René – The Prisoner of Freedom (2022)

Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me?

This time-lapse documentary follows the last years of former President Václav Havel's life, creating a multi-layered portrait of a world-famous political icon and important playwright, but also an ordinary man plagued by health problems. Havel allows the filmmakers a glimpse behind the scenes of his life, revealing purely personal moments that present him in previously unrecognised contours. With a sense of humour, he reflects on his political legacy and universal human issues. The central motif is formed by the parallels between Havel's life and the successful play Leaving, which Havel always wanted to direct as a film adaptation.

Katka

“You bet on someone in the beginning of the process and then you wait and see what life does with them.” This is how Czech director Helena Trestikova explains her long-term documentaries. Following on from the European Film Academy Award winning RENE (2008), Trestikova brings us KATKA – 14 years in the life of a drug addict. KATKA is an extraordinarily raw and uncensored character portrait of a troubled young woman living on the edge of human existence, desperately searching for love and salvation. Will she find it in the rehab? Will she find it in the arms of the man she loves? Or in the first cry of her long-desired baby? Tagging along with her through the back streets and squalors of Prague, Trestikova gets deep under the skin of a person most of us would cross the road to avoid, and shows us Katka’s profoundly human face. You might be angry with Katka, or your heart may go out to her. One thing is certain – you will never forget her.

Anny

Anny follows the life of the titular, intriguing character for 16 years, from 1996 up until 2012. Living in the Czech Republic, Anny is a 46-year-old woman whose day-to-day life has consisted of several different occupations, from a bathroom attendant and a doorman, to occasional sex work. Her outlook on her jobs is fairly simple, you have to do the work if you want to eat, spoil your grandkids, or buy yourself new clothes.

A Marriage Story

In 35 years of one couple's shared life, a lot of things happen: from the moments of an absolute harmony to the dramatic falls. For the most of the time, the couple cares for common daily life issues and joys that come together with raising the children, running the household or running a business. And this is exactly the life of furniture shop owners Ivana and Vaclav Strnadovi, 2 characters that a director Helena Trestíková follows with her camera as of the year 1980 within a project The Marriage Story. Her new feature documentary about Strnad family is linked to TV films from this cycle, but most importantly it shows further shocking twists, that life brought to the couple and their children.

Marcela

The life of Marcela, an ordinary Czech woman is explored throughout several decades of her life. We are engaged to struggle and fight back with Marcela as her tragic life unfolds before our eyes especially when dealing with her daughter’s unexpected death, which almost drives her to suicide. The film was initially part of a series about the fate of six married couples, but the events that happened throughout Marcela’s life were the reason why the director decided to focus solely on a documentary about her.

Karolína

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Mallory

Life hasn't been easy on Mallory but after the birth of her son she tries desperately to kick her drug habit, and to stop living on the street. She wants to turn her back on her dark past and help those she knows best - people on the fringes of society.

René

An intimate portrait of a man on the edge of society, filmed over the course of twenty years.

Eternal Jožo

An untraditional documentary portrait reveals the complicated personality of the Slovak music legend Jožo Ráž, the singer for the pop-rock group Elán. From recordings of everyday situations, playful moments, intimate conversations about God and death, and memories of the past, the director composes a complex image of a man loved by the masses, who, despite all his life successes, feels lonely.

Femme Fatale: The Nightmare Come True

The passionate story of the femme fatale, seductive and dangerous, a myth and a fantasy, through her representation in art.

Sunflowers

Working closely with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Sunflowers goes beyond a ‘virtual exhibition’, delving into the rich and complex stories behind each of the paintings to unveil the mysteries of the sunflowers. What did the flowers mean to Van Gogh, and why do they resonate so much with audiences today? With a striking portrayal of the artist by actor Jamie de Courcey and fascinating insights from art historians, botanists and everything in between, the film offers a unique insight into Van Gogh’s life and artwork.

Night Shot

Eight years after having been raped at a beach near Santiago, a young filmmaker tells the story of the assault, the revictimizing judicial processes, and the friendship that helps her heal, in dozens of video-diary entries that comprise an artfully crafted, intimate documentary. A question remains: What is a rape, really, and when does it end?

Alfred the Great

Few kings in English history deserve the epithet 'great' more than Alfred, King of Wessex. In an age and country blighted by Viking invasions, Alfred inflicted repeated defeats upon the Norsemen and set about administrating the Danelaw to secure the unity of England. The great king also organised his forces into a standing army and built a recognised navy. Alfred was not only a fine warrior but was also a deeply religious man, a scholar and lawmaker. Featuring extensive dramatised reconstructions and surviving period imagery, this programme provides a unique account of the life of one of England's truly great monarchs.

TLC Forever

The revolutionary top-selling American female group of all time, who broke boundaries, influenced an entire generation and survived against all odds, T-Boz and Chilli tell their story for the first time in this feature documentary.

Happy Tropic

Molise is one of the smallest Italian regions. People say that it doesn’t exist. In effect, it does exist in space, not in time. Not in 2023. An uncontaminated, rural land that has quietly hidden itself from the eye of the modern world’s storm.

White Rock

British documentary filmmaker and producer Tony Maylam reinvigorated the sports documentary genre with WHITE ROCK, an idiosyncratic and utterly engaging account of the XII Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 1976. He did so by placing music (by organ and synth wunderkind Rick Wakeman) front and center, and by using Hollywood star James Coburn as a "guide for the uninitiated."

Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur

David Attenborough tells the story of the discovery and reconstruction in Argentina of the world's largest-known dinosaur, a brand new species of titanosaur.

Orcas - Vorstoss in die Arktis

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Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple

Stevie Van Zandt, known as New Jersey's most famous consigliere to Bruce Springsteen and Tony Soprano, takes center stage. Featuring a wealth of never-before-seen footage, this documentary traces Van Zandt's career as a producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, and more, from the clubs of Asbury Park, N.J. to arenas and stadiums, to the Bada Bing Club and the Underground Garage.

BronX BandA: Arturo O'Farrill & The Bronx

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx, 6-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Arturo O'Farrill brings to life a 9-piece hip-hop-jazz ensemble converting stories of South Bronx life to music resounding in the streets.

Planets of the Sun

An Educational Favorites VHS from the NATURE SERIES featuring Leonard Nimoy

Métropolitain

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Niagara, les rapides

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The Out List

Through the voices of Americans from all walks of life, The Out List explores the identities of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in America. In this series of intimate interviews, a diverse group of LGBTQ personalities bring color and depth to their experiences of gender and sexuality. With wit and wisdom, this set of trailblazing individuals weaves universal themes of love, loss, trial, and triumph into the determined struggle for full equality.

The Dog

In 1972, John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a Brooklyn bank to pay for his lover’s sex-change operation. The story was the basis for the film Dog Day Afternoon. The Dog captures John, who shares his story for the first time in his own unique, offensive, hilarious and heartbreaking way. We gain a historic perspective on New York's gay liberation movement, in which Wojtowicz played an active role. In later footage, he remains a subversive force, backed by the unconditional love of his mother Terry, whose wit and charm infuse the film. How and why the bank robbery took place is recounted in gripping detail by Wojtowicz and various eyewitnesses.

The Greatest Mixtape Ever

In the late 1990s, DJ Set Free, had the idea to set some streetball highlights to a soundtrack of emerging rap music. The results culminated in the And1 Mixtape, a series of VHS tapes that forever transformed the game of basketball.

Dancing Pina

Two of Pina Bausch’s most famous works are rehearsed in Germany and Senegal, championing the choreographer’s legacy through a younger generation of dancers.

Barely Legal

Stephen Dorff and director Casey Tebo take us on a journey into the vast and confusing world of legal cannabis and hemp in the United States where things are not exactly what they seem. A plant, a medicine, a drug? Illegal for decades for many confusing reasons, the most glaring being systematic racism, we're still stuck in that rut today in many states. It's almost as if everyone has a different take, which is why even in these forward thinking times, Cannabis and Hemp still remain - BARELY LEGAL.

The Pig Farm

The life and murders of one of the worst serial killers in history, Robert Pickton who went unchallenged for decades.

Grateful Dead: Sunshine Daydream

Sunshine Daydream is a concert film starring the Grateful Dead. On a blistering summer day in 1972, the Grateful Dead took the stage on the grounds of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, Oregon. for what would become one of the most legendary concerts of the band’s storied history. Considered to be the Merry Pranksters last "Acid Test", the concert offers a snapshot of the band at the peak of its playing prowess. The setlist that day included memorable performance of "Sugaree, " "Deal, " "Black-Throated Wind, " "Greatest Story Ever Told, " "Bird Song" and a mind-melting version of "Dark Star" that stretches over 30 minutes. The show, which was recorded and filmed but never released, has since become the most-requested live show in Grateful Dead history. A digitally remastered and reedited official version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 17, 2013.

Puppetboy

For more than a decade, an eccentric animator has worked on films featuring a little clay figure he calls "Puppetboy". Many hours of animation have been completed, yet very little has been made available to the public. Following the artist behind the scenes we discover a very intimate relationship between him an his protagonist.

Norman Wisdom: His Story

The life story of Sir Norman Wisdom, who went from street urchin to become one of the UK's most bankable and loved film stars of the 1950-60s. The documentary pays tribute to his life, featuring family, friends and colleagues.

Battle of the Beasts: Bigfoot vs. Yeti

Bigfoot and Yeti go toe-to-toe in the ultimate showdown. Who will come out on top? Two beasts enter, only one will survive!