Man with a Movie Camera is an experimental documentary film that showcases various aspects of urban life in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It is known for its innovative filmmaking techniques and avant-garde style, including the use of montage and the incorporation of a film-within-a-film.
The late Fujio Akatsuka is revered by many Japanese artists and scholars for his developments to early comedy manga, but his contributions aren't just limited to the world of print media. Featuring commentary from family, friends, colleagues, and celebrity fans, Fujio Akatsuka's story is told with archival footage and animation, showcasing the life of the man who went beyond manga.
Bitter Lake (2015) is a thought-provoking documentary that delves into the intricate web of politics, manipulation, and control surrounding the conflicts in Afghanistan. With a focus on the Helmand Province, the film examines the oversimplification of the Afghan Civil War and its connection to September 11, 2001. Through a lens of fear and conflict-of-interest, it reveals the devastating consequences of the opium trade, the feedback loop of violence, and the role of the US in perpetuating the carnage. Bitter Lake exposes the influence of Gulf War politics, the arms industry, and financialization, shedding light on the impact of neoliberalism and the oil crisis. It uncovers the subterfuge, propaganda, and manipulation by Islamic fundamentalist groups and exposes the political myths perpetuated by the Big Lie. The film also explores the complex dynamics of assassination, the rise of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and the role of crony capitalism. Through a lens of religious movements, it examines the theological doctrine, religious intolerance, and fundamentalism in ultraconservative Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia. Bitter Lake presents a compelling and eye-opening critique of the intertwined forces that have shaped Afghanistan and the global consequences of these events.
On July 6, 2024, The Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points in Jacksonville, Florida screened its final film.
A young woman who has just started a job at an art museum writes an email to a friend she lived with until recently. The other woman, also young, works as an artist and has just moved to a new city. A narrator reads this email, but we don't know which of the two women the voice belongs to, whether to the sender or to the receiver of the message. Neither are we aware of the details of this relationship; but what we do know is that, in addition to their interest in art, they share a concern for the difficulties of carrying out their personal and professional lives in the present. By focusing on the peripheral or hidden details of some paintings in the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, this narrator relates several stories linked to the social, economic and psychological conditions of the artists, both past and present.
After consolidating itself as a tourist destination in the mid-1960s, this small coastal village has become the dormitory town for the workers of a Nuclear Power Plant. With the liberal promise of prosperity and socioeconomic wellfare, many workers left their homes to move to the small city and started working at the new Nuclear Power Plant. The collective unrest and the silence, cut off by the great gusts of wind, articulate the landscape of the village that is now under the aid of the Nuclear Power Plant.
A Real Hero is an experimental documentary about the life and humanitarian work of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
A made-for-cable-TV docudrama about the trial of the men accused of conspiring to cause protesters to riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Combines in an innovative manner dramatic recreations (largely faithful to the actual trial transcripts) with documentary footage and interviews with the actual defendants.
What are they? What do they seek? When all the lights go out, they will wander. And you will never see them.
A thought-provoking documentary that delves into the world of surveillance technology and its effects on privacy, control, and power structures in society. Through a historical lens, the film examines the evolution of visual information, from the human eye to cameras and imaging technology, highlighting the complexities of interpretation and trustability. It explores topics such as mass surveillance, public space, surveillance capitalism, and the limitations of photography. With a focus on both the subjective and objective aspects of surveillance, it raises important questions about transparency, privacy, and the impact of surveillance on our daily lives.
X-ray images were invented in 1895, the same year in which the Lumière brothers presented their respective invention in what today is considered to be the first cinema screening. Thus, both cinema and radiography fall within the scopic regime inaugurated by modernity. The use of X-rays on two sculptures from the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum generates images that reveal certain elements of them that would otherwise be invisible to our eyes. These images, despite being generally created for technical or scientific purposes, seem to produce a certain form of 'photogénie': they lend the radiographed objects a new appearance that lies somewhere between the material and the ethereal, endowing them with a vaporous and spectral quality. It is not by chance that physics and phantasmagoria share the term 'spectrum' in their vocabulary.
In the town of Xoco, the spirit of an old villager awakens in search of its lost home. Along its journey, the ghost discovers that the town still celebrates its most important festivities, but also learns that the construction of a new commercial complex called Mítikah will threaten the existence of both the traditions and the town itself.
Archive footage from 2006 - 2010 of a young girl growing up during the ages of four to eight. Only fragments of what is remembered exists. Words from a transgender man float to the surface as fleeting memories go on.
An excerpt about the troubled, passionate and intriguing relationship of an actor with his own life.
Kuyashii Gonzo: Blood Visions and Chaos Magic is a Gonzo documentary about trying to make a no-budget feature film against the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment, and death. To never give up, no matter how hard things get.
This film portrait of a new kind is a deep dive into the heart of the art scene of Los Angeles. From a ride on Sunset Boulevard in a convertible car at the sunrise, going through a lunch with the art dealer Patrick Painter and a visit to Peter Shire's studio... Having a beer and a deep talk with Paul McCarthy, calling Raymond Pettibon stuck in New-York or searching for Ed Ruscha in bars.... From Ariana Papademetropoulos opening exhibition to the visit of a car wreck with Umar Raschid... From the old house of Cary Grant to the dodgy underground of Downtown passing through Eugenio Lopez's private art collection on the Hollywood hills... Through intimate conversation, 24 Hour Sunset gives us access to the thoughts, inspirations and practice of legendary artists, world famous art dealers, appraised curators and collectors, as well as the young up coming scene of artists living in Los Angeles.
(Pre-production) Explore Kosovo's tumultuous history in an experimental, music-driven voyage, intertwining past wounds and future aspirations through innovative 3D technology.
A filmmaker’s meditation on loss and grief. A digital eulogy and swan song to his creative partner and best friend. Mixed media woven into the fading daydream of their time together.