Le regard de Georges Brassens

Yves Montand entre en scène

December 2021 •French

"It's very strange, on stage I always feel very good, but during the two hours before, there is fear, uneasiness, a great sadness" declared Yves Montand to the press in 1980. To commemorate the 100 years of his birth, this portrait rich in archives and songs unfolds the career of a music-hall artist with unforgettable charisma.

The Freedom Machine

March 2023 •English

While Susan B Anthony famously said the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world”, The Freedom Machine interrogates what freedom looks like for women cyclists. From opening a shiny new bike on Christmas morning to the grind of a daily commute, bicycles hold a multitude of meanings and opportunities for women across the world. Using archival footage from across the UK’s film archives, The Freedom Machine shows the ways women have used the bicycle to find freedom and independence on the road, the race track and beyond. With a soundtrack by sound artist Cat Hawthorn, the film by emerging curator Jo Reid uses archival footage to entwine her personal experiences as a cyclist with the wider struggles and joys women across the world have discovered from travelling on two wheels.

Atlal (Remnants)

Invalid date •English

'Atlal (Remnants)' is a fictional documentary that follows Bassam, a Palestinian man in his fifties, on a journey between the past and present. An abandoned school, the remains of a beach club, and a dusty cinema hold Bassam's cherished memories from his life in Qatar. Through personal archives and interviews with Bassam and his wife, Laila, we get a deeper look into their stories—slowly revealing the dismaying thoughts behind Bassam's nostalgia.

Song 5

March 1964 •English

SONG 5: A childbirth song (the Songs are a cycle of silent color 8mm films by the American experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage produced from 1964 to 1969).

I Am Richard Pryor

March 2019 •English

The life story of Richard Pryor (1940-2005), the legendary performer and iconic social satirist who transcended racial and social barriers with his honest, irreverent and biting humor.

GINI VIDI VICI

March 2024 •French

Pioniere der Filmmusik - Europas Sound für Hollywood

February 2024 •German

Hollywood film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who fled war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still shapes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. They balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer. Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary US composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Today, Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer continue this tradition. Their melodies are part of humanity's collective memory and reflect the combined traditions of European and American musical history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores the European roots of Hollywood.

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président

January 2022 •French

In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public channels but autonomous and competing. It is a race for the audience which is engaged then, and from now on the channels will make the war! This competition will give birth to a real golden age for television programs, with variety shows in the forefront. The stars of the song are going to invade the living rooms of the French for their biggest pleasure. This unedited documentary tells the story of the metamorphosis of this television of the early 1970s, between freedom of tone, scandals, political intrigues and programs that have become mythical.

Faces of Death

November 1978 •English

A collection of death scenes, ranging from TV-material to home-made super-8 movies. The common factor is death by some means.

The Gulag Archipelago: The Book That Changed Russian History

November 2023 •French

The story of Russian writer and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) and his masterpiece, The Gulag Archipelago, published in Paris in 1973, which forever shook the very foundations of communist ideology.

The Real Right Stuff

November 2020 •English

The story of America's first astronauts, known as the Mercury 7, told through archival news & radio reports, newly transferred & previously unheard NASA mission audio recordings, and more rare & unseen material.

Jean Gabin, le dernier des géants

January 2015 •French

DJ Punk: The Photographer Daniel Josefsohn

November 2018 •German

Nobody captured the atmosphere of 1990s Berlin better than German photographer Daniel Josefsohn, who died in 2016 at the age of 54, leaving his mark in advertising with his irreverent aesthetic and punk sensibility. It was his spontaneous, imperfect images shot for an MTV campaign in 1994 that first made him famous.

A Failed Peace, The Mistakes of The Treaty of Versailles

June 2019 •French

At the end of WWI, the treaty of Versailles established the conditions for peace in Europe. The aim for the victorious powers was to make Germany pay reparations, and to guarantee a future without war. Yet a decade later, the denunciation of 'Versailles' became a powerful lever for the nazis to obtain power as these reparations would mark the beginning of the humiliation of the German people, and nurture a feeling of having been bestowed a hopeless future. In the 20 years that follow the end of WWI, the issue of reparations and responsibility will effectively poison international relationship. The treaty negative impact goes well beyond WWII as the new European borders it implemented led to many conflicts during the twentieth century. This documentary shines a light on the causality between the decisions taken with the treaty of Versailles, and the ensuing events of the century.

Erzähle Deine Geschichte - Vom Mauerfall bis heute

October 2020 •German

Jean-Pierre Mocky, libre et sentimental

February 2023 •French

A journey into the mind of French actor and director Jean-Pierre Mocky (1929-2019), author of films both playful and profound, of an impressive richness.

Madonna: Truth or Dare

May 1991 •English

From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.

Relatos del fantástico

October 2019 •Spanish

In 1993, Jesús Parrado interviewed actor and director Jacinto Molina, world-wide known as Paul Naschy, and director Amando de Ossorio, two key figures of the Spanish fantasy cinema. In 2019, part of this footage is rescued. The rest has lost forever.

SEWOL: Years in the Wind

April 2024 •Korean

The 10-year struggle of the families who lost their children from the Sewol Ferry Disaster.

In Ictu Oculi

October 2020 •Basque

The six-decade transformation of a block of houses, shown by means of artfully featured archival shots, highlights the beauty and sadness of human-made decay. In the blink of an eye 66 years pass by and a savings bank replaces a church.