Opening Day of Close-Up

Cassini's Grand Finale

April 2017 •English

To help visualize the dramatic final chapter in Cassini's remarkable story, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this short film that features beautiful computer-generated animation, thoughtful narration and a rousing score. Producers at JPL worked with filmmaker Erik Wernquist, known for his 2014 short film "Wanderers," to create a stirring finale video befitting one of NASA's most successful missions of exploration.

Hollywood - The Second Step

June 1936 •English

This short follows the early career of actress Jane Barnes. She starts by doing extra work. After several months she is offered a studio contract (the "first step"). However, her work consists mostly of fashion shoots and bit parts that end up on the cutting room floor. She is even used as a stand-in for Maureen O'Sullivan on the set of a Tarzan movie when camera angles and lighting must be set up.

Wawa

January 2008 •French

Garance has just lost her Wawa. It’s going to be picked up, rolled around, transported, thrown away, carted off, dragged off, snatched up, shot, smashed, trampled, given away, pushed around, stolen, soiled, forgotten, chewed on, slapped, crushed, banged up, and found again. This is the story of the unfortunate trip of a stuffed dog through the streets of Paris.

The Magic Glass

June 1914 •English

A boy uses a professor's liquid to make objects transparent.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory

March 1895 •French

Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

9

April 2009 •Spanish

A group of people talk about very different subjects, including a strange course that one of them has just completed. There is tension in the air, although it is not quite clear why. They give the impression that they are killing time while waiting for a job that everyone needs for different reasons. Are they actors looking for a role?

Ñeñeñe

May 2014 •Spanish

Mario has prepared something for Cristina, but she doesn't seem very interested in knowing what it is.

Night and Fog

April 1959 •French

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story

May 2018 •English

This documentary chronicles the inspirational story of a man who would not accept "no" for an answer. Born with cerebral palsy, Cordell Brown faced many challenges and most believed he would amount to nothing. Despite the odds stacked against him, Cordell proves that with heartfelt determination he can make a difference in the world.

Apple Juice

January 1990 •English

Apple Juice is an classic skateboarding documentary shot by SKATE NYC locals from the late 80’s early 90’s. SKATE NYC is a legendary skateboard store that was on Ave A and 9th St. in the East Village in NY from 1986-91.

Catblock (The Ultimate Co%kblock)

August 2010 •English

Free Child

September 2020 •English

From leaving Egypt 10 years ago, to almost dying a month ago in a car accident. This film is about the journey in between and the massive role the internet played in the life of prominent Youtuber and Yes Theory co-founder Ammar Kandil.

The Forger

May 2017 •English

Adolfo Kaminsky started saving lives when chance and necessity made him a master forger. As a teenager, he became a member of the French Resistance and used his talent to save the lives of thousands of Jews. The Forger is a well-crafted origin story of a real-life superhero.

I Was Only 14

November 2016 •Dutch

Filmmaker Froukje van Wengerden’s 86-year-old grandmother shares a powerful memory from 1944, when she was just 14. As her story unfolds, we see a group of contemporary 14-year-old girls. Their procession of portraits permits the spectator to see simultaneously forward and back, into the future and towards the past. A miraculous testimonial that uses eye contact to focus the viewer inward and evoke unexpected emotions.

Sheik to Sheik

October 1936 •English

A radio salesman gets knocked out by a golf ball and dreams he's in the desert where he sells radios to sheiks.

Snack Shack

March 2024 •English

Inseparable best friends AJ and Moose decide to run the local pool's snack shack after their plan to sell home-brewed beer goes down the drain. Things take a turn when they meet Brooke, an effortlessly cool lifeguard who puts their big plans, and friendship, at risk.

Decade for Decision

December 1957 •English

Short news featurette produced by Pathe-RKO after the Russians launched the first orbiting satellite, Sputnik. It is a patriotic 'call to arms' from the threat posed by this and the need for Americans to spend more on education in general and a college education in particular. A visit to the University of Buffalo highlights its science programs and the need for more graduates from all technical disciplines if America is to rise to the challenge. It bemoans the fact the PhDs earn less than a mechanic and the need to re-order priorities.

La Trifulca I. Five Billion Dollar. A Trilogy

October 2019 •English

An exodus of migrants settled in Tijuana and they hope to cross each day regardless of the consequences, the children tell us what they see, want and what they are willing to pay.

Iníon an Fhiaclóra

January 2000 •Irish

New kid Rory falls in love with the dentist's daughter Genie, and discovers painfully that falling in love can mean losing not only your teeth but your life....

The Impossible Voyage

October 1904 •French

Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.