November 8th

Dreams adrift

March 2021 •Spanish

Mike Porcel is the lost member of the Cuban Nueva Trova musical movement. His lack of “revolutionary spirit” condemned him to the scorn of his peers and made him a pariah for a decade, until he managed to go into exile. Without resentment, but without forgetting, the film reconstructs his story and revives a forgotten brilliance.

Accidental Anarchist

July 2017 •English

Carne Ross was a government highflyer. A career diplomat who believed Western Democracy could save us all. But working inside the system he came to see its failures, deceits and ulterior motives. He felt at first hand the corruption of power. After the Iraq war Carne became disillusioned, quit his job and started searching for answers.

Return

May 2018 •Spanish

Street Fight

April 2005 •English

This documentary follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey, in which a City Councilman, Cory Booker, attempted to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James.

Africa Light / Gray Zone

January 2010 •English

"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.

Någon annan betalar

September 2014 •Swedish

Någon annan betalar is a film about politicians' irresponsible use of your tax money. The documentary is financed through voluntary donations and based on the book 365 sätt att slösa med dina skattepengar.

Picturing the Obamas

September 2022 •English

Viewers learn from curators, journalists and art critics about the ways in which the Obamas’ portraits commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery disrupt traditional presidential portraiture and spur museums to reach new audiences. The paintings of the ex-commander in chief and first lady, by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, were revealed to much fanfare at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018. The portraits — which drew record attendance to the Washington art museum — have since traveled the country as part of a nationwide exhibition.

Empire City

July 1985 •English

A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the participation of some of New York's leading political and cultural figures. Made at a time when the city was experiencing unprecedented real estate development on the one hand and unforeseen displacement of population and deterioration on the other. Empire City is the story of two New Yorks. The film explores the precarious coexistence of the service-based midtown Manhattan corporate headquarters with the peripheral New York of undereducated minorities living in increasing alienation.

Citizen Krone, Austria between the Lines

November 2002 •German

This film journeys deep into the heart of Austria’s favorite daily newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung, the most widely-read paper per capita in the world. The “Krone’s” 2.7 million readers represent 43% of the Austrian press market. A reflection of the Austrian soul, this newspaper serves as a prism through which we can understand the rise of the populist Right in this country and examine the dangerous flirtation between media and politics.

Stunned, I Remain Alert

January 2020 •Portuguese

Journalist Dermi Azevedo has never stopped fighting for human rights and now, three decades after the end of the military dictatorship in Brazil, he's witnessing the return of those same practices.

10 mai 1981, le jour du grand soir

May 2021 •French

Paris 1919: Un traité pour la paix

April 2009 •English

The last shots had been fired in the First World War — but peace had yet to be made. Inspired by Margaret MacMillan’s acclaimed work of popular history, Paris 1919 takes us inside the most ambitious peace talks in history, revisiting the event with a vivid sense of narrative. Evoking a pivotal moment when peace seemed possible, director Paul Cowan reflects upon the hard-learned lessons of history.

Aboard Air Force One

June 2020 •English

Air Force One is a marvel of military engineering. For more than half a century, the presidential fleet of armed jumbo jets has served as a flying fortress for America's commanders-in-chief, carrying them in victory, in shame, and even death. Join us as we take an unprecedented look at the world's most famous aircraft: how it was born, how it has developed over the decades, and the role it has played in historic events, from the death of Kennedy to the 9/11 attacks to a morale-building, surprise Thanksgiving visit to Iraq, and more.

The Corporation

September 2003 •English

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

Someone Else's Country

April 1996 •English

Someone Else’s Country looks critically at the radical economic changes implemented by the 1984 Labour Government - where privatisation of state assets was part of a wider agenda that sought to remake New Zealand as a model free market state. The trickle-down ‘Rogernomics’ rhetoric warned of no gain without pain, and here the theory is counterpointed by the social effects (redundant workers, Post Office closures). Made by Alister Barry in 1996 when the effects were raw, the film draws extensively on archive footage and interviews with key “witnesses to history”.

In a Land of Plenty

July 2002 •English

The story of unemployment in New Zealand and In A Land of Plenty is an exploration of just that; it takes as its starting point the consensus from The Depression onwards that Godzone economic policy should focus on achieving full employment, and explores how this was radically shifted by the 1984 Labour government. Director Alister Barry's perspective is clear, as he trains a humanist lens on ‘Rogernomics' to argue for the policy's negative effects on society, as a new poverty-stricken underclass developed.

Keeler, Profumo, Ward and Me

January 2020 •English

Tom Mangold's inside story of the scandal that rocked Britain, showing what it was really like to live with Stephen Ward as he became the scapegoat for the Profumo affair.

Reiwa Uprising

November 2019 •Japanese

Kazuo Hara follows Ayumi Yasutomi, a transgender candidate, who is also a Tokyo University professor, as she embarks on a national campaign for a seat in Japan's Upper House.

PACmen

May 2017 •English

This observational documentary follows the men behind the Super-PACs that persuaded Dr Ben Carson to run for President. Believing Carson can save the Republican Party, they successfully draft him to run, raise millions of dollars and catapult him to the top of the polls. However, as Carson's political inexperience begins to show, his constant media gaffes make fundraising increasingly difficult. Donors and voters abandon Carson's campaign as wallets close, hearts open and faith is tested. As Trump inexplicably rises, the campaign descends into chaos and the PACmen begin to wonder - did they pick the wrong savior?

Who’s Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics

October 1995 •English

This documentary profiles economist and writer Marilyn Waring. In extensive interviews, Waring details her feminist approach to finances and challenges commonly accepted truths about the global economy. The filmmakers detail Waring's early rise to political prominence and her successful protests against nuclear arms. Waring also speaks candidly about wartime economies, suggesting that government policies tend to marginalize the fiscal contributions of women.