: Music and its History

1.0

Gypsy Sweetheart

March 1935 •English

Tina, a singing Gypsy with a band of roving gypsies, is invited by Tom to come over to his mother's estate where a lawn party is in progress. She brings along her friends and a whole caravan of gypsies take over the green, telling fortunes, singing and dancing. Most of the comedy is supplied by the kleptomaniac butler, Bellingham, and his employer who humors his nutty ways...as good help seems to be hard to find.

7.0

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.

8.0

Orlando

November 2024 •French

With an original staging of text and music, Orlando follows the trail of one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance: Orlando di Lasso (also known as Roland de Lassus). His life and masterful oeuvre continue to move people to this day. Although he was a European star at the time, di Lasso had to endure the indignities of his social status as a servant. This documentary explores the relationship between art and power, musically accompanied by the ensemble La Tempête.

5.5

Oleg and the War

April 2017 •Ukrainian

The film follows 10-year-old Oleg, whose life has been turned upside down by the ongoing war in East Ukraine. Oleg lives with his beloved grandmother Alexandra in a small house in a village on the frontline. Most people have left the village, but Oleg and Alexandra love their life together there and want to stay on and take care of each other. But life is becoming more and more difficult and the war does not seem to end.

7.1

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

June 1896 •French

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

5.0

Salvador Dalí at Work

November 2006 •English

Filmmaker Jonas Mekas follows the surrealist artist around the streets of New York documenting staged public art events.

6.2

Carmen Torero z „Carmen-Suity”

July 1996 •Polish

Utterly astounding, iridescent sand animation from Aleksandra Korejwo based around Bizet's Carmen.

6.0

La Danse Macabre

December 1990 •Polish

A beautifully fluid sand animation inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns' piece, 'Danse Macabre.'

4.0

The Maiden and the Princess

May 2011 •English

During a game of catch-the-boy-and-kiss-him, Emmy, a precocious ten-year-old, kisses another little girl, Alice.

0.0

Toy

January 1984 •Dutch

An short anti-cruise missile film created in collaboration with a group of filmmakers.

9.0

The Presence III

January 1986 •Hungarian

Two rabbis show the ruins of an abandoned synagogue to a group of primary school-age Jewish children, and stand by as the children dip bread in honey, drink wine, pray, and sing.

0.0

This is Love

Invalid date •English

This is Love tells the romance stories of 3 Nigerian LGBTQ+ couples and how they navigate romantic relationships in a conservative and hostile Nigerian environment. It is an attempt to humanize LGBTQ+ people in Nigeria by telling a story of how they find love amidst the risks and struggles. The cast includes a lesbian couple, a gay couple and a couple made up of a transman and a ciswoman. It covered conversations around acceptance, religion, health, the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), and finding love. 2 out of the 3 couples wore masks and had their voices distorted. Aside from helping to conceal the identity of the cast, the mask and distorted voices are also symbolic of the double life LGBTQ+ Nigerians have to live for their safety and security.

6.8

Fire in Paradise

September 2019 •English

In this documentary, survivors recall the catastrophic 2018 Camp Fire, which razed the town of Paradise and became California’s deadliest wildfire.

0.0

U-turn

March 2017 •English

When you’re young, some of your strongest and most rewarding relationships are with your friends. The kind who support you to become who you really are. Inspired by U-turn and classic girl crew nostalgia, we want to celebrate those kinds of bonds with this short film from director Emma Higgins.

10.0

Trust Me

May 2024 •English

Animated short documentary following a young woman's diagnosis of bipolar: a journey of self-acceptance to challenge everyday stigma. In "Trust Me", a genre-bending short documentary, a young woman uses humour and compassion to share her moving and deeply personal story of coming to terms with her mental health condition. When she starts exhibiting atypical and extreme behaviour, her loved ones trick her into hospitalisation against her will. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder which starts her challenging journey of self-acceptance, confronting internalised and societal stigma, and learning to trust herself and others again.

4.8

So It Goes

April 2017 •English

Amidst many distractions, Samantha struggles to find her voice recording a new song. She encounters a mysterious stranger who reminds her of why she loves to create music.

0.0

Black Crowns

October 2023 •Spanish

The hairstyles of four Afro-descendant people from Mexican - Senegalese families, represent the starting point to reflect, through memories that emerge from their past and present, what it is like to live in México wearing a Black Crown and the consequences that implies.

4.4

Musicians

July 1969 •Georgian

Misha observes the area with binoculars. In the infinite white, he notices Gia, as lonely as himself.

0.0

Without Me

August 1993 •German

An aspiring documentary filmmaker named Simon Rosenthal tries to get some attention for his film about skinheads versus Turkish immigrants. However, as a Jewish man in today's Germany, his fears for the future prompt him to move to the moon.

0.0

JENNY@7-11

March 2011 •English

In a convenience store, the door of the storage room is a two-way mirror, reflecting a romantic story of love at first sight.