Documentary

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Utilizing stock military footage of Pearl Harbor, December 7th departs from the typical documentary form to present a narrative framing device featuring Walter Huston as a character representing Uncle Sam, Harry Davenport as a folksy representation of “conscience” called Mr. C, and Dana Andrews as the ghost of an American soldier. The story opens on December 6, 1941, the day before the attack, with Uncle Sam and Mr. C carrying on a discussion about the history of Hawaii and the country’s war preparations. One of the approaches taken by co-directors John Ford and Gregg Toland was to paint the Japanese-American citizens of Hawaii (37 percent of the population, according to the film) as potential traitors, fifth-columnists spying on their “American” employers for information to hustle back to the “homeland.” Read More »

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Based on Patricia Highsmith’s personal writings and accounts of her family and lovers, the film casts new light on the famous thriller writer’s life and oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on identity.Read More »

Synopsis
An intimate access to the private life of Courtney Barnett, an anti-influencer who is a powerful voice for our times.Read More »

Suzanne Daveau sketches a portrait of an adventurous woman who traverses the 20th century right up to the modern day guided by her passion for geographical research.Read More »

Lost for decades, Asia is One was rediscovered in 2005. Shot around the time of the reversion, Asia is One initially begins by capturing shifting perceptions in Okinawa and economic developments—from the onset of increased tourism and cultural preservation, to the exodus of islanders migrating to the mainland for better opportunities whether for work, education or a better life. Composed of testimonials, Asia is One uncovers the history of labor abuse and exploitation by mainland mining companies since the 1930s and documents the Taiwanese and Zainichi immigrants who worked in these harsh mines, confronting the legacy of imperialism alongside concepts of border and identity on the vast stretches of islands that lead down to Taiwan.Read More »

About the movie:
(fictionalised documentary), script and directing with Witold Lesiewicz. A two-part film. The part made by Munk is about the work ethos again, this time the work ethos of miners. It is a story about people from the mine’s management who want to fulfil the production quota, which is at risk of not being met, and go down an old, unused mine shaft to look for coal. The film is schematic in plot but interesting as to form. (Awards: 1955 – Special Mention from the State Award Committee)Read More »

Synopsis: Kamikaze Hearts provocatively depicts a relationship between two lesbian drug addicts. By blending cinema verite and docu-drama, Juliet Bashore’s one-of-a-kind entry mines the raw material in this love story about porn star Sharon Mitchell and her sometime producer Tina “Tigr” Mennett. What unfolds is an uncommon peek at the underground “adult film industry.” Moreover, viewers see two unusual women
who buck the traditional ways of a male-dominated society through wholly unconventional, if self-destructive, means.Read More »

“The espresso has a democratic note,” says Vesely’s study on urban life changings.
Italy has spread to Munich: cappuccino, ice cream and outdoor tables instead of beer pub. The generation gap in 1958 is already visible, because with espresso drinking the German youth set the tone.

An essay on the “Italianization” of life in Munich: an espresso bar and tables in the open air instead of the Hofbräuhaus.Read More »

The end of an long upmarket renovation of the legendary Chelsea Hotel is partly longed for and partly dreaded by the artists who still live there. The film grants us access to their apartments and interweaves the past with the present.Read More »