Video Blues

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam

January 2003 •English

Long Tack Sam was an internationally renowned Chinese acrobat and magician. He overcame isolation, poverty, cultural and linguistic barriers, extreme racism and world wars to become one of the most successful vaudeville acts of his time. His showmanship was unrivalled, yet he refused to appear in movies because of the way Chinese were portrayed at the time. A celebration of the spirit of Long Tack Sam's magic and art, this richly textured first person road movie is an exhilarating testament to his legacy and a prismatic tour through the 20th Century. It all begins in a small village in China... https://www.nfb.ca/film/the_magical_life_of_long_tack_sam/

Lenin kam nur bis Lüdenscheid - Meine kleine deutsche Revolution

February 2008 •German

Faces from Home

February 2024 •Portuguese

In an empty house, we see the memories of a home, from those who once lived and filled it with joy and love.

Phantoms of the Sierra Madre

September 2024 •English

A Danish writer travels to Mexico with the purpose of locating a mysterious Apache tribe that fervently seeks to remain in obscurity.

Monsieur Mayonnaise

July 2016 •English

Artist and filmmaker Philippe Mora (Mad Dog Morgan; The Howling II; Swastika) is producing a graphic novel about his late father, Georges, widely known in Melbourne as a beloved contemporary art patron and owner of bohemian eateries Mirka Café, Café Balzac and the Tolarno Restaurant and Galleries. Less known, however, is Georges' astonishing history as part of the French resistance during World War II, his friendship with renowned mime Marcel Marceau (Philippe's godfather), and how together they saved thousands of Jewish lives with a fiendishly simple trick involving baguettes and mayonnaise.

Lost in the Bewilderness

March 2014 •English

Lost in the Bewilderness is a feature-length documentary about the filmmaker’s cousin Lucas, kidnapped at age five from his native Greece, and found on the eve of his 16th birthday in the US. This story of international parental abduction, filmed for over twenty years, chronicles Lucas’s journey of growth and self-discovery, and culminates with Lucas becoming a father himself. Lost in the Bewilderness is not only a detective story but also a lyrical meditation on childhood, lost and found, and an exploration of how the themes of ancient Greek myth and tragedy, with the family at their center, are still very much alive in the modern world.

Ines, Memories of a Lifetime

March 2014 •English

When Ines died, she left a very particular legacy, 10 books that read 'For my children'; it was the story of her life. Marked by a youth idyllic love, Ines was forced to marry a violent and womanizer man with whom she had 20 children. In the 50s, she managed to get divorce and 20 years after her death, Luisa, great-granddaughter of INES, reads, rescues and makes visible her history.

Do the Dead Speak to Us?

December 2019 •Spanish

Filmmaker Helena de Llanos, who lives in the chaotic house, full of memories and treasures, where her grandfather, Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921-2007), legendary writer, actor and director; and his wife, the actress and writer Emma Cohen (1946-2016), shared their lives, analyzes the relationship that the living have with the dead through the places and objects they have left behind.

Cómo vivir toda una vida con apenas un te quiero

Invalid date •Spanish

Wanda Gosciminska – A Textile Worker

June 1975 •Polish

The life of a female weaver is thrown onto the socio-political canvas of pre-war and post-war communist Poland through the use of expressive allegorical and symbolic imagery in this imaginative take on the documentary form.

The Giacomettis

October 2023 •German

The rugged Swiss mountain valley of Bregaglia has produced an entire dynasty of artists: the Giacomettis. Alberto revolutionised the art world with his slender sculptures. Before him, his father was an Impressionist of the first hour. What makes this valley the birthplace of so many artists?

Up the Yangtze

September 2007 •Chinese

A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze - navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as "The River." The Yangtze is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river's edge - a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead. The Three Gorges Dam - contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle - provides the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on life inside modern China.

Villa Madjo

November 2023 •French

Mamanam

January 2021 •German

West Germany, Christmas Eve, 1971. 7-year-old Kimîa captures her family’s celebration through the lens of her Super 8 camera. But the mood changes when her mother, Hanna, discovers her husband’s plans.

Floripes

Invalid date •Portuguese

A story with almost 100 years told by the 95 years old woman Floripes.

Get To Know Mbatik

Invalid date •English

Alex, a wealthy and handsome man living a meaningless life, meets Tika, a beautiful and refined woman from a different background. He falls in love with her and pretend to learn Batik at Tika's mother's gallery to win her heart.

Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave

April 2019 •English

Documentary taking a look at the making of the controversial 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave.

The Beaches of Agnès

December 2008 •French

Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts and elaborate dramatic re-creations, Varda's self-portrait recounts the highs and lows of her professional career, the many friendships that affected her life and her longtime marriage to cinematic giant Jacques Demy.

Zhou Lan-Ping – His Life and Music

December 2013 •Chinese

Zhou Lan-Ping, who wrote the renowned Mandarin pop song ‘Green Island Serenade’ and the score of the acclaimed Chinese musical film The Love Eterne, is one of the most celebrated Chinese composers in modern times. Through old friends and colleagues’ recollection, commentaries from experts in the fields and academic researches, together with historical photos and audio-visual materials, this documentary explores this musician’s life and music and pays tribute to his contribution to the Chinese film and pop industries.

Frauen (m)einer Familie

April 2022 •German