Revolution, marking the end of an era. The vast amount of footage they shot was edited into 14 films of varying lengths. Focusing on ordinary people spread over a wide geographic area—many of whom were living and working in collectives—the filmmakers recorded a unique moment in history, and also captured some of the more enduring aspects of Chinese culture.

Palme

September 2012 •Swedish

Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was openly shot to death on a February evening 1986 on the streets of Stockholm. In one night, the country of Sweden was transfigured. “Palme” is about his life, his time, and about the Sweden he had created. About a man who altered history.

Left of the Dial

March 2005 •English

A documentary look at the troubled first year of liberal talk radio start up Air America and its slate of hosts, including Al Franken, Rachel Maddow, and Marc Maron.