Venedig und das Ghetto

Łódź Ghetto

March 1989 •English

The Polish city of Łódź was under Nazi occupation for nearly the entirety of WWII. The segregation of the Jewish population into the ghetto, and the subsequent horrors are vividly chronicled via newsreels and photographs. The narration is taken almost entirely from journals and diaries of those who lived–and died–through the course of the occupation, with the number of different narrators diminishing as the film progresses, symbolic of the death of each narrator.

Ghettos in the Holocaust

October 2023 •French

The gruesome story of the Jewish ghettos during the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe in the dark days of World War II, based on the records written by their inhabitants, who bear witness to the human tragedy of the Shoah; but also to an indomitable will to live.

Romantici a Venezia

January 1948 •Italian

This is a documentary film on the romantic and decadent atmosphere of Venice at the end of the 18th century. A vigorous comment by Jean Cocteau tells us of the sick souls and the sorrows of literary characters and musicians who lived the dream of this city. It is the Venice of Lord Byron, Alfred de Musset, George Sand, d'Annunzio; a Venice made of precious images, palaces reflected in the water, mysterious moonlights, little squares where unhappy lovers wander under the music of Richard Wagner.

Basic Elements

October 2021 •English

The documentary explores the world of culture, nature and gastronomy through one chef's eyes across the marshlands of the Venetian Lagoon.

City Out of Time

April 1959 •English

This Colin Low documentary from 1959 depicts Venice in all its splendor. In the tradition of Venetian painter Canaletto, the film captures the great Italian city’s elusive beauty and fabled landscapes, where spired churches and turreted palaces soar into a blue Mediterranean sky. Narration by William Shatner.

Sei Venezia

March 2012 •Italian

What is the "feeling" of a city? Is it the roads, the light that illuminates them, the people that live there and their stories? It's all these things, but also something else, something requiring time and attention to be understood. The film goes in search of this feeling exploring the city of Venice and its lagoon, prying into its less-known corners and listening to the stories of six citizens: a hotel waitress, an old archaeologist, a pensioner from Mestre, a painter/fisherman, an apartment burglar and a young boy.

Warsaw: A City Divided

May 2019 •Polish

The history of the Warsaw Ghetto (1940-43) as seen from both sides of the wall, its legacy and its memory: new light on a tragic era of division, destruction and mass murder thanks to the testimony of survivors and the discovery of a ten-minute film shot by Polish amateur filmmaker Alfons Ziółkowski in 1941.

Uprising

November 2001 •English

In the Warsaw ghetto in 1943, Jews rise against the Nazis.

Harry's Bar

September 2015 •English

Harry's Bar opened in 1931 and attracted a multitude of customers from the start, drawn to the atmosphere and the talents of barman Giuseppe, with his cocktails, gourmet dishes and exquisite hospitality. Over eight decades the bar has seen it all, from being closed during the fascist regime to being declared a national treasure in 2001, and witnessed a stream of writers, painters, directors, film stars, kings, queens and epicures, becoming a legend.

Saving Venice

May 2021 •English

Rising sea levels and sinking land threaten to destroy Venice. Leading scientists and engineers battling the forces of nature to try to save this historic city for future generations. Discover the innovative projects and feats of engineering currently underway, including a hi-tech flood barrier, eco-projects to conserve the lagoon, and new efforts to investigate erosion beneath the city.

Return to Khodorciur—Armenian Diary

January 1986 •Italian

Raphael, Yervant Gianikian's father, survived the Armenian genocide in 1915 in Eastern Turkey. In April 1988, while living in Venice, he sat for his son's camera and read an excerpt from his memoirs, translated from Armenian into Italian.

Thomas Pesquet : Objectif France

February 2023 •French

House of Life: A Jewish Cemetary in Prague

January 2008 •English

A deep dive documentary into the history of the Old Jewish Cemetery of Prague.

The Oath

January 1974 •

Vuko, a young servant of Kotor prince, makes entourage with his brother and friends in order to obtain for the daughter of Venetian Doge for the prince's son. They spend seven weeks of drinking, whoring and without thoughts of anything else. And then, one morning, running through narrow streets before the army, Vuko accidentally witnesses the fight between the knights and the guards. Vuko falls into the hands of guards, and finds himself imprisoned. Even without knowing beforehand who is Maltese, Vuko is being sworn in on the eve of execution, so that the knight would deceive his miserable destiny at least a bit.

The Power of Good: Nicholas Winton

March 2003 •Czech

A gripping documentary about the courage and determination of a young English stockbroker who saved the lives of 669 children. Between March 13 and August 2, 1939, Nicholas Winton organized 8 transports to take children from Prague to new homes in Great Britain, and kept quiet about it until his wife discovered a scrapbook documenting his unique mission in 1988. Winton was a successful 29-year-old stockbroker in London who "had an intuition" about the fate of the Jews when he visited Prague in 1939. He quietly but decisively got down to the business of saving lives. We learn how only two countries, Sweden and Britain, answered his call to harbor the young refugees; how documents had to be forged and how once foster parents signed for the children on delivery, that was the last he saw of them.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil

October 1999 •English

A top secret mission for French Intelligence brings Indy to Istanbul during the first world war. Exploring the city's dark and dangerous streets, he is thrust into a web of betrayal and murder when he discovers a vile Turkish plot to assassinate French espionage agents. Evil of a more enduring kind awaits him in Transylvania where he engages in a mortal combat with bloodthirsty Vlad the Impaler and his horrific army of the living dead. With his life at stake, Indy must garner all his strength and wits in order to defeat the fiend and save mankind.

Othello

October 1981 •English

Iago and a comrade-in-arms are outside the Venice home of Desdemona's father, who does not yet know that she has eloped with Othello. Iago confides to his friend -- who had hoped to marry Desdemona -- that he serves Othello to further his own ends. Venice needs Othello to protect its commercial interests in Cyprus where the Turkish fleet is headed. Desdemona insists on going to Cyprus, too. In Cyprus, Iago plots to convince Othello that Desdemona has betrayed him with Cassio. A lot more than political ambition seems to be motivating Iago.

Panorama of the Grand Canal Taken from a Boat

October 1896 •French

Filmed in 1896 by Alexandre Promio for the Lumière company, this short actuality presents one of the earliest traveling shots in cinema. With the camera mounted on a gondola, the film glides along Venice’s Grand Canal, capturing passing gondolas, bustling waterfront activity, and the city’s iconic architecture from a moving perspective. This simple yet groundbreaking technique introduced audiences to a new way of experiencing motion on screen.

Bellini and Mantegna: Renaissance Rivals

March 2019 •German

The mysterious parallel story of Italian painters Andrea Mantegna (ca. 1431-1506) and Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1435-1516), brothers-in-law, public rivals and masters of the early Renaissance.

Who Was Edgar Allan?

April 1984 •German

A nihilistic art student meets the mysterious Edgar Allan at a coffee shop in Venice. The fascination for the older man soon turns into paranoia.