Gifting It: A Burning Embrace of Gift Economy

Le Grand Désert

December 1950 •French

In 1950, the explorer Roger Frison-Roche made a crossing of more than a thousand kilometers on the back of a camel with the photographer Georges Tairraz II, in the heart of the Sahara, from Hoggar then Djanet in Algeria to Ghat in Libya. From their journey they brought back a large number of color films and documents. Among thousands of photos, they selected 47 images which reflect the various aspects of these immense spaces which occupy a third of Africa in the book "The Great Desert". “The Great Desert, 1000 kilometers on camelback” is the eponymous 85-minute documentary of this epic, released in 1950.

Chasing Red

January 2015 •English

Everyone has heard of Pamplona's Running of the Bulls, yet so few know much about it. Even fewer know that there is an elite group of runners who brave dozens of bull runs each year, risking their life to run inches away from the sharp horns of the 1000+ pound ferocious animals they revere. Chasing Red is a character-driven documentary following 4 runners across the eight bull runs of a single fiesta in Pamplona. Braving through injury and looming risk of death, they embark on an endeavor that will shape their lives forever.

State of Bacon

May 2014 •English

State of Bacon tells the kinda real but mostly fake tale of an oddball group of characters leading up to the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. Bacon-enthusiasts, Governor Branstad, a bacon queen, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, members of PETA, and an envoy of Icelanders are not excluded from this bacon party and during the course of the film become intertwined with the organizers of the festival to show that bacon diplomacy is not dead.

Louder Than Hell: Wacken The Movie

December 2014 •English

Wacken Open Air is the biggest 3-day-rock- and metal-festival in the world. It's three days of raw energy, non-stop Heavy Metal music at full blast and 80.000 fans on a party frenzy. A true legend, taking place annually since 1990 in the sleepy German country town of Wacken, it attracts fans from all over the world. It was released on 24th of December 2014 on dvd, blu ray and 3D blu ray.

The Hunters

January 1957 •English

An ethnographic film that documents the efforts of four !Kung men (also known as Ju/'hoansi or Bushmen) to hunt a giraffe in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia. The footage was shot by John Marshall during a Smithsonian-Harvard Peabody sponsored expedition in 1952–53. In addition to the giraffe hunt, the film shows other aspects of !Kung life at that time, including family relationships, socializing and storytelling, and the hard work of gathering plant foods and hunting for small game.

Out of State

November 2017 •English

Out of State is the unlikely story of native Hawaiians men discovering their native culture as prisoners in the desert of Arizona, 3,000 miles, and across the ocean, from their island home.

Nazca Desert Mystery

November 2022 •English

One of the world’s greatest ancient enigmas, the Nazca lines are a dense network of criss-crossing lines, geometric shapes, and animal figures etched across 200 square miles of Peruvian desert. Who created them and why? Ever since they were discovered in the 1920s, scholars and enthusiasts have raised countless theories about their purpose. Now, archaeologists have discovered hundreds of long-hidden lines and figures as well as evidence of ancient rituals, offering new clues to the origins and motivations behind the giant desert symbols.

The US Festival 1982: The US Generation Documentary

November 2017 •English

Referred to as "Woodstock of the 80s", the US Festival was iconic with over 2 million attendees. Created by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and legendary concert promoter Bill Graham, the Us Festival assembled the best bands in the world including The Police, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, Jackson Browne, Eddie Money, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, The Cars, Talking Heads, Ramones, Grateful Dead, Pat Benatar & The B52s.

Spirit/Will/Loss

January 2015 •English

Sculptor/painter Katie Dallam entered the boxing ring for her first professional fight and, 140 blows to the head later, suffered major brain damage. (Her life became the basis for the movie Million Dollar Baby). Irish musician Graham Sharpe’s career was on the rise when advancing tinnitus caused a ringing in his ears so bad that it put an end to his rock-and-roll dreams. Sculptor Alice Wingwall experienced complete loss of sight from a degenerative eye disease. Game over for these three, right? Not so fast. Each managed to struggle, innovate, and, ultimately, through their art, transform themselves into someone new.

The Sahara: The Forgotten History of the World's Harshest Desert

December 2006 •English

At once a vast expanse of mesmerizing desolation and the crucible of human history, the Sahara Desert has been both the battlefield of empires and the haunted wilderness at the margins of the known world for thousands of years. Shot on location, this exhilarating documentary brings to life the Sahara’s cruel history and the conflicts that still plague its people. THE SAHARA recounts the story of kings who once led caravans of 30,000 people across the desert, bearing riches beyond imagination. It tells of Roman death squads that exterminated the citizens of the Empire’s most bitter rival and how the Foreign Legion crafted a legend out of last stands and lost causes. From the fabled metropolis of Timbuktu to the shores of Tripoli, THE SAHARA is an illuminating exploration of this unforgiving and remote land of myth and mirage.

Be-In

February 1967 •English

Captures the spirit and essence of the great San Francisco Human Be-In of January 14, 1967. Ten thousand people imbued with peace, love and euphoria. Set to hard rock such as only San Francisco blues can produce. BE-IN contains Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Timothy Leary, Michael McClure, Lenore Kandel and Buddha. Music by Blue Cheer.

An immersion into the Divine Feminine

August 2017 •English

By drawing a parallel between the Indian Durga Puja festival and other forms of celebrating the divine feminine, Santa Shakti reveals the Sacred Power beyond languages and religions.

Dinolandia

April 2025 •Spanish

A mechanic discovers the fossil of a huge carnivorous dinosaur, unleashing a war between scientists, mayors and neighboring towns to keep “the biggest dinosaur in the world.” Among bone thefts, replicas and a mayor obsessed with creating Dinolandia, anything goes when it comes to surviving.

L'expérience biosphère : 120 jours dans le désert

March 2024 •French

Midsummer Rock: The Cincinnati Pop Festival 1970

June 1970 •English

Midsummer Rock is a television program based on the Cincinnati Pop Festival. The 90-minute TV version featured Alice Cooper, Mountain, Grand Funk Railroad, The Stooges, and Traffic.

Meerkats 3D

October 2011 •English

Narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson, MEERKATS 3D takes audiences on a journey with a family of meerkats as they cope with the twists and turns of life in the Kalahari Desert. The film begins as matriarch Klinky’s most recent litter emerges from the burrow for the first time. Klinky and her family, including elder children and regular babysitters Ms. Bean and Harry, must endure turf wars from rival families, attacks from vicious predators big and small and internal family turmoil. The survival of this clan hinges on the meerkat golden rule: Stick together, and keep calling.

Jetman Dubai : Young Feathers

May 2015 •English

We mark a new milestone in the chapter of human flight. Join Jetman Yves Rossy and his protege, Jetman Vince Reffet as they explore the limits in the city of dreams. "The real dream is to be completely free"

VistaVision Visits Sun Trails

May 1955 •English

This short travelogue, touring Arizona's deserts, was shot in VistaVision.

Innucadie (festival du conte et de la légende de Natashquan, 1er édition)

June 2006 •Cree

Cloud Cult - Arts in Nature Festival

September 2013 •English

Recorded Live on August 11, 2013, KEXP and Nature Consortium presents Cloud Cult performing at Camp Long during the 15th Arts in Nature Festival.