Searching For Kurosawa

Behind the Planet of the Apes

September 1998 •English

Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to make-up sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of the science fiction masterpiece. The most comprehensive history of Planet of the Apes ever created, this fascinating 127-minute documentary explores one of the most imaginative and influential series in movie history.

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains

June 2003 •English

The American Film Institute celebrates 100 years of film by recognizing the top 50 film heroes and top 50 film villains of all time.

OSARU-CHAN

March 2021 •English

When two brothers steal a valuable heirloom from an elderly Japanese woman, they unknowingly awaken her demigod son, Osaru, who does not take kindly to thieves.

Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years

November 2003 •English

Behind-the-scenes footage, rare screen tests and insightful interviews highlight this engrossing two-hour look at one of Hollywood's greatest dream factories. Such film luminaries as Tom Hanks, William Friedkin, George Lucas, Oliver Stone and Robert Altman discuss their work at the studio. Clips include scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Patton, Young Frankenstein, Star Wars, Alien, Big, Home Alone, Die Hard and dozens more.

Tsubaki Sanjuro

December 2007 •Japanese

"Tsubaki Sanjuro" is a remake of Sanjuro (1962) by Akira Kurosawa. Sanjuro returns with sharper, faster, subtler sword, talking and perception. He uses them to settle the trouble and uses them good!

Warren Oates: Across the Border

November 1993 •English

A retrospective of the work of the late actor Warren Oates, with clips from his films and interviews with cast and crew members who worked with him.

Boom! Hollywood's Greatest Disaster Movies

January 2000 •English

Narrated by Bill Mumy (Will Robinson from TV's "Lost in Space"), this documentary spotlights some of the most thrilling scenes the disaster genre has ever produced. From 1970s classics such as Airport and The Towering Inferno to James Cameron's Oscar-winning epic Titanic, no celluloid disaster flick is omitted. Interviews with directors and actors (including Will Smith) and newsreels of real historical disasters are also included.

Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years

January 1997 •English

The first half century of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation from its beginnings under Hungarian immigrant William Fox to it emergence as a major studio.

Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director

October 2024 •English

A documentary film that delves into the life and cinematic career of one of Japan's most prolific directors: Ishiro Honda. The film will spotlight Honda's filmography from both a historical and personal perspective, exploring his contributions to the Japanese film industry and his firsthand experiences of war, from which he barely survived. It will also delve into his profound feelings regarding the atomic bomb, a subject that became an obsession for him and was frequently reflected in his films. The documentary will analyze Honda's body of work through interviews with individuals who had the privilege of collaborating with him, as well as experts on Honda's films from both Japan and the Western world. Furthermore, the film will uncover Honda's friendship and professional relationship with director Akira Kurosawa.

AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Thrills

June 2001 •English

The AFI's list of the 100 most thrilling American films of all time, presented by Harrison Ford in a three-hour CBS broadcast on June 12, 2001. The fourth installment in AFI's centennial celebration of American film, following the three critically acclaimed network specials AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies, AFI's 100 Years…100 Stars, and AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs.

The Great Dictator: The Clown Turns Prophet

May 2011 •English

In this visual essay, Charles Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance, author of "Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema", draws upon a wealth of photography as well as a wide range of interviews (Paulette Goddard, Sydney Chaplin, Chuck Jones, Leni Riefenstahl, Mel Brooks, Joan Collins et al.) to examine the production history of "The Great Dictator", the film's importance as a satire, and legacy.

The Omen Legacy

October 2001 •English

The true stories that spawned the serie tale of Damien, a small boy with an angelic face, whose very name still conjures up thoughts of Satan. This documentary shares spine-tingling information about the the all-too-memorable flick that has terrorized film audiences since 1976.

No Magic for Socialists

February 2025 •Burmese

Artist Htoo Lwin Myo excavates the lesser-known and wildly joyful history of Myanmar’s horror and genre film industry in the 1950s that has persisted through political turmoil and archival neglect, told directly by the people who made it.

Shin 信

December 2022 •Japanese

Haunted by bad luck, two friends learn to trust in the world again and take their destiny into their own hands.

RONIN (The Short Film)

April 2025 •Spanish

Cinema Againts Power

May 2017 •Bulgarian

There was an undeclared war for nearly half a century in Bulgaria between the then government and the majority of democratic-minded filmmakers during the Communist regime. Paradoxically, most of the banned or censored out movies were made by members of the Communist Party, believers in their party's ideas and justice. The Communist Party aesthetics against the freedom to tell truth.

The Sneeze: Part Two

August 2025 •English

A comedic docu-essay looking at the legacy of "Fred Ott's Sneeze," one of the first films ever made. Official selection of The Indie Gathering International Film Festival.

Memorias Encuadradas

July 2025 •Spanish

One hundred years of the cinematic memory of a small country told through motion graphics. A brief tour of previously unseen images and forgotten fragments of Costa Rican cinema, which, amid state efforts and industrial ambitions, prevailed throughout the 20th century.

Lezioni di Cinema di Paolo Mereghetti

September 2023 •Italian

Clean House

March 2025 •Thai

On an ordinary day off, a man starts his day by cleaning his room as usual. But when he tries to sweep up the dust, he finds that it won't go into the dustpan as expected. He then tries every possible way to make sure the room is spotless.