Wine and War

A Passion for the Vine

April 2012 •English

This documentary features extraordinary people whose passion for wine led them to create another career as a vintner, including: David Coverdale, lead singer of Whitesnake and Deep Purple Dick Vermeil, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs Tamara Mowry-Housley, star of "Sister, Sister" and "Tia and Tamera" Bob the Steer, former slaughterhouse steer Jonathan Cain, songwriter and keyboardist of Journey Carmen Policy, president of the San Francisco 49ers- Just to name a few!

Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines

November 2023 •Spanish

By telling the human stories behind the entire value chain that gives life to the Spanish wine with the greatest international projection, ‘Rioja, Land of the Thousand Wines’ portrays a currently blooming wine region underpinned by the talent and the work of the new generations of winemakers that operate side by side with the region’s historic wineries. The film puts the focus on the match between territory and product, wisdom and tradition, and lays a bridge between the origins and the future of Rioja. An immersion into a fascinating world that, through captivating cinematography and careful editing, attempts to find the keys to understanding what Rioja wine is and what makes it so special.

Waltz with Bashir

June 2008 •Hebrew

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

Langhe Doc

April 2011 •Italian

Three characters, three stories of "heretics", three food producers who think in a different way to describe the transformation of our Country in what in “Langhe Doc” Giorgio Bocca calls the Italy of warehouses. We're in Langhe, a unique territory, universally recognized as one of the most beautiful places in Italy, fresh candidate for Unesco World Heritage but afflicted by uncontrolled economic development, urbanization, overbuilding, abandonment of the less profitable areas. Those of Maria Theresa, Silvio and Mauro are stories of people who have insight into a future they do not like and have chosen to refuse it. Their challenges are still open, they're not yet fully met and perhaps they never will: these heretics move in one direction, while the world moves in another, quite the opposite one.

Barolo Boys: The Story of a Revolution

October 2014 •English

The story of a group of friends, the "rebel boys" who made italian wine become so great, between generational conflicts, brilliant insights and never silenced controversies.

Eldorado

April 2018 •German

Drawing inspiration from his personal encounter with the Italian refugee child Giovanna during World War II, Markus Imhoof tells how refugees and migrants are treated today: on the Mediterranean Sea, in Lebanon, in Italy, in Germany and in Switzerland.

The Most Expensive Wine in the World

January 2024 •French

Mondovino

November 2004 •English

Mondovino (in Italian: World of Wine) is a documentary film on the impact of globalization on the world's different wine regions written and directed by American film maker Jonathan Nossiter. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and a César Award. The film explores the impact of globalization on the various wine-producing regions, and the influence of critics like Robert Parker and consultants like Michel Rolland in defining an international style. It pits the ambitions of large, multinational wine producers, in particular Robert Mondavi, against the small, single estate wineries who have traditionally boasted wines with individual character driven by their terroir.

Objects of War

January 2000 •French

‘Objects of War’ is a series of testimonials on the Lebanese war. Each person chooses an object, ordinary or unusual, which serves as a starting point for his / her story. These testimonials while helping to create a collective memory, also show the impossibility of telling a single History of this war. Only fragments of this History are recounted here, held as truth by those expressing them. In ‘Objects of War’, the aim is not to reveal a truth but rather to gather and confront many diverse versions and discourses on the subject. ‘Objects of War’ started in 1999 assembling the testimonials of eleven persons. It was first shown in 2000 . It continued in 2003 with ‘Objects of War n°2’, recording seven additional testimonials. This time however, and since then, the recorded material is left unedited, shown in its integrity. The work of collecting and assembling these stories continued with ‘Objects of War n°3 & n°4’ in 2006 and ‘n°5 & 6’ in 2014.

Ashes

January 2024 •Greek

A Letter from a Time of War

October 1984 •Arabic

Filmed in Beirut in the Spring of 1984, in many ways a letter about warfront.

Joanna and Jennifer: Absolutely Champers

December 2017 •English

Ab Fab stars Jennifer Saunders & Joanna Lumley share 25 years of friendship. The two funny ladies head to the Champagne region of France to find out how their favourite glass of fizz is made.

Celebrity Guide to Wine

January 1990 •English

Spago restaurant maître d’ Bernard Erpicum hosts this program featuring Hollywood stars as they share tips for choosing the best wine for any occasion. Dudley Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Seagal, and Peter Weller are among the guests. Added advice is provided by Robert Loggia, Kelly LeBrock, Herbie Hancock, and Shelley Hack. Other topics covered include quickly ordering from a restaurant's lengthy wine list and selecting the proper stemware for home entertaining.

Somm: Into the Bottle

November 2015 •English

The curtain is raised into the seldom seen world that surrounds the wine we drink. How many people understand how wine is produced? How it is grown? What goes on in the cellar? From those questions to how many hands touch a bottle, to why wine costs what it costs, to how certain wines end up on a wine list, this is a never before seen look into the world of wine.

Yallah! Underground

April 2015 •English

Yallah! Underground follows some of today’s most influential and progressive artists in Arab underground culture from 2009 to 2013 and documents their work, dreams and fears in a time of great change for Arab societies. In a region full of tension, young Arab artists in the Middle East have struggled for years to express themselves freely and to promote more liberal attitudes within their societies. During the Arab Spring, like many others of this new generation, local artists had high hopes for the future and took part in the protests. However, after years of turmoil and instability, young Arabs now have to challenge both old and new problems, being torn between feelings of disillusion and a vague hope for a better future.

Wine Cliffs

October 2009 •Italian

Ermanno Olmi has returned to documentary filmmaking and makes a journey through valleys, living rocks and the culture of the Valtellina hillsides.

The Two Eighty Project

Invalid date •English

Chris Renfro doesn’t just grow and harvest grapes on a hillside high above San Francisco’s Highway 280 to make delicious local wine. He is dedicated to building a sustainable food community that nourishes every member of the local economy and ecosystem. With the 280 Project’s mission to reclaim space, realize opportunity and revitalize community, Renfro brings both passion and vision to the notion that land ownership is a powerful path to self-determination.

Lebanon in Crisis

November 2020 •French

The apocalyptic blast in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, exacerbates anger at those in power: protests cross religious boundaries as the Lebanese people curse corruption, nepotism, gross economic mismanagement and squandering of resources. How did the Land of Cedars, a country with so much to offer, allow itself to get into such a dire situation? And will it be able to bounce back?

Quarantine

May 2021 •Spanish

A short film of the first weeks of strict national lockdown, filmed in Barcelona on a classic home video camera Hi8. Narrates the story of three women who share a flat and who create a microworld not only to survive the global pandemic but also to survive themselves.

Somm

June 2013 •English

Somm takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into the mysterious world of the Court of Master Sommeliers and their massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam.