In the 1930s, three friends - Burt, Harold, and Milton - witness a murder and are framed for it. They must uncover a conspiracy that leads them to wealthy textile heir Tom Voze and his family. Along the way, they encounter spies, a secret organization, and a plot to overthrow the American government. With the help of General Dillenbeck, they aim to foil the plot and bring the culprits to justice.
In a post-apocalyptic world, Henry Spencer navigates a bleak industrial wasteland while dealing with a strained relationship, the pressures of work, and the arrival of his deformed baby. As Henry's mental state deteriorates, he contemplates suicide and becomes entangled in surreal and disturbing experiences. Ultimately, he kills the baby and presumably himself, finding solace in a dream-like afterlife.
Entr'acte (1924) is an avant-garde short film filled with surrealism and comedy. The film takes the audience on a journey through a series of absurd and unexpected events, featuring running after a car, a runaway carriage, a funeral procession, a bearded woman, and a ballet performance. With its experimental and dadaist elements, Entr'acte is a unique cinematic experience.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is a documentary that delves into the fascinating life of Peggy Guggenheim, an influential art patron and collector. From her early days in New York City to her time in Europe, the film explores Guggenheim's relationships, her passion for modern art, and her unique approach to collecting. Through interviews, archival footage, and artwork, viewers gain insight into Guggenheim's impact on the art world and her role in promoting and supporting artists like Jackson Pollock, Max Ernst, and Marcel Duchamp.
Ballet Mécanique is an abstract short film featuring avant-garde elements. It explores themes of dadaism, surrealism, and impressionism through the juxtaposition of mechanical and human movements.
With input from actor and writer Jan Hlobil, director and cinematographer Rene Smaal presents a film in the true surrealist tradition, in the sense that only 'found' elements were used, and that it defies interpretation based on ordinary cause-and-effect time sequence.
Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928) is a surreal and avant-garde short film that explores the concept of inanimate objects coming to life. The film features a group of ghosts who disrupt and play with animated objects, creating a whimsical and unusual experience for the audience.
An AI takes millions of inputs and rehashes them into something semi-new. The same thing human brain does when sleeping. Humans call it "dreams".
A documentary-feature film mix detailing the life of famous German dadaist Kurt Schwitters.
Story about a group of eccentric Dadaist artists in a small Serbian town in the 1920s.
A short film about life.
The Mysteries of the Chateau of Dice is a surreal and avant-garde documentary from 1929. The film takes viewers on a journey through a castle on a hill, capturing the contrast between modern architecture and castle ruins. The film includes scenes of swimming, a car and steam locomotive, suspension bridge, mountain road, sculpture, and more. With skewed camera angles and experimental techniques, this two-reeler film showcases the artistic and innovative spirit of the 1920s.
Described as 'a fairytale with its roots in the worlds of dadaism and surrealism'.
A cruel picture of the ways in which human beings acquire power and then cling to it. The story of Father Ubu, an idiot who climbs over the bodies of the dead to his royal post, is presented with a touch of the grotesque where naive comic elements meet black humor. Using a human touch, the film- makers were able to transform the original into a film aimed at a contemporary audience while remaining faithful to the vision of Father Ubu and Mother Ubu venturing everything in their efforts to seize power and mammon.
Three French pals take to the road in a stolen car and discover a talking, wounded stork — who claims to have deserted the Algerian army — and help it to escape to the home of a relative in Germany.
Two Penny Magic (Zweigroschenzauber) starting off with a little magic trick. It then presents an array of images from swimmers, bicyclers, murderers, airplanes in flight, boxers, lovers, runners, becoming in the end a collection of images in a magazine.
Europe After the Rain is a documentary film that delves into the interwar period of Europe, focusing on the artistic movements, political upheaval, and social tensions that shaped the continent. From the rise of Nazism to the exile of intellectuals and artists, the film explores the impact of World War II and its aftermath on European society. Through interviews, archival footage, and visual art, the documentary offers a comprehensive look at the cultural and historical context of this turbulent era, highlighting the influence of literature, surrealism, Dadaism, and other art movements. With a particular focus on the works of Salvador Dali and other prominent artists, the film examines how the trauma and social transformations of the time gave birth to new artistic expressions and movements. It also delves into the role of psychoanalysis, communist ideologies, and the exploration of the subconscious in shaping the art of the period. Europe After the Rain provides a thought-provoking exploration of the artistic and political landscape of the 1910s to the 1960s.
Humourous interpretation of the poems and writings of Soviet dadaist Daniil Charms. These are organized into a sequence, suggesting a storyline, about a poor Russian poet who lives in Vienna, falls in love and has several bizarre adventures.
A film about painting and its denial concerning Giordano struggling with the Sleeping Beauty, this is the challenge. Will art, free of museums and academies be able to give back to the child raped and abandoned on the snow, the desire to go on living? Giordano, Prince Charming bearing butterfly catchers and rotating optical games, plods along sinking into the snow and… but revolutionary creativity is not the one that makes the bird in the cage sink: is it the reason why the imprisoned bird breaks the cage.
An immersion into the surreal and dreamlike world of painter, photographer and filmmaker Man Ray (1890-1976), one of the most prolific American visual artists, through four of his short films, brought to life by the atmospheric music of SQÜRL.