Look Closer: The Rise and Fall of Robert Benfer(2018)

WEED(en)

This 1971 color anti-drug use and abuse film was produced by Concept Films and directed by Brian Kellman for Encyclopedia Britannica. “Weed: The Story of Marijuana” combines time-lapse, montage, illustrations, animation (by Paul Fierlinger and emigre Pavel Vošický) and dramatized, documentary-style interviews to survey the evolving role of cannabis in U.S. society, with emphasis on the legal risks faced by young people. A unique score of experimental synthesizer music is provided by Tony Luisi on an EMS VCS 3 “Putney”

Exodus(en)

EXODUS is an intimate, lyrical portrait of Trinity Copeland and Assia Serrano as they struggle to make sense of their lives post-release, exploring the overarching question of: What does life after prison look like? Grappling with the weight of what they’ve done—and what society has done to them—the film explores the burden of absence, the toll of separation, and what it takes to rebuild fractured bonds.

Monica in the South Seas(fi)

Finnish filmmaker and artist Sami van Ingen is a great-grandson of documentary pioneer Robert Flaherty, and seemingly the sole member of the family with a hands-on interest in continuing the directing legacy. Among the materials he found in the estate of Robert and Frances Flaherty’s daughter Monica were the film reels and video tapes detailing several years of work on realising her lifelong dream project: a sound version of her parents’ 1926 docu-fiction axiom, Moana: A Romance of the Golden Age.

The Unseen(fa)

When Tehran hosts visiting foreign dignitaries, the local authorities clean up the city’s urban image through the controversial process of ‘urban beautification’. Those who are deemed unsavoury are rounded up – drug users, prostitutes and the homeless who sleep in cardboard boxes on sidewalks and who they would rather remain unseen. When these very important people leave, the men are released but the women are kept as wards of the state. An animated documentary made using hand-crafted cardboard miniatures and the voices of women to tell their story, one that has been five years in the making. A story that shows how the face of a city can change, but what is underneath often does not.

Hanging by a Thread(en)

Filmmaker Tobias Hermansen, known for Dreamscape and Mentally Unavailable, has battled depression for years, facing moments of darkness that shaped his perspective on life. Through his struggles, he discovered the power of storytelling as both an escape and a means of self-expression. Now, he channels his personal experiences into powerful, deeply emotional films that shed light on mental health and human resilience, inspiring others through storytelling.

The Walking Dead: The Return(en)

Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.

Serial Killers Defined(en)

Take a chilling tour through the twisted minds of some of the most violent serial killers including Jeffrey Dahmer and the BTK killer. What defines a serial killer? What makes them tick? These questions and more are answered in this horrific account of true events.

So No Harm Comes to You(sv)

This story is based on Lisa Rydberg's teenage experiences. An unknown man shows Lisa the way to the bus station on a dark night. After a while she wants to go by herself, but he doesn't allow it. This is a story about making the wrong decision, about fear and about our society.

Kobe Shinbun no Nanokakan(ja)

Also known as the "Kobe earthquake," the massive earthquake struck the southern Hyogo prefecture on January 17, 1995 and resulted in more than 6,400 casualties. The drama will focus on the reporters working for the Kobe Shimbun, who were determined to keep the newspaper running without interruption, despite the damage suffered during the earthquake. The characters in the drama will all be based on real people, using their real names. Sakurai stars as the photo reporter Tomohiko Mitsuyama, who had joined Kobe Shimbun four years before the earthquake. The show will also have documentary segments such as interviews, including an appearance by Mitsuyama himself.

The Sun Never Sets(en)

Smithsonian Magazine once asked the rhetorical question, 'Can a weekly paper in rural New Mexico raise enough hell to keep its readers hungry for more, week after week?' The Rio Grande Sun, published in Espanola, New Mexico is considered one of the best weekly newspapers in the country. The Sun is known for its investigative reporting. It broke the story that its own rural community had the highest per capita heroin overdose rate in the country. It has led the fight for open records and open meetings in a county where political shenanigans are the rule. The film follows the Sun's reporters and editors as they write about the news, the sports, the art and culture of a large rural county. John Burnett, an NPR correspondent, reports on the Sun's Police Blotter--'the best in the country.' Tony Hillerman, the celebrated author and newspaper editor, speaks eloquently about the value of community newspapers. The Sun Never Sets is narrated by Bob Edwards, Peabody Award winning news anchor.

Interview with Júlio(pt)

An excerpt about the troubled, passionate and intriguing relationship of an actor with his own life.

Thelma & Louise: Born to Live(fr)

The story was born from the pen of debutante Callie Khouri: Thelma, married to a macho man, and Louise, an independent waitress, go on a girls' getaway that turns into a runaway when the latter, during a stopover in a bar, shoots a man who was trying to rape her friend. But at the dawn of the 1990s, screens were dominated by testosterone-fueled opuses, and Hollywood studios were reluctant to entrust the steering wheel to a female duo. Seduced by the script, forwarded by his associate Mimi Polk, Ridley Scott agreed to produce the film and decided, against all odds, to direct it himself. Under the British director's watch, the two accidental outlaws, fabulously portrayed by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, flee across the vastness of the Far West on an emancipatory epic that sees them defy male oppression and reveal themselves to themselves.

Mayor of Lowell(en)

This short documentary chronicles the culture and arts of Cambodian Americans and the Lowell, MA community through the eyes of Sokhary Chau, the first Cambodian American Mayor in the United States. Chau immigrated to the U.S. at seven years old to escape the Khmer Rouge genocide. Through this unique story that showcases the best of Lowell—immigrant success, assimilation, history, and the development of the arts—we see a man born into a war-torn country who comes to America to be a first-in-the-nation leader.

Los Cocheros de Drácula(es)

The Deepest Breath(en)

Bonded by their love of freediving, a record-setting champion and a heroic safety diver try to make history with a remarkable feat, ready to risk it all.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie(en)

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?

Mannequin Wedding(km)

In late 2021, a deadly fire consumed an underground club, taking the life of Mr. Chhoeun Samnang. But his death was no accident. Something was waiting in the darkness-something unseen, something obsessed. A vengeful spirit, bound to the club, claimed him as its own, igniting a nightmare that would haunt his family long after the flames died out. Then came the demand: a wedding. A ritual binding Samnang's soul to the ghost that took him. And if his family refused, the real horror would begin. One by one, the shadows crept closer, bringing terror, tragedy, and a chilling truth-the dead do not take rejection lightly.

Touching the Void(en)

The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Into Great Silence(de)

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

Capturing Memories(en)

Time passes, slips away, dissolves. But what if we could hold it for a moment? "Capturing Memories" is a dive into the essence of the inconsistent, an invitation to reflect on the importance of preserving moments before they are lost in oblivion. Through visual fragments, the documentary reveals how small scenes of everyday life carry echoes of the past and seeds of the future. In a world where everything passes, what really remains? This film is a tribute to the art of immortalizing the moment, to the beauty of seeing beyond the present and to the need to give meaning to what may one day become a memory.