The Oratorio

Fuoco sacro – Suche nach dem heiligen Feuer des Gesangs

April 2022 •German

What drives men and women to risk their own lives to save those of others? Fuoco Sacro tells the story of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian fire department, and does it through the voices of the people who, over half a century of history, have tackled with competence and a spirit of self-sacrifice the greatest calamities that Italy has tragically had to experience at firsthand.

Florence Foster Jenkins: A World of Her Own

June 2007 •English

Documentary about Florence Foster Jenkins, her delusions, and how the people around her reacted to them.

Antonio Paoli: Rey de Tenores y Tenor de Reyes

January 1991 •Spanish

The life and career of Puerto Rican tenor Antonio Paoli, also known as The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings.

Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera

October 1985 •English

The creative processes of avant-garde composer Philip Glass and progressive director/designer Robert Wilson are examined in this film. It documents their collaboration on this tradition breaking opera.

Carmen Not Only According to Bizet

January 1968 •Czech

This is funny or rather crazy adaptation of classical opera Carmen inspired by famous czech theatre Ypsilon play of the same name shot at various bizarre locations such as airport, botanical garden and winter forest.

Kundry

January 1996 •German

Documentary about opera production and the life of theatre stars.

Sounds of Dortmund

April 2021 •German

The Revenge of the Diva

March 2019 •Swedish

Sivandivan is a documentary about an uncompromising royal singer who refused to adapt to the norm of how a female artist should behave. And for that, she has had to pay dearly. She is now 72, has no family, not many know who she is and to those who do, she is an outcast.This movie is about Siv’s revenge and comeback.

Peter Dvorský

April 2022 •Slovak

Diptych

June 1967 •French

A short film by Walerian Borowczyk in two parts. The first 'panel' follows the morning routine of Leon Boyer who, despite being almost 100 years old, still farms the land, drives a vintage car, and plays with his two dogs. The second panel shows shots of beautiful flowers and a cat, to a recording of Tino Rossi singing 'La romance de Nadir / Je crois encore entendre' from Bizet's opera 'Les pêcheurs de perles'.

Confession of the Vanished

April 2015 •Czech

The film follows the staging of the opera Olimpiade while at the same time exploring the dramatic life of its composer Josef Mysliveček, a friend and teacher of W. A. Mozart.

Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star

September 2017 •French

Although he is unanimously credited with having democratised opera, making it accessible to the greatest number, focus is rarely put on the strategy he devised and implemented in order to carry out his actions, nor what his actions reveal of the man and artist, and of the resulting metamorphosis from opera singer to pop artist. Through this angle, this film sets out to pay tribute to the man who summed up his credo, obsession and life’s work, in the following way: “They led the public to believe that classical music belonged to a restricted elite. I was the way to prove to the world that was wrong.

La Traviata: Love, Death & Divas

July 2015 •English

The arias of La traviata are instantly recognisable. Yet at its London premiere in 1856, it was denounced for bringing 'the poetry of the brothel' to the stage and unleashing uncomfortable truths on Victorian society.

Adolphe Appia Visionary of Invisible

September 1988 •French

The life and work of stage designer ADOLPHE APPIA, originator of the most profound agitations in contemporary theatre. Through the dynamic alternation of animated drawings and choreographies specially conceived for the film, we discover the steps of his artistic evolution.

Faszinierende Frauen - Faszinierende Stimmen

October 2009 •German

Documentary about female opera stars.

Kapr Code

December 2022 •Czech

This film traces the life of Jan Kapr, a prominent Czech composer of the 20th century. A documentary opera with an ambitious libretto and playful and refined editing work, Kapr Code is an unexpected celebration of creativity that shakes up our ideas of biography and pays tribute to the importance of resisting homologation and censorship through art and creation.

Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle

January 1999 •English

With its four operas, seventeen-hour running time and months of rehearsal, Wagner's "Ring Cycle" is a daunting undertaking for any opera company. Jon Else goes backstage to show this rare event entirely from the point of view of union stagehands at the San Francisco Opera.

Hollywoods Oper - Eine Oper für Los Angeles

January 2006 •German

Documentary about opera in Hollywood.

Tatort Oper - Wie Filmemacher Oper machen

July 2007 •German

What happens when famous directors stage an opera? Eckhart Schmidt shows successful and failed attempts.

The Sound of Identity

August 2020 •English

In the spotlight of global media coverage, the first transgender woman ever to perform as Don Giovanni in a professional opera, makes her historic debut in one of the reddest states in the U.S.