Mondo Bizarro

The Endless Summer

June 1966 •English

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

Land Without Bread

December 1933 •Spanish

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)

Dark Side of the Moon

October 2002 •French

A French documentary or, one might say more accurately, a mockumentary, by director William Karel which originally aired on Arte in 2002 with the title Opération Lune. The basic premise for the film is the theory that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and actually recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick.

Italy's in Season

January 1967 •English

This short film presents a look at Italy's popular tourist spots.

Nostradamos

July 2011 •French

Citizens living in the city of Amos, Quebec, Canada and its surroundings are preparing for the worst. They have to act fast and make some quick decisions.

Pandora Peaks

December 2002 •English

Documentary on famed erotic icon Pandora Peaks. Last film directed by Russ Meyer.

Mondo Topless

November 1966 •English

Mondo Topless is a 1966 pseudo documentary directed by Russ Meyer, featuring Babette Bardot and Lorna Maitland among others.

Rough Cut

December 2013 •English

Rough Cut, the debut feature from London-based artist Jamie Shovlin, explores the re-making of an exploitation film that never was. At its dark heart is Hiker Meat, an archetypal 1970s slasher movie imagined by Shovlin, complete with hitchhiking heroine, charismatic commune leader and a group of teens who disappear one by one. This tantalising film-within-a-film serves to both deconstruct and pay affectionate homage to the often-maligned exploitation style. Having created a full screenplay, score and cut-and-paste prototype for Hiker Meat, Shovlin filmed key sections and a full trailer in an intense shoot in the Lake District in summer 2013. Rough Cut contrasts these re-made sequences with on-set footage and insights into the development of Hiker Meat’s script, soundtrack and design, to create a compelling mash-up of self-referencing processes, behind-the-scenes viewpoints and time-honoured slasher tropes.

Wise Guys: The Lost Show

May 2022 •English

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two college students set out to make a revolutionary television show. The pilot episode was uncovered and presented alongside exclusive interviews with the cast and crew.

Renault 12

May 2018 •French

Shortly after his mother’s passing, playwright and stage director Mohamed El Khatib receives a phone call from his uncle in Bab Berred, the family’s village in the Moroccan Rif, instructing him to come as soon as possible to collect his inheritance – mysteriously insisting that he should make the trip in a Renault 12. Coaxed by his father, El Khatib decides to make the journey from Orléans to Tangier. Structured like a road movie, Renault 12 is also the filmmaker’s quest to discover his own origins, in which he both documents chance encounters and stages situations to bring social, political, and cultural landscapes to light.

Folded: The Quesadilla Story

January 2024 •English

This is an in depth look at the world's greatest meal.

A Secret in the Box

September 2017 •Spanish

The life and works of Ecuadorian writer Marcelo Chiriboga, a key figure of the Latin American literature and member of the “boom” generation. Through interviews, visits to different cities, archival footage and his most important book, a puzzle is woven that blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction.

West Virginia, the State Beautiful

December 1929 •English

A travelogue showing the beauty of the state of West Virginia in 1929.

Mated

January 1952 •English

Vital true sex facts and scenes formerly restricted to medical books, this film was billed as an illustrated lecture on film.

Champagne Safari

January 1954 •English

Travelogue/documentary follows newly married Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Khan on their honeymoon trip through exotic locales.

Attacking the Darkness

October 2015 •English

American religious extremism collides with independent filmmaking when Harmony Hope Bryant sets out to create a cautionary movie about the dangers of roleplaying games.

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.

Sexy Show

April 1964 •Italian

Short film made by Elio Belletti.

Yo quise hacer Los bingueros 2

January 2016 •Spanish

Sunshine in Soho

January 1956 •English

1950s Soho beats with far more energy than its 21st century counterpart in this vivid time capsule.