Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema

Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'

September 2014 •English

A new documentary on the Criterion Collection edition of Roman Polanski's 1971 adaptation of Macbeth featuring interviews with the director, producer Andrew Braunsberg, assistant executive producer Victor Lownes, and actors Francesca Annis and Martin Shaw.

Memory: The Origins of Alien

January 2019 •English

The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.

Run Wrake's Guide to Animation

June 2007 •English

Run Wrake is an English filmmaker, animation director, and music video director. He studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Arts before completing a master's degree in animation at the Royal College of Art in London. In this interview for the BBC's Channel 4, he describes some of his films, their inception, and their production. He also comments on technological and cultural developments that have changed how animated films are produced and perceived.

Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence

January 2007 •Bulgarian

A film pioneer, Binka Zhelyazkova was at the forefront of political cinema under Bulgaria's Communist dictatorship. Though she remained faithful to the communist ideals she became an avid critic of the regime and brought upon herself the wrath of its censorship. As a result four of her nine films were shelved and released to the public only after the fall of the regime in 1989, and Binka Zhelyazkova became known as the bad girl of Bulgarian cinema. A provocative portrait that reveals the pressures and complexities that arise when art is made under totalitarianism.

Floyd Norman: An Animated Life

February 2016 •English

Animator. Storyman. Troublemaker. At 80 years old, see how Disney Legend Floyd Norman, the first African-American animator at Disney, continues to impact animation and stir up "trouble" after the company forced him to retire at age 65.

Hollywood Rated 'R'

June 1997 •English

A roller-coaster ride through the history of American exploitation films, ranging from Roger Corman's sci-fi and horror monster movies, 1960s beach movies, H.G. Lewis' gore-fests, William Castle's schlocky theatrical gimmicks, to 1970s blaxploitation, pre-"Deep Throat" sex tease films, Russ Meyer's bosom-heavy masterpieces, etc, etc. Over 25 interviews of the greatest purveyors of weird films of all kind from 1940 to 1975. Illustrated with dozens of films clips, trailers, extra footage, etc. This documentary as a shorter companion piece focusing on exploitation king David F. Friedman.

Director Z, el vendedor de ilusiones

April 2018 •Spanish

A documentary film about cult director José María Zabalza. How he made pictures with very little money and was granted little recognition.

My True Brilliant Friend

December 2018 •Italian

A unique portrayal of two young amateur actresses embarking on a journey that will forever change their lives as they star in the most eagerly anticipated new show of 2018, Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend.

Nightmare in Canada: Canadian Horror on Film

October 2004 •English

Nightmare in Canada is a television documentary that delves into the history of Canada's horror film industry. Not only do Canadian horror films have a distinct look and style, they also explore fear and dread in a truly "tundra terror" way through themes such as "man against nature" and "fighting the evil that comes from within." Nightmare in Canada uncovers gems from Canada's film history that combat the stereotype that Canadian cinema is bland or aloof.

DIYSEX

November 2019 •Spanish

DIYSEX is a film that reflects on the use of the image and the language of mainstream pornography, and wonders how far this use can transcend when making your porn film.

The Ability Exchange

September 2016 •English

A documentary about an innovative Disability Studies class at NYU Tandon School of Engineering where engineering students and adults with cerebral palsy learn to communicate, connect, and cultivate their abilities by making movies.

A Box of Film

January 1958 •Czech

A film about filmmaking.

The Neverending Party

January 2023 •French

A look-back at popular French movie "La Boum" (The Party).

Society of the Snow: Who Were We on the Mountain?

January 2024 •Spanish

An in-depth look at the creative process behind "Society of the Snow," featuring cast, crew, director J.A. Bayona and even real-life survivors.

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.

Making The Worst Person in the World

June 2022 •English

In this new program, director Joachim Trier, actors Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Herbert Nordrum, screenwriter Eskil Vogt, and sound designer Gisle Tveito discuss their passion for cinema and the conception and production of The Worst Person in the World. The interviews were shot in New York and Oslo in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (51 min). Part of the Criterion Collection home video release for THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.

The Longing of Michael Dudok de Wit

July 2016 •Dutch

Michael Dudok de Wit was asked by the famous Japanese animation studio Ghibli, to create his first feature length animated film. This would be Ghibli's first international co-production ever. Maarten Schmidt and Thomas Doebele followed Dudok de Wit and his team during the complex creative process for over two years. He is a perfectionist that is used to making his own hand drawn animated films by himself. For this new and timely production, he was assisted by a team of 20 to 30 artists from all over Europe.

Absentia: A Retrospective

July 2014 •English

Documentary film on the making of Mike Flanagan's Absentia. Interviews with cast and crew and behind-the-scenes.

Faggots

May 2019 •Spanish

Absolute pleasure as an identity. Alfonso de Sierra, Luis Escribano, Ramón Massa, Ces Martí and Enric Bents were “Els 5 QKs”, a group of amateur filmmakers who, in 1975, decided to get together and create a transgressive and courageous filmography breaking social, religious, and political boundaries; placing the faggot as leading role hero: proud of himself, shameless, beyond good and evil. In this documentary film, Luis Escribano and Ces Martí, only living members of the group, review, alongside some actors, their creative process and what those films, forgotten till now, meant to Barcelona during La Trancisión.

La extraña pareja: Pajares y Esteso

September 2008 •Spanish