Visions Cinema: Film as a Way of Life: Hong Kong Cinema - A Report by Tony Rayns

The Birth of the Genre

November 1967 •Estonian

The film summarizes the origin and development of animated film at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

A Personal Journey Through Cinema History with Thomas Pollock

July 2016 •English

Covering over 100 years of cinema, this is a journey of discovering and exploring the magic of cinema from a personal perspective. Looking at the changes and developments of cinema Thomas explains how film has deeply affected his life as a person and a filmmaker.

JFK Remembered: 50 Years Later

November 2013 •English

A look back at the 1000 days of the John F. Kennedy presidency.

Hard to Believe

November 2016 •English

A documentary that examines the issue of forced live organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners of conscience, and the response - or lack of it - around the world. It's happened before: governments killing their own citizens for their political or spiritual beliefs. But it’s never happened like this. It’s happened so often that the world doesn’t always pay attention.

The Shoe Shiner's Journey

July 2016 •Chinese

Around China with a Movie Camera

July 2016 •English

A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

Sex and Buttered Popcorn

January 1989 •English

Actor Ned Beatty hosts a look at the genre known as "exploitation" films. Interviews with some of the producers and directors of these films are shown, along with scenes from and trailers for some of these films.

Six by Sondheim

December 2013 •English

This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.

La trans de la patria

August 2018 •Spanish

Berlanga!!

October 2021 •Spanish

How does the vision of the brilliant Spanish filmmaker Luis García Berlanga (1921-2010) remain relevant in a time whose popular culture has little to do with his own? Since to understand the secrets of an artist it is essential to know the person behind, his family, his friends, his collaborators, as well as prestigious filmmakers and actors trace a collective portrait of a creator as singular as he is universal.

China: A Class By Itself

January 1979 •English

An inside look at China working towards the goal of becoming a superpower by the year 2000 via education as the key to modernization. Filmed in Peking, on a rural commune in central China, and in the industrial northeast region, Jack Reynolds interviews Vice Premier Fang Yi and the president of Peking University, as well as students, workers, and peasants.

O Capitão que Quase Enganou a Tristeza

July 2016 •Portuguese

575 Castro St.

February 2009 •English

Images set to a tape recording that slain San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk made in November 1977 to be played in case he was killed.

Yellowstone an American Legacy

January 2008 •English

A fully narrated glimpse into Yellowstone's history as well as its current offerings.

The Cinema According to Bertolucci

February 1976 •Italian

Documentary on the filming of Novecento by Bernardo Bertolucci

Fiddlin Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills

September 1993 •English

Legendary western swing band leader Bob Wills rose up in the Great Depression to fame in Oklahoma and Texas that soon swept the entire nation. The documentary FIDDLIN MAN offers a full biography of Wills, using a vast array of on camera interviews with his friends, family, and fellow musicians. The film also draws on a wealth of rare archival footage.

Great Raids of World War II

June 2006 •English

Showcases a series of daring raid made by various sections of the British military during World War II. The raids highlighted are "Stopping Hitler's A-Bomb", "Prison Busters", Radar Beam Raiders", "Storm at St. Nazaire", "Cockleshell Raiders" and "Arctic Commando Assaults". Each raid is analyzed, the reasons for it taking place, the planning and execution plus the results and consequences.

Dirty John: The Dirty Truth

January 2019 •English

John Meehan created a terrifying trap of seduction, deceit and betrayal for countless victims. The illuminating revelations into his backstory showcase a series of events that flipped switches to create a monster wired for psychopathy. Goffard exposes John’s troubled background that built the foundation for his ominous fantasy world of lies and manipulation. In addition to hearing the Newell family’s terrifying tale, John’s first wife Tonia Bales and her daughters Emily and Abigail Meehan speak out, along with other women from his past who were caught in his web of lies.

Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies

January 2008 •English

Documentary portrays the saga of how Italian Americans went from being outsiders who were stereotyped as gangsters in American movies to insiders in Hollywood who took control of their own stories. Interviews, film clips and home movies from Italian American filmmakers highlight personal experiences and comment on Hollywood's politics and cultural impact.

The Gettysburg Story

June 2013 •English

A documentary about the Battle of Gettysburg during the US Civil War.