Military Strongholds: Megastructures of Genius (2021)

Mantovani, the King of Strings

Known for his unmistakable cascading strings and recordings such as Charmaine, Mantovani enthralled the world with his sublime arrangements. This is the story of the man and his music.

Life of a Mutt

Through seven scenes, the film follows the life and destinies of stray dogs from the margins of our society, leading us to reconsider our attitude towards them. Through the seven “wandering” characters that we follow at different ages, from birth to old age, we witness their dignified struggle for survival. At the cemetery, in an abandoned factory, in an asylum, in a landfill, in places full of sorrow, our heroes search for love and togetherness. By combining documentary material, animation and acting interpretation of the thoughts of our heroes, we get to know lives between disappointment and hope, quite similar to ours.

Divorce French Style

Two years have passed. After missing their separation, the Leroy seem perfectly successful in their divorce. But the appearance of two new lovers in the life of Vincent and Florence will set fire to the powders. The match between the former spouses resumes.

The Benefactor

A newly married couple are forced to navigate the all-consuming interest of a powerful, mysterious, and possessive philanthropist.

Josephine, Pregnant & Fabulous

At last, Josephine has found her perfect non-smoker-cat-loving-amazing-cook-perfect-man-soulmate. They’ve been in love for two years and everything is peachy. Until she realizes she’s… pregnant. Time for Josephine to transform her life, mature into a responsible adult, not become like her mother, get a job, hold on to her man, refrain from falling out with her friends, and tell her sister, who's been crashing at her place, that she's got to move out. A bunch of overwhelming challenges that Josephine will have to face in her own, special way.

Top Five

A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality star fiancé talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show.

Bibi & Tina: Girls vs. Boys

At summer camp, young Bibi and her friends are pitted against the boys in a treasure hunt. But what's a witch to do when she loses her powers?

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

Told from the man's perspective, the story of a couple trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.

Belle and Sebastian 3: The Last Chapter

12 year-old Sebastian has decided not to follow his father and Angelina to Canada, deciding to stay in the alps to watch over Belle who has now become the mother of three beautiful pups. When a stranger arrives claiming to be Belle’s rightful owner, Sebastian will do all it takes to protect his best friend and her little ones.

Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show

It had all the makings of a huge television success: a white-hot comic at the helm, a coveted primetime slot, and a pantheon of future comedy legends in the cast and crew. So why did The Dana Carvey Show—with a writers room and cast including then unknowns Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman, and more— crash and burn so spectacularly? TOO FUNNY TO FAIL tells the hilarious true story of a crew of genius misfits who set out to make comedy history… and succeeded in a way they never intended.

Best of Enemies

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

The Royal Exchange

After many years of confrontation, the treasures of Spain and France are empty. In 1721, the regent of France draws up an ambitious plan to inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity that will heal the economies of both nations: his intention is to build a solid network of marriage alliances that will involve four children of very different ages who know nothing of betrayals and power games…

Sunken Danish

Two killers descend into a morbid and brutal inferno of torture, killing, necrophilia and disturbing hallucinations.

Wizard People, Dear Reader

Wizard People, Dear Reader, released in 2004, is an unauthorized alternative soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, written by Brad Neely. It is a narrative retelling of the lives of the characters of The Sorcerer's Stone and the world in which they live. Presented in the form of a thirty-five chapter audiobook, the soundtrack replaces the film's audio track.

Paul Anka - Live in Switzerland

1957, at the tender age of 16, Paul Anka's debut hit single Diana immediately catapulted him into Hall of Fame status. For decades now, Anka has been one of the most successful composers around: Tom Jones' She's a Lady was written by him, as well as the lyrics for Frank Sinatra's legendary signature song My Way. He has released over 120 albums and sold over 100 million records. Anka has also been named the 21st most successful artist in Billboard's history (Billboard statistic). Today, Paul Anka is known as the last great crooner. When he translates his own as well as cover songs into elegant swing and gives his charm free reign on the stage, Anka glorifies the purest form of entertainment. Joined by his Big Band, he presents his programme 'Rock Swings' including famous rock classics in Swing versions at AVO SESSION Basel. This performance includes the big hits Diana, My Way, New York New York, Put Your Head On My Shoulder and more.

State of Violence

When the wife of a successful black businessman with roots in the struggle against apartheid is murdered by a young stranger who knows his name, he has to go back into his own past to find the answers that will lead him to the killer. But when he finds him and the reasons for the murder, will vengeance still be possible?

The Unsaved

Nineteen-year-old Viorel lives with his mother in a remote Moldovan town. He has no great ambitions nor any illusions about life. He and his pal Goos earn a little cash through illegal activities, and Viorel is helping him fulfill his dream of flying. His mother tries to convince him to find a decent job. Eventually, Viorel begins taking control of his life.

Cruel Architecture, a Tool of Gentrification

Plot unavailable

Concrete Dreams

Murilo Peres and Pedro Barros get a once-in-a-lifetime pass to roll on the fabled curves of some undisputed masterpieces of modern architecture. Oscar Niemeyer remains one of the most important architects in modern history. The Brazilian visionary, who died in 2012 aged 104, elevated modern architecture beyond the realms of function and created buildings that are works of art and express the highest attributes of humanity. His work with reinforced concrete in particular created new architectural forms and possibilities, eschewing the tyranny of angles to create waves and swooping arches of such soaring beauty that they represent nothing less than physical poetry.

Magellan sur la route des épices

Plot unavailable

Hagia Sophia

Considered the finest example of Byzantine architecture in the world, Hagia Sophia was constructed on a scale unprecedented in human history. Built in the amazingly short time of five years, it bears witness to an amazing scientific knowledge and a rich cultural heritage from the past.

Cinema's First Colors

Art and science have worked together to allow cinema to switch to color. Numerous processes have succeeded one another to try to solve this difficulty.

Breaking the Sound Barrier

On October 14, 1947, Captain Chuck Yeager accomplished what many thought was impossible: he broke the sound barrier and in doing so, changed aviation history forever. Behind this remarkable achievement was a dedicated team of rocket scientists and engineers, and one incredible plane, a Bell X-1 named "Glamorous Glennis." This is the story of the plane and the people who dared to travel faster than the speed of sound, pushing flight science forward and proving that no matter the barrier, humanity can find a way to break through.

Boulogne-Billancourt - Le temps des studios

Since 1922, Boulogne-Billancourt cinema studios have welcomed the greatest actors, directors and technicians of French cinema and have given birth to many masterpieces.

La capitale gauloise disparue

Plot unavailable

The Power of the Heart

From the director of ‘THE SECRET’ comes this unparalleled and life-changing film about the astonishing power and intelligence of your heart. Featuring some of the most inspiring and influential icons of our age including Paulo Coelho, Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, Isabel Allende, and Eckhart Tolle, ‘THE POWER OF THE HEART’ – which ties into a book of the same name – is an experience that will lead you to uncover... and rediscover... the treasure in your chest.

Le monde est à eux

Plot unavailable

Toubib

Plot unavailable

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade

1982's Video Game World Champions share their philosophies on joysticks, groupies and life.

Hurricane on the Bayou

The film "Hurricane on the Bayou" is about the wetlands of Louisiana before and after Hurricane Katrina.

Trekkies

Denise Crosby takes a first look at the huge fans of "Star Trek" from around America and how the series has affected and shaped their lives.

Meeting Sebastião Salgado

Part activist and part globe trekking photographer, Sebastião Salgado is most famous for recording the migration of people and culture around the world. In this extensive conversation, Sebastiao Salgado revisits his adventurous career via the breathtaking images he captured.

The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV

One of the greatest comedians of early television, Sid Caesar hasn't had his work shown in perennial reruns, so it's especially gratifying to see a collection of his classic sketches released on video, with Caesar himself introducing the material. Besides being a truly gifted comic, Caesar benefited from having some brilliant supporting players, including Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca, and Nanette Fabray. Some of his illustrious writers, including Neil Simon, Woody Allen, and Mel Brooks, appear in interviews setting up the sketches. The sketches themselves include some all-time classics such as Caesar and company playing the figurines populating a medieval town clock (a brilliant bit partly written by Neil Simon and his brother, Danny, who reminisce after the sketch).

Prater

Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.

Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls follows the lives of transgender migrant workers from the Philippines who work as health care providers for elderly Orthodox Jewish men and perform as drag queens during their spare time. It also delves into the lives of societal outcasts who search for freedom and acceptance.

Attention: A Life in Extremes

Plot unavailable

The Second Game

A deceptively simple set-up: the director and his father watch a 1988 football match which the father refereed, their commentary accompanying the original television images in real time. A Bucharest derby between the country’s leading teams, Dinamo and Steaua, taking place in heavy snow, one year before the revolution that toppled Ceaușescu.

Lost Heroes

Lost Heroes is the story of Canada's forgotten comic book superheroes and their legendary creators. A ninety-minute journey to recover a forgotten part of Canada's pop culture and a national treasure few have ever heard about. This is the tale of a small country striving to create its own heroes, but finding itself constantly out muscled by better-funded and better-marketed superheroes from the media empire next door.

The United States of America

A crisscross through the USA, carving it up into a series of static shots of just under two minutes, one for each state, presented alphabetically, from Heron Bay, Alabama to Kelly, Wyoming.

The Hand of God: Through the Eyes of Sorrentino

Director Paolo Sorrentino returns to Naples, his hometown, and reflects on his youth in an exclusive tour of the locations of “The Hand of God”.

88MPH: The Story of the DeLorean Time Machine

The 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 "Time Machine" Hero Car used in the hit 1985 time-travel movie “Back to the Future” is an international cultural icon. The car’s legacy transcends borders and generations as one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved automobiles. Attesting to the impact of the DeLorean "Time Machine" and the movie, enthusiasts the world over have built countless replicas of the movie car out of stock DeLoreans. It is likely among the most replicated film car in history.

How to Fix the World

How to Fix the World? is a comprehensive and informative documentary about direct action in the 1990s and 2000s, directed by Jouko Aaltonen. In the documentary, anarchists, climate activists, and squatters openly describe their experiences and link them to mainstream phenomena in society. A wide range of archive material sheds a light on the history of direct action and activism in the Finnish society.

The Study Of Groundhogs: A Real Life Look At Marmots

The short documentary visits the groundhog research center in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It was made for Sony Home Entertainment's 15th anniversary edition DVD release of the 1993 film, "Groundhog Day." It was filmed on location at the silver mining ghost town of Gothic, Colorado, near Crested Butte. The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory has been located there since its founding in 1928.

Concrete Affection – Zopo Lady

Luanda, Angola. The streets are deserted, the buildings empty and no ships leave the harbour. What's left are ghosts and memories. Concrete Affection – Zopo Lady is inspired by journalist Ryszard Kapuściński's descriptions of the last colonial days in Angola in 1976 and the exodus of Portuguese and white Angolans from Luanda.

Murder At Cinema North

A young Holocaust survivor who descends into crime; an Italian-Jewish engineer who wants to see a movie; a German Christian who forgives her husband’s murderer because of her Buddhist faith; and a Jewish woman who carries on an affair with a Nazi and exposes members of the resistance so that she and her children may survive: their fates intersect when two bullets are fired into a queue of people waiting to see “A Man Escaped” at Tel Aviv’s Cinema North in 1957.

Secrets of the Ghent Altarpiece

A documentary about the "The Mystic Lamb" painted at the beginning of the 15th century by the Van Eyck brothers.

Dugma: The Button

An intimate portrait of a group of very different suicide bombers working for Al Qaeda in Syria. From the Saudi who loves singing and fried chicken, to a 26-year-old white British convert who worries a lot about his new wife, this remarkable film embeds with an unlikely bunch of "martyrdom seekers", each waiting for their turn to go on a final mission, known by Jihadis as 'Dugma'.

Dear Jesse

In 1996, at age 30, native son Tim Kirkman returns to North Carolina to explore the parallels and differences between himself and Jesse Helms: they're from the same town and college, with media interests, from families blessed by adoptions, Baptists by upbringing.

China's Terracotta Army

The exhibition "Qin Shihuang: Chinese Terracotta Warriors" featuring hundreds of palace-level cultural relics featuring terracotta warriors will be exhibited at the British Museum on September 13. Today, the packing work of the terracotta warriors and horses officially started, and at the same time, the decoration work of the central hall of the British Museum (where Marx once consulted information) is also in full swing. Hong Kong Phoenix Satellite TV, China Shaanxi TV Station and British Sky TV News Channel will cooperate for the first time to live broadcast the opening ceremony of the exhibition, visits and other important activities, and show the whole process of exhibit packing, departure, exhibition arrangement, exhibition and exhibition to the global audience Live delivery.

76 Minutes and 15 seconds with Abbas Kiarostami

Kiarostami as we have never really known him before, despite the transformative power of his many movies. Filmmaker and close friend Samadian avoids the talking heads of so many artistic memoirs to offer more candid clips of Kiarostami the man: lover of poetry, convivial with friends, engaging landscapes on and off screen, laughing with other artists. The artist and visionary emerges more clearly but so does a loving, wondrous man whom we will miss now as much as the auteur.