Cool Strangers in the Night (2024)

A Pat On The Head Causes A Dream

A filmmaker and rapper duo revive Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind” protocols - a set of filmmaking “rules” with which groups of strangers can conceive, shoot, and screen a film in just two and a half hours. Against the grim backdrop of the stringent Shanghai lockdown, the event soon turns into a sanctuary for individuals to forge collective dreams.

Little Blue Box

Some 1960s hackers known as phone phreaks found a way to avoid long-distance charges. Two of those phreaks just happened to be students named Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.

Migrant Fish

A documentary short that uses fish to explore identity and belonging in a metropolis.

The Devil's Toy

This short 1966 documentary dedicated "to all victims of intolerance” depicts the dawn of skateboarding in Montreal. A new activity frowned upon by police and adults, skateboarding gave youngsters a thrilling sensation of speed and freedom. This film - the first Canadian documentary ever made about the sport - captures the exuberance of boys and girls having the time of their lives in free-wheeling downhill locomotion. Jutra's 1966 mockumentary film The Devil's Toy (Rouli-roulant), is a faux-anti-skateboarding propaganda film.

All the Empty Rooms

Follows veteran CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. Tired of whitewashing tragedy with obligatory uplift, Hartman steps away from his heartwarming human interest stories to pursue a project his network never approved. As gun violence claims more young lives than any other cause in America, these quiet bedrooms reveal truths more powerful than statistics ever could.

As You Dreamt It

A leading Australian photographer interprets and photographs the recurring dreams of four refugees living on a housing estate in western Sydney with both moving and highly surprising results.

Inside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

A look behind the scenes of Christopher Nolan's film "Oppenheimer" about an American scientist and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Fubica

Discover the captivating origins of an iconic little pickup from the 1960s that was transformed into a 'triozinho' and captured the hearts of countless 'foliões' during Carnaval. Through heartfelt memories, interviews, and breathtaking landscapes, this documentary, directed by Daniel Bittencourt, beautifully reveals how a group of passionate music lovers gave birth to one of Linhares’ most cherished cultural symbols, straight from Vila de Regência.

Dans le vent

Short subject on how fashion is created-- not by the great couturiers, but on the street.

Reclaim the Flag

An examination of how the American flag can be reclaimed as a symbol of unity for all Americans, with a focus on the LGBTQ community.

Camp Courage

Made refugees by the war in Ukraine, Olga and her granddaughter Milana travel to a summer camp in the Austrian Alps to test the limits of their own bravery, and to strengthen their growing bond.

The Wrecking of Old Comiskey Park

A poetic tapestry eulogizing Chicago's famed "Old" Comiskey Park.

Sala de Reboco

The forró musical genre from Northeastern Brazil is a male-dominated industry. Some of the few female musicians who managed to fight prejudice and misogyny in order to succeed offer their perspectives on the matter.

Legend of the Witches

A visual exploration into the origins of witchcraft in the UK and in particular the demystification of symbolism still embedded today within many modern religious artefacts and rituals. X-rated upon its original release, this documentary looks in detail at previously hidden magic rites and rituals. Sharing the secrets of initiation into a coven, divination through animal sacrifice, ritual scrying, the casting of a 'death spell', and the chilling intimacy of a Black Mass.

Group of dancers

Cultural documentary featuring a Chinese folk dance performance held in the courtyard of Auguste François's house in Yunnanfu, present-day Kunming, China. Four dancers interact in an artistic performance. Produced in 1901 by Societé L. Gaumont et Cie. and directed by French photographer and diplomat Auguste François. Working as a French diplomatic consul in China, Auguste François shot a large number of films, most of which are still preserved, showing aspects of Chinese society in the last years of the last Chinese monarchical dynasty, the Qing. This film was only released commercially in 1905 as part of the collection "Au Pays des Mandarins".

Wild Horses at the Door

(Short Documentary) A homeless man recovering from alcoholism escapes to a remote southern Colorado mesa and forges a new path living amongst wild horses.

Canberra Today and Tomorrow

Canberra, the National Capital of Australia, is a city which has been planned; a place where modern living is enriched by a lovely setting. But the hustling young city of today is expanding and developing, and there is emerging the pattern of the proud city of tomorrow.

Exiled

She accused the leader of the Sandinista revolution of sexual abuse. Now he is president of Nicaragua and she lives in exile.

The ABCs of Book Banning

In recent years, more than 2,500 books have been removed from school districts around the US, labeled as banned, restricted, or challenged, and made unavailable to millions of students. By no accident, the themes targeted are the usual scapegoats of the American Right—LGBTQ+ issues, Black History, and women’s empowerment—impeding the power of future generations to develop their own thoughts and opinions on critical social issues. By weaving together a lyrical montage of young readers and authors, THE ABCs OF BOOK BANNING reveals the voices of the impacted parties, and inspires hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

Nazi Concentration Camps

Produced and presented as evidence at the Nuremberg war crimes trial of Hermann Göring and twenty other Nazi leaders, this film consists primarily of dead and surviving prisoners and of facilities used to kill and torture during the World War II.

Maravich's 68

"Maravich's 68" is a documentary short that revisits the NBA legend Pete Maravich and his 68-point performance on February 25th, 1977. It includes play-by-play breakdowns, era-inspired editing, and retrospective discussion about this special night in NBA history.

State of The Scene- Alt-Rock in Teesside

A documentary exploring student and young people involvement in the local alternative music scene of Teesside, an industrial area in the North-East of England.

Secrets of the Unknown: Curses

Curses examines historical hexes. Learn the fate of those who had contact with the Hope diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. In ancient Egypt, people protected the deceased from thieves by placing curses on tombs. Discover the events and peculiar deaths which occurred following the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. See how voodoo worshipers cast spells of harm.

CATANAS POINT - A Surf Documentary

"CATANAS POINT - A Surf Documentary" portrays the reality of the sport of surfing in Angola and compares it with what surfing was like in Brazil from the 1980s to the present day.