Jazz Is My Native Language: A Portrait of Toshiko Akiyoshi (1983)

Keiko Kishi, Eternally Rebellious

Born in 1932, Keiko Kishi has been one of the first Japanese actresses known worldwide. Her decision to move to France and to marry director Yves Ciampi in 1957 – after he filmed her in Typhoon Over Nagasaki starring Jean Marais and Danielle Darrieux – caused a huge scandal in Japan. Despite this transgression, Keiko Kishi continued acting in her home country with Kon Ichikawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Masaki Kobayashi… building unique bridges between Japanese and European cultures. Free and rebellious, she emancipated herself from the many obstacles she encountered in the film industry, and created her own production company in her early twenties. Let’s look back at the story of a pioneer, an inspiration for many generations.

The Fabulous Baker Boys

The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

Let's Get Lost

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

Fire Music

Although the free jazz movement of the 1960s and '70s was much maligned in some jazz circles, its pioneers - brilliant talents like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and John Coltrane - are today acknowledged as central to the evolution of jazz as America's most innovative art form. FIRE MUSIC showcases the architects of a movement whose radical brand of improvisation pushed harmonic and rhythmic boundaries, and produced landmark albums like Coleman's Free Jazz: A Collective Inspiration and Coltrane's Ascension. A rich trove of archival footage conjures the 1960s jazz scene along with incisive reflections by critic Gary Giddins and a number of the movement's key players.

Piano Blues

Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.

Passing the Torch

Passing the Torch documents a ninety year old Jazz master, Jimmy Heath, mentoring teenage musicians with a thirst for knowledge and an appreciation of America's homegrown art form, Jazz. Director Bret Primack captures Heath's gentle, humorous sharing of life lessons and the non-threatening way he guides aspiring artists to musical excellence. An esteemed mentor, Mr. Heath reaches a much younger generation by understanding his role, to be dependable, engaged, authentic, and finely tuned to their needs.

Cold Trumpet

Chet Baker silently wanders through an Antonioniesque landscape in a Felliniesque state of wonderment as his improvised trumpet solos alternate between earnestly offering the obvious and mocking the artiness of the whole affair.

Sou Jazz

Sound is a journey. Each note opens a door, closes another. Instruments chart the course. Through a poetic and immersive lens, Sou Jazz shines a light on musicians from the Paraisópolis community, reaffirming the social and transformative power of art. The film invites viewers into a reflective, sensory exploration of the relationship between jazz and life on the margins.

Sparni

It’s the second semester of junior year for Pierce “Sparni” Sparnroft, a gifted jazz vibraphonist studying at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Sparni’s prospects on the vibes were rejuvenated by their new professor, the world-renowned Steve Nelson, and are to be showcased during a student-driven recital in May 2023. But all the while, Sparni must face a crisis within.

Streetlight Opus

When two buskers find themselves situated on the same busy street corner, a musical battle ensues when the musicians realise that the lively city isn't big enough for the both of them

Kankles: Redefining Tradition

Vaiva Dunaitytė, a gifted 20-year-old musician, shares her lifelong journey with the Lithuanian plucked string instrument, Kanklės- an ancient tradition she’s transforming for the modern world.

Jazz Legends: Charles Mingus & Eric Dolphy - 1964

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Jazz session: Dizzy Gillepsie en concert au studio 104 - 1970

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The Karate Kid Part II

Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.

truth: 1 Night, 1 Room, 3 Baddest Bitches

A Japan-set battle-royale comedy over a vial of sperm is centered around three women on the verge of a nervous breakdown from hearing their biological clock ticking away: a doctor and manager of a sperm bank, Sana Kobayashi, a single mother, Maron Kuribayashi, and an alluring receptionist, Mayumi Kujō. Unknowingly, the three shared a beloved partner and a sperm donor, Makoto, but lost him in a sudden accident. The night of Makoto's funeral they are shocked to discover each other in his room. In a rage of screaming, thrashing, and boasting about their own sexual prowess with Makoto, more fierce emotions erupt once Sana's plan to self-inseminate is exposed, but this leads to unexpected consequences. They affirm their real love for Makoto and reveal his true wishes.

Recently, My Sister Is Unusual

Mitsuki and Yuya become stepsister and stepbrother because of their parents' marriage. Mitsuki can't get along with her new family and Yuya doesn't know how to approach his new stepsister. One day, Mitsuki becomes possessed by the spirit of Hiyori. Hiyori likes Yuya and believes Yuya can help her get to heaven. Hiyori places a leather chastity belt upon on Mitsuki and a plan takes place to help send Hiyori to heaven.

Prelude Maison Ikkoku: When the Cherry Blossoms Return in the Spring

Kyoko Otonashi is a 22-year-old widow. Six months have passed since the sudden death of her husband, Soichiro. In her resolve to move on, she has recently taken over the management of a boarding house owned by her father-in-law. She now finds herself reminiscing about the few seasons that she and Soichiro had together, and about the first time that she saw him: when he became her geology teacher during her final year of high school. This prequel is the third and final OVA released after the conclusion of MAISON IKKOKU, an animated series based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi. The past events are retold through flashback sequences using scenes from the television series, with narration by Sumi Shimamoto as Kyoko.

La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes

Follow the owners of the infamous "Maison de la petite mort" during their daily work. After the shocking events in part one, you'll never guess what the new owner Monsieur Matheo Maximè is up to. Torturing for money at it's very - worst.

Geisha Assassin

One rainy night in the Edo period, Kotono (a geisha) confronts samurais who killed her father. The samurais attack her one after another, but she fights hard against samurais with her sword. Kotono tries to chase the samurais who scramble to escape. Yet now three ninjas stand up against her. Kotono drops her sword by their wave of assaults. Can she beat them?

Irezumi

Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, elopes with her lover Shinsuke, an employee of her father's. During their flight, Otsuya's beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya's back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality seems to transform under its influence.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror

Your favourite teddy bear. That model kit that took so long to complete. The picture book you used to read over and over again. The shining stone you found that day in the park. Where do all your childhood's treasures go when you grow up? In this story, we meet fantastic creatures that gather all these little objects that fall into oblivion as they are forgotten by their owners when they step into adulthood. These creatures sneak into our world from a different dimension, and unseen by humans, they take all the ditched and forgotten "treasures" into their world. Here, they use their booty to build their own city, a fairy tale-like place called... Oblivion Island!

Gun Crazy: Episode 1 — A Woman from Nowhere

A mysterious stranger comes into a lawless town run by a kingpin and starts shooting up the place.

Gun Crazy: Episode 2 — Beyond the Law

An idealistic young lawyer whose faith in the law is rocked when she is unable to prevent a rapist from walking free. Her disillusionment of the judicial system is complete when her next case goes disastrously wrong, her corrupt boss is killed by her disappointed gangster clients, and she only narrowly escapes the same fate when a gun-toting stranger bursts into the office and shoots the men dead.

Gothic & Lolita Psycho

Yuki lives at home in peace until one day a unit of assassins breaks in and kill her mother. In order to revenge herself Yuki becomes a demon of vengeance by donning gothic lolita clothing, using a parasol as a deadly weapon, and executing the guilty in God's name.

Dixieland Droopy

John Pettibone (Droopy), a dog whose love of Dixieland music is not appreciated by those around him, has a lucky meeting with Pee-Wee Runt and his All-Flea Dixieland band at the circus.

Cherry Blossoms & Demons

When everything in his life seems to be going wrong, downtrodden and alcohol-dependent Karl has a fateful encounter in Munich with Yu, a mysterious Japanese dancer from his father’s past. Unexpectedly, Yu begins to help Karl confront his demons (both literal and figurative) and begin to heal.

Rent-a-Cat

A young woman who rents out cats to lonely old folks finds her life turned upside down when a young man from her past shows back up in her life.

Malice

Keo Sinn and her university friends find themselves tormented by the ancient curse of the vengeful Nu Gui. As the malevolent spirit unleashes havoc, Keo is forced to confront her haunting past and unravel a tragic connection to the malignant figure known as Malice. Secrets will be unearthed and the boundaries of reality will blur in this harrowing tale of revenge. Brace yourself for a journey into the realm of supernatural obsession.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

Stray

An orphaned teenager forms an unlikely friendship with a detective. Together they investigate her mother's murder, and uncover the supernatural force that proves to be a threat to her family.

Ushi Must Marry

Ushi Hirosaki has to marry according to Japanese tradition before her 30th birthday. Because time is running out, her family decides she has to marry a huge sumo wrestler. A rather unfortunate combination, so Ushi wants to look for a nicer candidate herself. She travels halfway around the world to find her dream husband. Along the way she does valiant efforts, for example to learn table manners and to lose her Japanese accent.

Nurse Diary: Beast Afternoon

A doctor develops a new scientific breakthrough in female psychotherapy with the discovery of the “Dream Ring,” a device that is inserted into a woman to record her thoughts and dreams. But, one dark and stormy night, the doctor and his assistant end up dead… hanging by ropes from the rafters of their lab. The lovely Reiko suffers from a condition known as “genophobia” (the fear of sexual intercourse), so she is admitted to the Tachibana Clinic for observation. Another group of doctors have the “Dream Ring” device and use it on Reiko to analyze her wildly erotic, and violent, dreams and nightmares. The clinic doctors have more sinister reasons to test this device on Reiko, however, and secretly put her under hypnosis so that the ring is activated at any time she hears the sound of a bell. Can she escape the evil doctors’ experiment and, even if she does, who is that strange person, dressed all in black, following her around?

RASPBERIXE

A feast among friends may seem harmless, yet it isn't so in a fruitless world.

The Dates

At a romantic dinner, a couple begins to observe the table next to them, as they suspect a killer is lurking. But first, they need to reach a consensus. Is he really a killer?

Das Amulett

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Guinea

Yukari Nishihara, 25, earns her living as an art model and aspires to become an actress. One day, while she was out, she saw “a man's face about to jump off the roof of a building”, and since then she has been suffering from a peculiar constitution: she sees a suicide while on her period, faints, and develops a fever. The goddess of love does not smile on Yukari, who is unable to become a sweet girl with a nice boyfriend. The only things that can save Yukari now are her best friend Hana, who has a keen intuition, and a suppository that can break a fever in one shot. On the day of an important audition, Yukari has decided that this is her last chance. However, Yukari realizes that she has forgotten her antipyretic suppositories, and her eyes meet those of another soon-to-be suicide victim. She is in a desperate situation. What does Yukari do?

Memento Mori

Author Otto Dean braves his fears of impending death as he sets out to write a novel opposing the controlling presence of heartless artwork & propaganda in an alternate 1980s America after being recognized for his opinion piece in the newspaper. Upon visiting a local art hot spot and speaking with a woman named Lorelei, he learns of recent murders in the area & encounters an uncanny resemblance between his own recurring dreams and a local artist's work, leading him down a further rabbit hole as he tries to catch hold of the elusive artist Inez Sabalenka.

Beautiful Voices Vol. 1

1. Nightwish - Nemo 2. Guano Apes - Break The Line 3. Angelzoom - Back In The Moment 4. Die Happy - Slow Day 5. L'Âme Immortelle - 5 Jahre 6. Exilia - Can't Make Me Down 7. Lacuna Coil - Swamped 8. Tristania - Equilibrium 9. Xandria - Ravenheart 10. Apocalyptica Feat. Nina Hagen - Seemann 11. Leaves' Eyes - Into Your Light 12. Blutengel - No Eternity 13. Epica - Solitary Ground 14. After Forever - Digital Deceit 15. Imperia - Angelchild 16. Theatre Of Tragedy - Image 17. Elis - Der Letzte Tag 18. Mortal Love - Adoration 19. Doro - Let Love Rain On Me 20. Sinergy - Suicide By My Side 21. Arch Enemy - We Will Rise

China's Lost Pyramids

In China, there exists an astonishing place. A burial ground to rival Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, where pyramid tombs of stupendous size are full of astonishing riches. In 221 BC, China's first Emperor united warring kingdoms into a nation that still exists today. To memorialise this achievement, he bankrupted the national treasury and oppressed thousands of workers to build one of the world’s biggest mortuary complexes. China's second dynasty, the Han, inherited the daunting challenge of building larger tombs to command respect and establish their right to rule without running the nation into the ground. Although no Han emperor's tomb has been opened, the tombs of lesser Han aristocrats have revealed astonishing things: complete underground palaces (including kitchens and toilets) and at least one corpse so amazingly well-preserved some believe Han tomb-builders knew how to "engineer immortality".

Awake: The Life of Yogananda

An unconventional biography by Oscar nominee Paola di Florio and Sundance winner Lisa Leeman about Hindu mystic Paramahansa Yogananda who brought yoga and meditation to the West in 1920 and authored the spiritual classic "Autobiography of a Yogi," which became the go-to book for seekers from George Harrison to Steve Jobs.

Boeing 777: The Heavy Check

The Boeing 777 is the best-selling long-haul carrier in the history of aviation. It has an exceptional life-span of 30 years, but what's the secret behind this record-breaking longevity? In this film, a 777 is taken apart, inspected, and entirely refurbished. This incredible operation is carried out every 16 years so the aircraft can remain at the cutting edge of technology, comfort, and safety.

Basque Sports

An RKO-Pathe Sportscope focusing on sports played by Basques living along the Spain-France border in the western Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay coast. Pelota, jai alai, wood chopping, and rowing as well as traditional dances are featured.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Special

An exclusive look into the making of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

The Future of Food

Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.