The Magic Project

Gauguin a Tahiti - Il Paradiso Perduto

March 2019 •Italian

Fernand Pouillon, Le roman d'un architecte

January 2003 •French

Constructing freestone buildings on the cheap, Pouillon made a name for himself at the end of the 1940s in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, shaking up his peers who only dreamed of towers and concrete bars. In Algiers, until Independence, he built in record time thousands of homes for the poorest, real urban projects inspired by traditional forms. In the Paris region, to build comfortable buildings quickly and well, nestled in the greenery, he becomes a promoter: this too adventurous bet leads him to prison and retains his reputation. Not very explicit about this complex affair, but seduced by a contemporary architecture that combines technical inventiveness and ancient references, Christian Meunier films by multiplying the angles of view. Today's lively atmospheres are interspersed with archive footage, while Pouillon's writings are read off. Moved, his collaborators evoke a demanding and generous man, with an infectious passion.

Olive

November 2023 •English

“Olive” is a short documentary that follows Olive Hagemeier, an energetic woman, on her daily routine of salvaging, repackaging and redistributing food, and occasional other types of “waste”, across Atlanta, GA. Presented in a quiet observational style, this film is both a character study of a committed and enigmatic volunteer, as well as an ethnographic work that places the audience in the heart of a decentralized, volunteer-run mutual aid network in a “post-COVID” American city.

Sunny Lane

May 2011 •Arabic

Berlin‘s past and future through the eye of an outsider - nothing but the naked truth by someone being torn apart by life and longing.

A Pat On The Head Causes A Dream

November 2022 •Chinese

A filmmaker and rapper duo revive Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind” protocols - a set of filmmaking “rules” with which groups of strangers can conceive, shoot, and screen a film in just two and a half hours. Against the grim backdrop of the stringent Shanghai lockdown, the event soon turns into a sanctuary for individuals to forge collective dreams.

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History

November 2019 •Italian

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History is a documentary about the history, the development in the present days and the future of movie theaters in the city of Turin, Italy. It mixes the documentary language with comedy and fiction, and is enriched by interviews to some of the most important voices of Turin cinematography. The film follows the evolution of movie theaters by enlightening its main milestones: the pre-cinema experiences in the late 19th Century, the colossals and the movie cathedrals of the silent era, the arthouse theaters, the National Museum of Cinema, the Torino Film Festival, the movie theaters system today and the main hypothesis about its future.

Favorite Daughter

September 2022 •English

A grandmother, mother, and daughter quarantine together in a Tribeca apartment as they laugh about life over wine.

Pusharatas: A Biloxi-Croatian Tradition

August 2013 •English

Every year at Christmas, the women of the Slavonian Ladies' Auxiliary celebrate their culinary heritage by getting together to make pusharatas (a type of Croatian doughnut) for the people of Biloxi, Mississippi.

Adventure Time Forever

June 2015 •English

This a fun behind-the-scenes featurette that looks back on the creation and continuing popularity of the show. Several members of the crew discuss the production's early difficulties, finding the series' tone, the growing fandom, and the show's unique appeal to all ages.

An Amazing Time: A Conversation About End of the Road

October 2012 •English

In the summer of 1968, a group of people assembled in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. They were making a film of John Barth's 1958 novel The End of the Road.

A Place To Talk

May 2024 •English

A Place To Talk covers the idea of speaking out about your mental health. In collaboration with charity mind, we interviewed some members of the team to gain further insight into the work they do for local communities, especially around Bournemouth with the university students in mind. We also sat down and spoke to two university students who shared their issues with their struggles but also helped friends with heir mental health issues.

Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius

January 1981 •English

An assessment of the 20th century's best known artist and his vast achievements through the insights and speculations of over a dozen participants. Filmed on the 100th anniversary of Picasso's birth at MoMA, Musée Picasso, Walker Art Center, Museu Picasso Barcelona. Featuring Henry Moore, Anthony Caro, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rosenblum, Clement Greenberg, Roland Penrose and others.

Chocolate of Peace

Invalid date •English

Chocolate of Peace depicts the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó's experiences of resistance, via a journey through their processes of organic chocolate production. From the seed to the product, the cacao is the narrative thread that takes us through the Community's stories of violence and resilience, and their fight to remain neutral in the face of the Colombian armed conflict. This film offers a panorama of hope, proof that despite great difficulties it is possible to sow peace through human and economic relationships. It invites us to rethink our relationship with food, to value the efforts of those who produce it, and to build bridges between the victims of the armed conflict and other sectors of global civil society.

Minted

June 2023 •English

A fascinating look at the intersection of art, commerce, and digital ownership through the rise and crash of the NFT market.

Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga

April 2023 •English

From dungeon-like basements to worldwide phenomenon, ADVENTURE NEVER ENDS: A TABLETOP SAGA explores how tabletop role-playing games have fought their way through decades of trial by fire to emerge at the height of pop culture- now shaping and bringing together millions of lives through storytelling. The film takes a behind the curtain look at an open community of fans, as well as youth programs who use tabletop role-playing games to promote socialization, team building, and empathy.

Filhos de João, O Admirável Mundo Novo Baiano

July 2011 •Portuguese

A panorama of Brazilian popular music from the 60s and 70s through the musical group Novos Baianos. A retrospective of the community lifestyle adopted by its members and the influence inherited from singer João Gilberto.

Video: The New Wave

December 1975 •English

The New Wave is the seminal compendium of independent video work in the early 1970s. Written and narrated by Brian O'Doherty, this overview of the emerging video field includes examples of guerrilla television and "street" documentaries, early explorations with image-processing and synthesis, and performance video. This historical anthology includes excerpts of tapes by the following video pioneers: Stephen Beck and Warner Jepson, Peter Campus, Douglas Davis, Ed Emshwiller, Bill Etra, Frank Gillette, Don Hallock, Joan Jonas, Richard Serra, Paul Kos, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, Willard Rosenquist, Dan Sandin, James Seawright, Steina Vasulka, TVTV, Stan Vanderbeek and William Wegman.

Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'

August 2004 •English

The Making of feature for the George Lucas movie 'THX 1138'.

Nova the Film

March 2011 •English

An inspiring 75min DIY documentary film on new art and the young artists behind it. It was all filmed on the heat of live action of the first NOVA Contemporary Culture Festival, July and August 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil.

High Tide in Newfoundland

January 1955 •English