A Life for Movies: Lotte Eisner(2021)

Amy Macdonald - Under Stars - Live In Dusseldorf(en)

The Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald gave an exclusive WDR 2 radio concert on her "Under Stars" tour on October 18, 2017 in the Classic Remise. Around 600 lucky winners were able to get hold of tickets for the Amy Macdonald unplugged concert and were enchanted by the perfect show. It was a great evening with Amy Macdonald in the Classic Remise Düsseldorf on the WDR 2 Tour 2017. Amy Macdonald described the classic car exhibition in the Classic Remise as "the nicest backstage I have ever had". Amy Macdonald enjoyed the automotive atmosphere in the Classic Remise and joked with the enthusiastic audience throughout the concert. Before the concert, Amy Macdonald gave the WDR a radio and TV interview in the middle of the vehicles.

Panda(da)

Jacob’s dream is to be a rap artist, so he works on a song that will give him the big breakthrough. To his big frustration, his dreams are tested every time his roomie Adam gets a visit from his girlfriend Frederikke. And through a journey of unforeseen events Jacob meets additional challenges that test his working discipline.

Open Water(en)

Nikki is no professional athlete. Still, she swims the English channel to raise money for a good cause.

The Very Strange Story of the Legendary Joe Meek(en)

Documentary about the influential pop composer and record producer Joe Meek, who died in dramatic circumstances in 1967 after a bizarre childhood and a career, often controversial, which spanned the period from the mid-50s to the rise of the Beatles in the 60s. At the end of his life he was suffering from paranoid delusions that people were watching him through walls. Alan Lewens' film charts an Ortonesque tale of post-war Britain.

Blue Fire(en)

An elite A.I.coder faces a collision between the algorithms of the VR worlds he's creating and the archetypal dimensions of the greater Collective Unconscious. He finds solace in a rural farmhouse he rents from a Professor of Psychology who lives next door with a student he mentors on her dreams. Over two days, the dreams of all three impact their daily discourse in unexpected ways unhinging their lives through a vortex of a greater reality. BLUE FIRE spins the controversial A.I. phenomena beyond the consensus narrative of destroying the world VS. saving the world towards a radical vision of the future.

Death Row Family(ja)

Takanori, from a yakuza family goes to prison for a crime he didn't commit. As soon as he gets out his brother brings him in for a robbery.

Guru Chela(en)

Guru Chela is a heartfelt short film celebrating the timeless bond between a teacher Guru and student Chela. The story revolves around a young Chela who invites his Guru to attend his Bratabandha ceremony, a significant event in Nepalese culture marking a boy's transition into adulthood and spiritual maturity. The ceremony takes place at the Southall Temple in the United Kingdom, bringing together tradition and diaspora life. The Bratabandha combines choodakarma tonsure and Upanayana samskara, symbolizing a promise vrata and a sacred bond bandhana. It is a moment of reflection on cultural identity and spiritual growth. As the Guru blesses the Chela during the rituals, the film delves into their profound relationship. The Guru, representing the source of wisdom and guidance, imparts teachings on life and spirituality, while the Chela demonstrates respect and gratitude for his mentor's influence.

Suddenly Twenty(th)

After taking a magical picture, an elderly woman is transformed into a 20-year-old and decides to live the life she'd always dreamed of.

The Will of Victory (A Doc Opera)(en)

The Will Of Victory is footage from the Russian archives of World War 2 which immerses us into the extraordinary, never before seen images of the Nazi invasion, occupation and finally retreat from Russia without the benefit of Language.

The Karadedeler Incident(tr)

In a remote village, some strange creatures are patrolling around. After 5 pm, no one dares to go out. A young journalist comes to the village and stays for 10 days but nothing happens. He gives the camera to a 14-year-old boy in the village and then he leaves. The plan was that if the boy sees something strange, he would record it for the journalist and send the tapes back to him. After a while the boy and 6 other people are found murdered, and the camera was still recording...

Something for a Lonely Man(en)

The blacksmith of a small western town finds himself an outcast. He had led the townspeople west in hopes of starting a new life, only to find the town that they founded is to be bypassed by the railroad.

A Slip-Up(pl)

The main character has quit school, makes a living by taking pictures. He seduces a nurse who treated his head wound which he earned in a fight. They witness a hit-and-run driver killing a little girl on a sled. He builds up an elaborate trap by putting a doll dressed as a child down the hill in the path of a car. The man hits it and thinking that he hit a child - runs. Marek takes pictures of him and tries to blackmail him to use his car for a week. He wants to use the car to win back the nurse, who could not cope with his humors...

Flesh and Volcanoes(fr)

Laura lives alone with her father in a small village in Auvergne. Fourteen years old, the young teen deals with everyday constraints and makes her way through life, finding refuge in her own private world.

Young Wrestlers(tr)

“Let’s see if you gained any weight. 26,3 kilogram. Ahmet, you need to eat more. Double meals.” Like other boys their age, Baran, Ahmet and their classmates wrestle with the desire for recognition, with homesickness and with their target weights. Most of all though, they wrestle with, and against, one another. They are comrades and competitors, united by one and the same dream: Olympic gold! In their wrestling academy in the Turkish province of Amasya, which is well known for this traditional form of combat sport, they undergo strength and endurance training, they learn lifts and throws, they urge each other on and they console one another. Always responding to the boys’ needs, the trainers give the boys tough love, sometimes fatherly, sometimes strict and disciplinary. The film’s intimate documental camera bears close witness to the fine line between friendship and competition, victory and the lesson of how to lose.

Children of the Revolution(en)

Inspired by the student revolutions of 1968, two women in Germany and Japan set out to plot world revolution as leaders of the Baader Meinhof Group and the Japanese Red Army. What were they fighting for and what have we learned?

To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb(en)

Explore how one man's relentless drive and invention of the atomic bomb changed the nature of war forever, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and unleashed mass hysteria.

Folle d'amore - Alda Merini(it)

My life about music(es)

Mario is the guitarist of "Duck Fizz", a rock band from La Paz B.C.S. who seeks to achieve success through his own art. However, getting it means having to leave your city for a new home. A decision that modifies their entire environment and lifestyle, but that will also help them to find more opportunities to fulfill his biggest dream, live from music.

Tony Parker: The Final Shot(en)

The background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.

Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star(fr)

Although he is unanimously credited with having democratised opera, making it accessible to the greatest number, focus is rarely put on the strategy he devised and implemented in order to carry out his actions, nor what his actions reveal of the man and artist, and of the resulting metamorphosis from opera singer to pop artist. Through this angle, this film sets out to pay tribute to the man who summed up his credo, obsession and life’s work, in the following way: “They led the public to believe that classical music belonged to a restricted elite. I was the way to prove to the world that was wrong.

Crash and Burn(en)

Crash and Burn chronicles the thrilling and turbulent career of Irish racing driver Tommy Byrne, who rose from a rough, working-class background to the cusp of Formula 1 in the 1980s. Directed by Seán Ó Cualáin, the film explores Byrne's undeniable talent and rebellious personality, which set him apart on the track but also clashed with the conservative and elite world of Formula 1. Byrne’s story is filled with highs and lows, from his dominance in lower racing categories to his brief, rocky stint in Formula 1 and subsequent struggles. The documentary combines interviews, archival footage, and personal insights to portray the complexities of Byrne’s character and his “what could have been” legacy in motorsport.

Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton(en)

This is the remarkable story of an American icon who changed the sport of big wave surfing forever. Transcending the surf genre, this in-depth portrait of a hard-charging athlete explores the fear, courage and ambition that push a man to greatness—and the cost that comes with it.

I Am Not a Freak(en)

This film is a fascinating look at some people afflicted with congenital deformities of an extreme nature. Their ability to live with their aberrations while remaining socially involved and upbeat is truly inspirational. While their predecessors were often seen in so called "freak shows" that were part of various exhibitions from Coney Island to traveling circuses, these performers were actually the more fortunate ones in an era of little tolerance for those who were different from the accepted norm. Many became famous and extremely wealthy, such as Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton), who worked for many years with P.T. Barnum.

The Comeback(en)

After an absence of five years, six times Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a comeback and attempts to take the World Body Building Championship for the 7th time.

President Biden(en)

FRONTLINE tells the story of how crisis and tragedy prepared Joe Biden to become America’s next president. Those who know him best describe the searing moments that shaped President-elect Biden and what those challenges reveal about how he will govern.

Frida Kahlo(en)

She was a prolific self-portraitist, using the canvas as a mirror through all stages of her turbulent and, at times, tragic life. This highly engaging film takes us on a journey through the life of one of the most prevalent female icons: Frida Kahlo. Displaying a treasure trove of colour and a feast of vibrancy on screen, this personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience and her unmatched lust for life, men, women, politics and her cultural heritage.

Jan Cox, a Painter's Odyssey(en)

Biographical film about the life and work of the Belgian painter Jan Cox. Cox had a tempestuous youth, during which he co-founded the Jeune Peinture Belge group and worked on the fringes of the Cobra movement.

Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth(en)

Taking an investigative look into the legal battles of the global superstar. Close friends, former staff and researchers paint an intimate portrait of Jackson's complicated world and put allegations of sexual abuse under the microscope. The film defends American singer Michael Jackson against allegations of child sexual abuse made in the documentary Leaving Neverland.

Extranjeros de sí mismos(es)

The Cardboard Bernini(en)

James Grashow is an artist who has built—among many other things-- giant 15 foot tall fighting men, a city, and an ocean-- using paper mache, fabric, chicken wire and cardboard. More recently, he has begun making sculptures entirely out of corrugated cardboard and twist ties.

Gulpilil: One Red Blood(en)

An hour-long documentary on the life and career of actor David Gulpilil.

Matthew Perry: Not just Friends(en)

Grey Gardens(en)

Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Onassis raised as Park Avenue débutantes but who withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens." As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality.

Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director(en)

A documentary film that delves into the life and cinematic career of one of Japan's most prolific directors: Ishiro Honda. The film will spotlight Honda's filmography from both a historical and personal perspective, exploring his contributions to the Japanese film industry and his firsthand experiences of war, from which he barely survived. It will also delve into his profound feelings regarding the atomic bomb, a subject that became an obsession for him and was frequently reflected in his films. The documentary will analyze Honda's body of work through interviews with individuals who had the privilege of collaborating with him, as well as experts on Honda's films from both Japan and the Western world. Furthermore, the film will uncover Honda's friendship and professional relationship with director Akira Kurosawa.

The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?(en)

The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of the ill fated "Superman Lives" movie, that was to be directed by Tim Burton and star Nicolas Cage as the man of steel himself, Superman. The project went through years of development before the plug was pulled, and this documentary interviews the major filmmakers: Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Jon Peters, Dan Gilroy, Colleen Atwood, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and many many more.