Forja Madeirense

Forests

May 2022 •French

In a dark, ambiguous environment, minuscule particles drift slowly before the lens. The image focuses to reveal spruce trees and tall pines, while Innu voices tell us the story of this territory, this flooded forest. Muffled percussive sounds gradually become louder, suggesting the presence of a hydroelectric dam. The submerged trees gradually transform into firebrands as whispers bring back the stories of this forest.

Blacksmithing Scene

May 1893 •

Three men hammer on an anvil and pass a bottle of beer around. Notable for being the first film in which a scene is being acted out.

Smokehouse

September 2023 •English

A group of friends reunite in the north of Scotland during summer.

While The Night Falls

May 2023 •Spanish

An intimate portrait of the lives of Delvys and Carlos, siblings who live alone with their elderly mother in a rural part of a small Cuban town. The film portrays a family engulfed in their inner worlds. Between the sacrifices they make out of love for those who are present, and their longing for things that are absent, they struggle to find meaning as they reflect, contemplate, and carry the weight of existence, trying together, to move forward.

Life in Four Elements

March 2017 •Finnish

A journey into four classical elements through the four main characters of the film. The main characters in the movie represent each of their own elements.

Brotando en las cenizas

October 2024 •Spanish

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.

Lara

August 2024 •French

Lara, a German au pair, recently arrived in Marseille, where a new life is beginning for her. Being an introverted young girl, she nevertheless throws herself into the unknown, into the twists and turns of a city whose codes she still does not know.

Blacksmith

May 2018 •English

Blacksmith is a 15-minute poetic documentary that highlights the work of Rob Flurry, the resident blacksmith at the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum in Beaumont, Texas.

AEOLUS

October 2024 •Italian

Iron and Steel Supply of the World

September 1947 •English

Time-travel to a 1940s classroom with this exemplary educational film.

Landmarkers

March 2022 •English

After the raging fire, landmarks are rediscovered, artificial frontiers carved into the earth. They are stones founded in history by almost extinct ways of doing, where word is law. As nature renews itself, Helena reestablishes the limits of her property and preserves a legacy in which the material is mixed with the human, returning to the roots of an intangible fortune.

Lessons of Darkness

February 1992 •German

Shortly after the Gulf War, oil fires were raging all through Kuwait. In the week before this sea of fire would be extinguished, Werner Herzog filmed this apocalyptic landscape with its murky skies, scorched earth and capricious flames.

Gun Killers

September 2019 •English

Written and directed by Jason Young (Animals, Inside Time), Gun Killers takes us into the rural, secluded paradise that retired blacksmiths John and Nancy Little call home. As the tranquil light of a typical day of harvesting vegetables descends into night, we experience the secret work that John and Nancy are sometimes called upon to undertake for the RCMP.

Notre-Dame: Race Against the Inferno

April 2019 •English

On April 15, 2019 600 firefighters of the Paris Fire Brigade fought for over 7 hours to save the Notre Dame Cathedral from fire. In this stunning documentary, witness firefighters testimonies as they struggle to wage war. Looking to save the massive building from flames and save the relics inside, not only for Paris but for this structure that serves as a symbol of Paris for the world.

One

March 1966 •English

Collected as part of the Fluxfilm Anthology (a multi-reel compendium of 37 short films assembled by Fluxus founder and central operator George Maciunas), One captures the lifespan of a single match recorded at 2,000 frames per second using a 16mm high-speed camera. The frame rate is then decelerated to the standard 24fps for presentation. The film emphasizes each gesture, sway and flare of flame as the small pinewood carrier ignites across the landscape of the filmstrip and screen, signalling the drama and poetics of this ”minor” event before the fire is extinguished. One also stands as an unassuming beacon, immortalizing on film the essence of some of Ono’s early concerns as an artist. At the slightest touch of fire, they burst into flame. Strike everywhere. Strike often.

The Barn is Burning

April 2025 •English

After a devastating fire ravages a milking parlor, a family and its community rally together. This short documentary showcases a journey of resilience, as a family farm rises from the ashes into a new era of cutting-edge robotic technology. The film explores the innovation in modern agriculture, shedding light on the strength of farming communities and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

Boys Night II: Electric Boogaloo

June 2022 •English

The boys are back in this wet and wild sequel

Smokescreen over Brussels

January 2002 •Dutch

Was the Brussels Innovation fire (1967) just a dramatic accident or was there more going on? Through exclusive interviews and edited archival material, a conspiracy theory is constructed in which the CIA and some property developers are assigned important roles. Despite the frivolous mysticism, there are many truths in this mockumentary!

Charlie Sheen's Stunts Spectacular

June 1994 •English

The first behind the scenes look revealing the movie magic of the men and women of the stunt profession, Hollywood's unsung heroes. Charlie Sheen and Stuntman Hall of Famer BJ Davis host.