Walkabout to Hollywood

Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star

June 2016 •English

Leslie Caron, beloved star of Gigi and An American in Paris, is one of the last witnesses to the golden age of American cinema of the mid 20th century. Discovered by Gene Kelly when she was a teenager, she became one of the great talents in the worlds of film, dance, and theatre, still performing to this day! The film reveals a story told through the prism of a living legend who reveals secrets of her work and life- a world of contradictions, ambitions and dreams, lived by one of its most luminous personalities.

A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

September 2005 •English

Kirk Douglas achieved the kind of cinematic stardom that dreams are made of. As the torch was passed to his talented son Michael, it became obvious to everyone that the Douglas dynasty would continue to thrive…

Rubens: A Life in Europe

February 2018 •German

The Flemish painter, humanist and diplomat Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was fortunate to be recognized during his lifetime as an artist of genius and one of the most prolific among his peers, making him a key figure of the Baroque.

Mussorgsky

November 1950 •Russian

Saint Petersburg, 1858. A group of composers known as The Five meet at Balakirev's. Young Modest Mussorgsky, both a civil servant and a musician, has become a fixture there. He tells about the first opera he plans to compose. Then he goes to the country where he discovers the lowly conditions of the peasants and the bloody conflicts with the rich land owners. He works on Gogol's 'The Marriage', trying to render into music the natural accents of the play's naturalistic dialogue. But his efforts do not pan out. On the other hand, he starts writing his opera on the story of Boris Godunov. The Marinsky Theatre refuses to stage the work. The Five, and Mussorgsky among them, are libeled and the group starts disintegrating. When 'Boris Godunov' is finally performed in 1874, it is a popular success.

Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist

July 2021 •French

A subtle portrait of Japanese director Satoshi Kon by the specialist of Japanese cinema Pascal-Alex Vincent and a dive into a rich work. With interviews of the greatest Japanese, French and American directors inspired by his work.

The Crossing of the Andes

April 2011 •Spanish

Buenos Aires, 1880. A journalist interviews Manuel Esteban Corvalán, one of the last living men who crossed the Andes in 1817 with José de San Martín, during the Argentinian and Chilean wars of independence, as one of his secretaries, when he was only 15 years old.

Godless in America

January 2006 •English

Documentary about atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair who, for 30 notorious years, successfully challenged God in America, and was brutally murdered in the summer of 1995. O'Hair had come to occupy a special place in the American psyche since her 1963 campaign which ended compulsory prayer in US schools after a Supreme Court action on behalf of her son William. She journeyed from Cold War paranoia, through to the rise of the neocons and born again Christianity in Reagan's America and beyond. (Storyville)

The Real Abraham Lincoln

February 2009 •English

Lincoln's journey from his early years as a rising politician through his presidency, the Civil War, and his untimely death

Otevřený kruh

August 1973 •Czech

Stars

May 2017 •Polish

A story of passion, rivalry, love, and friendship. Jan Banas, acclaimed Silesian football player of the 1960s and 1970s, struggles to makes his dreams come true on and off the field. Stars is the story of a great love between young people torn by passion and ambition.

Hryhorii Skovoroda

March 1960 •Russian

It is a life story of one of the most famous Ukrainians and certainly a faithful servant of his nation, of Hryhorii Skovoroda. Neither promises, nor suggestion of high ranks, nor flattery, could shake his fidelity to his ideals. A wandering philosopher, who loved Ukraine with all his heart, he left an eternal trace in its history and culture.

Alfred

December 1986 •German

Short biographical documentary about the life of Alfred Florstedt and his life as a progressive communist from the Weimar Republic to his death in 1985.

A Star Named Ayrton Senna

February 1998 •Portuguese

The Official Film of Brazil's greatest Formula One driver, Ayrton Senna, who's sudden death in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix sent shock waves around the World. It cemented his reputation both within the sport, and his native Brazil, as a legend. The film looks at his life and career using archive footage and featuring revealing interviews with the man, as well as those who knew him well; friends, family and competitors. It also shows how the Ayrton Senna Foundation, set up in his honor, is working to help under privileged and street-bound children in his native Brazil using sport as an incentive to learn. Written by Oliver Warman.

Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light

February 2000 •English

Actor/director Sidney Poitier discusses his life and career. He tells of his upbringing in Jamaica; the difficulties he encountered in New York City at the start of his career; his involvement in the US civil-rights movement; and efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Friends and acquaintances, as well as other performers, give their insights about what makes him so special.

Smuteční hudba za padlé hrdiny

July 1977 •Czech

Bob Marley: One Love

February 2024 •English

Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.

A Life for Movies: Lotte Eisner

February 2021 •German

Born in Berlin in 1896, Lotte Eisner became famous for her passionate involvement in the world of both German and French cinema. In 1936, together with Henri Langlois, she founded the Cinémathèque Française with the goal of saving from destruction films, costumes, sets, posters, and other treasures of the 7th Art. A Jew exiled in Paris, she became a pillar of the capital's cultural scene, where she promoted German cinema.

Rachmaninoff Revisited

November 2020 •German

A Belated Premiere

January 2004 •Russian

A prominent Russian ballet dancer and teacher Alexander Shiryaev had another talent hidden for almost a century. Archive materials that date back to 1906 reveal his bold experiments at stop-motion and paper animation.

Blood, Boobs & Beast

May 2007 •English

A look at the works and life of the late, great Don Dohler.