Designing Fun (2023)

Play Dead!

If there is one person Matthew Lancit can’t get out of his mind, it is his uncle Harvey. Dark rings around his eyes, pale, blind, his legs amputated. Like Harvey, the filmmaker also suffers from diabetes. He has the disease under control, but one question is always nagging at him: How much longer? His long-term (self-)observation reliably revolves around fears of infirmity and mutilation. He translates the feared body horror into film, stages himself as a zombie, vampire, a desolate figure. Lancit playfully anticipates his potential decline, serving up a whole arsenal of effects which – as video recordings prove – go back to his youth. It is not for nothing that the “dead” in the title is also reminiscent of “dad.” Because “Play Dead!” also negotiates his own role as a father.

No Ordinary Life

In a field dominated by men, five pioneering camerawomen Mary Rogers, Cynde Strand, Jane Evans, Maria Fleet and Margaret Moth went to the frontlines of wars, revolutions and disasters to bring us the truth. As colorful as accomplished, these brave photojournalists made their mark by capturing some of the most iconic images from Tiananmen Square, to conflicts in Sarajevo, Iraq, Somalia and the Arab Spring uprising. But the world doesn’t know it was these women behind the camera. In the midst of unfolding chaos, the pictures they took for CNN both shocked and informed the world. This feature documentary by director Heather O’Neill tells their remarkable story.

Les dents de la mer: Un succès monstre

In the summer of 1975, the young director Steven Spielberg set new standards for cinema worldwide with an oversized shark bite, a plastic shark fin and an unmistakable two-note main theme composed by John Williams. With the horror from the deep, a man-eating, gigantic great white shark, the film of the same name became a similarly traumatic reference as Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho": it triggered lasting primal fears across generations. On the beaches of the world, there was clearly a "before" and an "after". Steven Spielberg, who was only 28 at the time, not only set new standards for the thriller genre, but also hid his biting criticism of US capitalism in the 1970s behind it.

Unacknowledged

Dr. Steven Greer presents brand new top-secret evidence supporting extraterrestrial contact, including witness testimony, classified documents, and UFO footage, while also exploring the consequences of ruthlessly enforcing such secrecy.

Voices from the Abyss

La Quebrada Cliff Divers in Acapulco, Guerrero, earn their living by diving 100 feet into the sea from a dangerous cliff as part of a thrilling show at La Quebrada. In Voices from the Abyss, we explore the nature of their dives through slow-motion footage, personal testimonies, and an original poem recited by the divers themselves.

Leonora Carrington: The Lost Surrealist

British surrealist Leonora Carrington was a key part of the surrealist movement during its heyday in Paris and yet, until recently, remained a virtual unknown in the country of her birth. This film explores her dramatic evolution from British debutante to artist in exile, living out her days in Mexico City, and takes us on a journey into her darkly strange and cinematic world.

Eric & Ernie: Behind the Scenes

A history of the British television comedy double act Morecambe & Wise to coincide with the BBC drama about their early lives.

The Great Electric Airplane Race

Plot unavailable

Titanic's Fatal Fire

The sinking of the Titanic sent shockwaves around the world and started debates that continue to this day. But new, explosive evidence from the most unlikely of sources may finally lay all arguments to rest and reveal, for the first time, the full story of what possibly doomed the "unsinkable" liner. Join us as we unveil recently discovered and never-before-seen photographs of the super ship that exposes shocking clues that investigators and historians once dismissed but can no longer ignore.

Junk Story

A look back at the life and career of Japanese guitarist hide, who died under questionable circumstances in 1998.

Grow a Better Dallas

"Grow a Better Dallas" is a short documentary film showcasing South Dallas' Restorative Farms, a registered non-profit offering restorative justice and urban agriculture solutions to the "food desert" problem in South Dallas. Restorative Farms offers the ability for rehabilitation and therapeutic solutions to individuals with criminal backgrounds to come and contribute as employees to the farm. Restorative Farms was co-founded by Tyrone Day, who was falsely incarcerated for over 26 years.

Sharing Breath Has No Label

This documentary film tells the story of the Credo Community Choir, a Dallas-based ensemble on a mission to foster acceptance through the power of music. Embark on a captivating journey from Dallas, Texas to Argentina and Uruguay, witnessing Credo's philanthropic endeavors to transform lives through the universal language of music. Credo Choir has ages 14-82, and a variety of all backgrounds, abilities, and musical experience.

A Million Smiles: The Story of Baseball Without Borders

"A Million Smiles" is a documentary film showcasing the Baseball Without Borders Foundation based in San Francisco, CA for nearly 30 years. Baseball Without Borders Foundation brings joy to children throughout the world through a love of America’s favorite pastime, baseball. They provide new and used baseball and softball equipment to children of all ages and they donate all equipment free of charge. Donations have been made to children in 52 countries since 1995. Baseball Without Borders has no paid staff. 100% of donated funds help to promote friendship, recipients' native cultures and connection with the less fortunate of our world. This is the first film in Baseball Without Borders history. This film focuses on bringing awareness to the culture and children of Yucatán while giving viewers a sense of the impact that Baseball Without Borders has been creating for more than 27 years as it carries out its mission to weave joy through the world by offering the gift of baseball.

The 11th Hour

A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems. Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolse

A Little Love

Through interspersed conversation and prose, this experimental documentary follows a poet and a neuroscientist as they explore the definition of love, what it means, and why it matters.

The Meerkats

A coming of age story following a young meerkat pup, Kolo, growing up in the Kalahari desert; and an inspiring look at how one family's connection to each other and their surroundings is a model of resilience and fortitude for us all. Shot using ground-breaking techniques, this dramatised documentary is a one-of-a-kind presentation from The Weinstein Company and the BBC, featuring narration by Paul Newman.

Boca Fechada

Plot unavailable

The Simpsons: America's First Family

The Simpsons: America's First Family is a 50 minute program which features the production of The Simpsons, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series.

Understanding Lennon/McCartney

This 5-part series is the most intimate, comprehensive biography ever made on John and Paul. Told almost entirely through their own words and music, with information culled from a variety of direct sources and compiled in a way that has never been done before, it directly challenges many of the dominant narratives in Beatles mythology.

ELLEGARDEN: Lost & Found

A sensation to indies rock scene since 2000s and actively present today among fans even during their breaks. The first full-length documentary in the band’s history starts from the production base in LA for the first album in 16 years, and navigates the stories from how they started, took break after breaking through, and reunited with nationwide fans awaited.

The Greatest Night in Pop

On a January night in 1985, music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.

Forbidden City: The Great Within

Amidst the grand walls of the Forbidden City, the film takes us on a deep journey through the ceremonial life of the Chinese emperor, unveiling the secrets and intrigues of concubines, eunuchs, and palace maids. As the West begins to influence China in the late 19th century, the dynamics within the city shift dramatically. The film highlights the preservation and restoration of invaluable treasures and paintings, culminating in the creation of the Palace Museum. With insights from renowned China scholar, Jonathan Spence, this is an intimate exploration of the rich cultural and historical tapestry that makes up the heart of ancient China.

1994: The Bloody Miracle

As South Africa celebrates its 20th anniversary of the advent of democracy in 1994, it is difficult to believe the ‘Mandela miracle’ nearly didn’t happen. In an orgy of countrywide violence, some were intent on derailing the first free elections. Now, for the first time, those responsible for countless deaths and widespread mayhem explain how they nearly brought South Africa to its knees. 1994: The Bloody Miracle is a chilling look at what these hard men did to thwart democracy, and at how they have now made an uneasy peace with the ‘Rainbow Nation’ in their own different ways.

A Shepherd

Félix, a young, melancholic and secretive shepherd, leads a surprisingly timeless life. He lives alone and works along his father to raise the family herd. From autumn to spring, he looks after his animals, feeds them and keeps them in the dense forests of holm oaks of French Pre-Alps. In the summer, he travels on foot for more than two hundred kilometres, leaving his father to lead the herd to the mountains pastures, in the High Alps Ubaye valley. There, he lives far from everything for many long months, in a mineral and inaccessible world where an invisible being prowls: the wolf. Against the tide of his time, Félix has chosen a profession that isolates him and keeps him out of the world.

Entretien en six temps avec Gilles Groulx

This feature-length documentary brings together six of the rare television interviews given by Gilles Groulx between 1966 and 1983. Through these interviews, the filmmaker's ethical and aesthetic concerns are revealed. A striking coherence emerges in his thinking regarding his conception of cinema and the role the filmmaker should play in his culture and society.

Kids On Ice

Quiet towns across rural Australia are in the grip of an Ice epidemic. Major international drug cartels are working with local outlawed motorcycle gangs to push crystal meth to a captive market of children.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie

A short kid from a Canadian army base becomes the international pop culture darling of the 1980s—only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?

Jackie Chan: Building an Icon

Jackie Chan is a true icon of Asian and Chinese culture. Over a 45-year-long career, he has carved a niche for himself as an actor, stuntman, director, and screenwriter, but also singer and formidable businessman. After starring in almost 200 films, Jackie Chan has reconciled fans of genre film and Hollywood blockbusters, whilst bridging the gap between Asian and Western cinema. Through film excerpts, archive footage and images, and an offbeat approach inspired by the visual codes of the golden age of kung fu films, this documentary will take a look back at the creation of a popular hero who has come to be an icon for China, and for the entire Asian continent.

The Boys Wanted to See Fireworks from the Side

A documentary looking back on the making of Shunji Iwai's TV play Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom?.

Face 'Caché'

A documentary on the shooting of Michael Haneke's movie 'Hidden' (Caché). Including interviews with Michael Haneke, Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil.

The Rock vs. John Cena: Once In A Lifetime

This documentary traces John Cena and The Rock's individual paths to success in WWE and take an in-depth look at the lives of these polarizing figures.

Merry F*cking Christmas: The Making of Tangerine

A feature-length documentary going behind-the-scenes on the making of the 2015 film Tangerine.

Bala

A documentary about the aging prima ballerina Balasaraswati (popularly known as "Bala"), the most famous exponent of the Bharatanatyam dance.

Modern Life

For ten years, Raymond Depardon has followed the lives of farmer living in the mountain ranges. He allows us to enter their farms with astounding naturalness. This moving film speaks, with great serenity, of our roots and of the future of the people who work on the land. This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area in France. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years, while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

The Sound of 007: Live from the Royal Albert Hall

Celebrates 60 years of the Bond film franchise. The concert is curated by the legendary Bond composer David Arnold and will feature special guest artists all putting their own interpretation on classic theme songs, backed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The date marks the anniversary of the premiere of the first 007 film, Dr. No.

The Eternal Memory

Augusto and Paulina have been together for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Both fear the day he no longer recognizes her.

La Génération Salut les copains

Plot unavailable

A Day in Tokyo

A Day in TOKYO in 1968, Nostalgic bygone era. Planned by Japan National Tourism Organization. Produced by Koga Production. This film was produced to explain Tokyo for foreign tourists.

Something to Say

Bryan Charles Kimes has a lot to say, but the power of language escapes him. Lost in a public-school system that does not suit his needs, his parents fight to help him find his voice.

The Jihadis Next Door

Over the course of two years, filmmaker Jamie Roberts meets those spreading extremist Islamic fundamentalism in Britain, including a bouncy castle salesman who is now one of the world's most wanted men.

June 1940, the Great Chaos

From May 10, 1940, France is living one of the worst tragedies of it history. In a few weeks, the country folds, and then collapsed in facing the attack of the Nazi Germany. On June 1940, each day is a tragedy. For the first time, thanks to historic revelations, and to numerous never seen before images and documents and reenacted situations of the time, this film recounts the incredible stories of those men and women trapped in the torment of this great chaos.

Ballerina Boys

Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.

Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible

Best known for their megahit ’80s anthem "Don't You (Forget About Me)”—made famous in John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club—Simple Minds is one of the most iconic and influential Scottish bands in history. From working-class kids growing up in post-industrial Glasgow to rock stars playing Live Aid, this is the unlikely story of an extraordinary band that continues touring to this day.

Infinite Place

Loitz is one of those former GDR towns that still suffer from the effects of German reunification. For a year "Infinite Place" looks behind the gray facade of the seemingly dying town and questions concepts of home and identity through the perspective of its old and new inhabitants. The town’s vacancy and people’s urge for self-realization create a fruitful look into the future.

The Last of the Sea Women

On the shores of Jeju Island, a fierce group of South Korean divers fight to save their vanishing culture from looming threats.

Road

Brothers addicted to speed at any price. Documentary following the motorcycle road racing careers, and fate, of the Dunlop family.

Liyana

A talented group of orphaned children in Swaziland create a fictional heroine and send her on a dangerous quest.