Russian Close-Up

Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes

February 2022 •English

Thirty-six years after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Soviet Ukraine, newly uncovered archival footage and recorded interviews with those who were present paint an emotional and gripping portrait of the extent and gravity of the disaster and the lengths to which the Soviet government went to cover up the incident, including the soldiers sent in to “liquidate” the damage. Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is the full, unvarnished true story of what happened in one of the least understood tragedies of the twentieth century.

Love the Beast

March 2009 •English

What if you were a Hollywood movie star with an obsession for cars and racing? Eric Bana is such a star!

In Memory of Sergo Ordzhonikidze

December 1937 •Russian

The film is about the life and work of Grigory Ordzhonikidze Konstantinoviche, an important personality in both the Communist Party and the Soviet state. The film includes speeches by his bereaved friends who attended his funeral. In 1937, after the unexpected death of Sergo Ordzhonikidze, Vertov received an urgent order from the government to produce a film about the life of Ordzhonikidze. He was ordered to work together with Yakov Bliohom and the director of the film "Battleship Potemkin" distributed by Goskino (Soviet State Committee for Cinematography).

Main Reef Road

June 1999 •English

Since the days of Apartheid, Main Reef Road has linked Johannesburg, its suburbs, and the outlying villages and gold mines of the region. Now the people of means flee the more remote reaches of the Road for the suburbs. Who remains along this once heavily travelled highway? Who slaves for the mining companies today? Filmmaker Nic Hofmeyr takes to the road to meet them. South Africa's history echoes in their stories, and in the very landscape.

Hollywood, I'm Sleeping Over Tonight

November 2008 •English

French TV host Antoine de Maximy travels the U.S. from coast to coast, relying on the hospitality of strangers and documenting his experiences with a hand-held camera.

Revolution: New Art for a New World

March 2017 •English

Drawing on the collections of major Russian institutions, contributions from contemporary artists, curators and performers and personal testimony from the descendants of those involved, the film brings the artists of the Russian Avant-Garde to life. It tells the stories of artists like Chagall, Kandinsky and Malevich - pioneers who flourished in response to the challenge of building a new art for a new world, only to be broken by implacable authority after 15 short years and silenced by Stalin's Socialist Realism.

I Want to See

May 2008 •French

July 2006. Another war breaks out in Lebanon. The directors decide to follow a movie star, Catherine Deneuve and a friend, actor and artist Rabih Mroue;, on the roads of South Lebanon. Together, they will drive through the regions devastated by the conflict. It is the beginning of an unpredictable, unexpected adventure...

C'est assez bien d'être fou

March 2018 •French

At the wheel of an old truck from the 1970s, Bilal, street artist, and Antoine, director, embarked on a journey lasting several months to the confines of Siberia. As the truck breaks down and meets the locals, an adventure emerges that will take them from the Carpathian mountains to the boat cemetery of the Aral Sea, from Odessa to Vladivostok. An artistic journey, alternating drawings and video, between road movie and documentary tale.

Disaster at Chernobyl

January 2004 •English

The explosion at Chernobyl was ten times worse than the Hiroshima bomb and was due to a combination of human error and imperfect technology. An account of the sixty critical minutes prior to the explosion of the nuclear power plant on the night of April 26, 1986.

Madeleine

March 2023 •French

Every week, two friends born 67 years apart share their life stories in a senior home's living room. The younger friend convinces the 107-year-old lady to join her in an adventure: a road trip to the sea.

Island Ablazed

January 1961 •Russian

Documentary recounting the story of the Cuban Revolution and its impact on the young people of Cuba.

One More Time

September 2022 •Italian

When the Road Ends

February 2020 •English

Growing up in poverty as a child, Dylan dreamt of travelling the world on a motorcycle. Many years later he broke the shackles of a normal life and took to the road. After journeying 200,000km across four continents, the road from Panama to Colombia comes to an end, swallowed up by an impenetrable jungle. Dylan has no choice but to take to the sea, building a raft powered by his motorcycle engine in the hope of reaching Colombia's road network 700km away. He must brave strong ocean currents and storm batterings in his journey from Central to South America.—Journeyman Pictures

Guest from the Island of Freedom

June 1963 •Russian

A documentary about Fidel Castro's visit to the USSR from April 28 to June 3, 1963 and how the Cuban leader traveled throughout the Soviet Union for 40 days, from Severodvinsk to Khiva in Uzbekistan.

La Buissonnière

July 2013 •French

Rouge ! L'Art au pays des soviets

March 2019 •French

Berry on Bikes: Judgement Day

November 1997 •English

Top Gear's Steve Berry presides over the case of whether bikes are good - and if they are, which ones are the best. He looks at Yamahas, Harleys, Nortons and even Pizza Delivery Bikes before he passes judgement. Evidence comes in the form of clips of bikes from all over the world, and plenty of stunts.

MotoGP 2019 Review

December 2019 •English

The Official Review of the 2019 MotoGP™ World Championship 2019 saw Marc Márquez take a record 420 points as he secured his eighth World title overall and his fourth consecutive MotoGP™ World Championship. It was also the year fans got to salute Jorge Lorenzo as the three-time World Champion called an end to his stellar MotoGP™ career. As one hero exited the pitlane, it looked as if another was entering. France’s Fabio Quartararo, aged just 20, took seven podium finishes and six pole positions in his first year of the premier class, securing fifth place in the World Championship overall. Andrea Dovizioso continued to impress on the Ducati and Maverick Viñales and Álex Rins led the charge for Yamaha and Suzuki respectively, so the season ended with four different manufacturers in the top four spots. MotoGP™ can always be relied on to deliver excitement and drama in spadefuls throughout the season and 2019 is certainly no exception.

A Bright Light: Karen and the Process

February 2019 •English

A music documentary in the form of a road trip across the U.S. in search of '60s singer Karen Dalton and the process of artistic creation.

Black Leather Jacket

January 1989 •English

Based upon Mick Farren's book,'The Black Leather Jacket', this documentary explores the history of this garment from it's utilitarian beginnings through to it's 'bad boy' reputation and considers whether it has now become emasculated by pop culture.