Outra Ode às Costureiras

And yet they were there

December 2021 •French

Dominique, Suzanne, and Annette: three women who participated in the adventure of the Medvedkine groups (Besançon, Sochaux, 1967-1974). In those same years, the lives of our grandmothers and mothers experienced decisive changes: they worked outside the home and revolutionized customs. A group of Besançon students are investigating those events and questioning their own family memory.

Mais qu'est ce qu'elles veulent ?

April 1975 •English

In this documentary by Coline Serreau, known for her feature film Why Not?, a selection of Frenchwomen in characteristically no-win situations discuss what they are experiencing and answer, if only by implication, the question: "What do women want?"

Exergo

May 2024 •Basque

Departing from peripheral details of some paintings of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, a female narrator unravels several stories related to the economic, social and psychological conditions of past and current artists.

Battle Front in Britain

June 1918 •English

From growing potatoes in Green Park, London, to transforming rabbit crates into seed boxes – just a couple of the many ingenious ways of supporting the war effort which are covered in this film from the Ministry of Information.

Beyond Ratings

February 2024 •Hindi

Three women share their experience of navigating the app-world in the metro city. The sharings reveal gendered battles as platform workers and the tiresome reality of gig-workers' identities against the absent bosses, masked behind their apps. Filmed in the streets of New Delhi, the protagonists share about their door-to-door gigs, the surveillance at their workplaces and the absence of accountability in the urban landscape.

Women in Industry

March 1948 •English

The Ministry of Labour exhorts women to return to industry – the post-war production drive depends on them.

Nightshift

January 1943 •English

At the Lőrinc Spinnery

April 1972 •Hungarian

A candid portrait of the women working at the Lőrinc spinning mill. As with so many of Mészáros’ shorts, this work has foundations in autobiography, and she would later return to this particular world in one of her fiction features.

The Braid

November 2023 •English

India. Smita is an untouchable. She dreams of seeing her daughter escape her miserable condition and enter school. Italy. Giulia works in her father’s workshop. When he has an accident, she discovers that the family business is ruined. Canada. Sarah, a successful lawyer, is about to be promoted to the head of her firm when she learns that she is ill. Three lives, three women, three continents. Three battles to fight. Although they don’t know each other, Smita, Giulia and Sarah are unknowingly linked by their most intimate and singular bond.

The Very Thought of You

October 1944 •English

Army sergeants Dave and "Fixit" spend a three-day pass in Pasadena, where they meet Janet and Cora, two young women who work in a parachute factory.

Where Is the Jungle?

November 2015 •Portuguese

Deolindo and Stevenson try to find their place in the middle of the jungle. Along their path we will witness the transformation of a territory where in every moment the present and the past become confused, in a thought-provoking struggle between modernity and tradition. What are the secrets of the jungle? Where are its limits?

… because I am not the 21st Century’s Giacometti

October 2015 •Portuguese

“Since 2011, as an author and in a frantic and committed fashion, I record music and dance expressions of various kinds all over the country. From a great conversation with film director Inês Oliveira, who followed my work for a while, I raise fundamental questions in this film: Why do I do what I do? What is this all about? What are the relationships with the people? What differentiates me from scientific work? What is tradition?” — Tiago Pereira.

Cerro Rico: The Silver Mountain

July 2015 •English

An impressive insight into the hard and dangerous everyday work life of the miners of Cerro Rico. 4100 meters above sea level they are digging through the crumbly rock to scratch the last remains of silver, zinc, tin and lead off the rock face.

The Century of Le Corbusier

May 2015 •French

Based on interviews and personal writings, this documentary gives an overview of life at the time: the century of world wars, ideologies and totalitarianism.

Yellow Tale Blues: Two American Families

June 1991 •English

Documentary by Christine Choy

The Punk Voyage

October 2017 •Finnish

In December 2016 a remarkable chapter in music history was closed as the Finnish punk rock band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN) retired. Punk Voyage is a feature length documentary film about the last years of the band, with all the ups and downs included. After becoming celebrities in Finland, this incredible quartet continued to conquer new fans around the World. In its seven years run PKN played nearly 300 gigs in 16 countries. In 2015 the band was selected to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, where they played to over 100 million television spectators. However, the busy traveling and success created a lot of pressure within the band: Kari struggled with the temptations and responsibilities brought by publicity; Sami extended his territory to politics and religion; Toni's and the band's roadie Niila's crush to the the same girl caused conflicts; and Pertti, tired of this all, decided to retire.

Video Games: The New Masters of the World

November 2016 •French

In thirty years, the video game has conquered an increasingly wide audience. Drawing on the recent work of economists, sociologists, experts and interviewing major players in this field, this investigation unravels the overwhelming domination of this new mass media.

How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer

November 2023 •English

From Brooklyn beginnings to literary pantheon, Norman Mailer's unorthodox trajectory spans marriages, offspring, and accolades. An unprecedented glimpse into the preeminent 20th-century author's private and public worlds through intimate biography.

Pimenta no Clima

August 2025 •Portuguese

Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

March 2025 •English

Life, death and making meaning are the heart of a beautiful and often very funny film about an aging couple who, after an accident, face the inevitability of impermanence and seek a deep peace in their relationship while they still can.