Berkshire Goes Balearic

Confessions of a Burning Man

October 2003 •English

The experience shared by four first-timers demonstrates how Burning Man dissolves the barriers between races, nationalities and economic classes. A beautiful piece of film-making which inspires and entertains as it provides some understanding about why people return year after year.

Dust Devils

May 2003 •English

A beautifully done video of Burning Man 2001, 2002 & 2003. Lots of people interviews, Center Cafe activity and extensive coverage of artist David Best and the Temple construction and burn. This documentary captures the swirling columns of dust that were created during the intense heat of the 2002 Temple burn.

This Is It

October 2009 •English

A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.

Locked Off

May 2016 •English

Rave Culture is one of Britain’s great cultural exports, but after its first wave in the late eighties and early nineties, it was soon forced into the underground by stringent new laws and superclubs. But forward 25 years into in the midst of a nationwide purge on the nation’s nightlife, where nearly half of all British clubs have shut down in the last decade, and a new kind of scene has emerged. Clive Martin investigates this 21st century version of Rave, where young people break into disused spaces with the help of bolt-cutters and complicated squatting laws, to suck on balloons and go hard into the early morning. But with the police using increasingly extreme tactics to clamp down on these parties, and more than one fatality causing nationwide media panic, can the scene survive?

What We Started

March 2018 •English

Bert Marcus and Cyrus Saidi present an informed and absorbing exploration of the history of EDM, boosted by an energetic soundtrack and anchored by the personal stories of legendary DJ Carl Cox and superstar newcomer Martin Garrix. Insights from numerous other DJs and musical talents like Moby, David Guetta, Paul Oakenfold and Usher help tell the often oppositional tales of old school vs. new school and mainstream vs. underground.

AquaBurn

January 2003 •English

AquaBurn is an award-winning documentary film by director Bill Breithaupt showcasing "The Floating World" theme of the 2002 Burning Man Festival. AquaBurn features many of the incredible Burning Man art installations, the imagination and originality that went into their creation, and the artists who conceived them. Unlike conventional documentaries on the Burning Man Festival, AquaBurn captures the true feeling and excitement of the event itself, transporting the viewer to a hot, dusty wonderland without ever leaving home.

Better Living Through Circuitry

August 1999 •English

A documentary about rave culture and the Electronic Dance movement of the '90s. It is the first such full-length documentary on the topic. It was produced by Cleopatra Pictures and Entertainment Group, presided by Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera. The film features interviews with BT, The Crystal Method, Electric Skychurch, Genesis P-Orridge, Frankie Bones, DJ Spooky, Roni Size, and DJ Keoki.

Modulations

September 1998 •English

Less a documentary than a primer on all electronic music. Featuring interviews with nearly every major player past and present, as well as a few energetic live clips, Modulations delves into one of electronica's forgotten facets: the human element. Lee travels the globe from the American Midwest to Europe to Japan to try to express the appeal of music often dismissed as soulless. Modulations shows that behind even the most foreign or alien electronic composition lies a real human being, and Lee lets many of these Frankenstein-like creators express and expound upon their personal philosophies and tech-heavy theories. Lee understands that a cultural movement as massive and diverse as dance music can't be contained.

Jungle Mania

July 2013 •English

This work by indie filmmaker Ikon documents 20 Years of Jungle Mania, a rave held on 6 April 2013 at the Coronet Theatre in London. The event celebrated and commemorated 20 years of drum and bass music in London dance culture. In addition to coverage of the live performances and the crowd, the film features interviews with reknowned drum and bass DJs and producers who performed that night.

D.A.F.T.

November 1999 •English

A strange combination of techno and New Wave music, the French duo Daft Punk caused an international dance sensation with their catchy hit "Around The World." This fantastic French import showcases the fact that the duo's innovation carries over to the video realm from the musical one. D.A.F.T. features their first four famous videos -- "Da Funk," "Around The World," "Burnin," and "Revolution 909."

Italo Disco: The Sparkling Sound of the 80s

October 2021 •German

The history of italo disco, a musical genre that conquered the world during the incredible eighties, the most cybernetic decade; a style that was not just another kind of dance-pop music, but also the origin of an aesthetic, a true social phenomenon and the creative center of a very profitable industry.

Drum & Bass: The Movement

May 2020 •English

Drum & Bass: The Movement explores how a unique UK club culture rose from an underground movement to become a global phenomenon infiltrating and influencing disciplines from mainstream pop music to video games. From dubplates to mainstream crossovers, to the labels, the tracks and the clubs that shaped the game, Drum & Bass: The Movement is a snapshot of jungle drum & bass history and how it’s always been much more than a genre of dance music: it’s a lifestyle. The movement continues...

The Birth of Punjabi Garage

November 2021 •English

Yung Singh and Ministry of Sound present: The Birth of Punjabi Garage The documentary has a wealth of unseen archive footage showing exactly how it was in the garages and studios of the young Bradford and Manchester lads from the beginning, to the events, weddings and festivals that marked their success. The documentary is bookended by Yung Singh and his infamous and iconic Boiler Room, giving credit to the elders who paved the way for the continuation of South Asian presence in British dance culture. This documentary was produced in tandem with Yung Singh and is the first documentary to explore the genre. Documentaries have covered Bhangra, the 80s Daytimers and the Asian Underground but the South Asian diaspora’s involvement in the early 2000s Garage scene has never been covered and we are therefore proud to bring this to you!

Hard voor de Hal

March 2011 •Dutch

Free Party: A Folk History

October 2023 •English

The film follows the inception of the movement, a meeting between ravers and the new age travellers during Thatcher's last days in power, and the explosive years that followed, leading up the infamous Castlemorton free festival in 1992 - the largest ever illegal rave, which provoked the drastic change of the laws of trespass with the notorious introduction of the Criminal Justice Act in 1994.

How Clubbing Changed the World

August 2012 •English

Twenty-five years since the birth of Rave, a new generation of British DJs and producers are at the forefront of a global musical revolution. From Trance to Dubstep, the sound of British producers has now become the most sought after commodity for the biggest popstars on the planet.

The Summer of Rave, 1989

January 2006 •English

In the final days of the yuppie decade, the summer of ’89 saw a new type of youth rebellion rip through the cultural landscape, with thousands of young people dancing at illegal Acid House parties in fields and aircraft hangars around the M25. Set against the backdrop of ten years of Thatcherism, it was a benign form of revolution, dubbed the Second Summer of Love – all the ravers wanted was the freedom to party… The rave scene, along with the drug Ecstasy, broke down social barriers and even football hooligans were ‘loved up’, solving a problem the government had never managed to crack. But lurid tabloid headlines and cat-and-mouse games with the police eventually turned the dream sour, as the gangster element moved in at the end of the summer.

I'm Not Gay

June 2023 •English

A conflicted gay man struggles to teach his younger self about the challenges of adult life. Searching for answers inside stories from his past, he must confront his nature and the man he will become. Documentary meets musical feature in this experimental coming of age drama about power and masculinity in modern day Australia.

Love Parade: When Love Learned to Dance

December 2019 •German

At the end of the Cold War, something new arised that should influence an entire generation and express their attitude to life. It started with an idea in the underground subculture of Berlin shortly before the fall of the Wall. With the motto "Peace, Joy, Pancakes", Club DJ Dr. Motte and companions launched the first Love Parade. A procession registered as political demonstration with only 150 colorfully dressed people dancing to house and techno. What started out small developed over the years into the largest party on the planet with visitors from all over the world. In 1999, 1.5 million people took part. With the help of interviews with important organizers and contemporary witnesses, the documentary reflects the history of the Love Parade, but also illuminates the dark side of how commerce and money business increasingly destroyed the real spirit, long before the emigration to other cities and the Love Parade disaster of Duisburg in 2010, which caused an era to end in deep grief.

Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within

January 2006 •English

A feature length documentary which invites the viewer to rediscover an enchanted cosmos in the modern world by awakening to the divine within. The film examines the re-emergence of archaic techniques of ecstasy in the modern world by weaving a synthesis of ecological and evolutionary awareness,electronic dance culture, and the current pharmacological re-evaluation of entheogenic compounds.