life is cool(2024)

Assimilation Memories(en)

90's era home videos of a Mexican father starting a new life in the United States

Videosyncracy(en)

As the dissociated convenience of the Internet and globalized corporate culture continue to shut down brick-and-mortar video stores, what will happen to the longstanding, local hangouts with their rugged individuals known as clerks and the communities who love them? Videosyncracy follows three very different video rental stores as they negotiate their survival in three distinct Los Angeles neighborhoods: Old Bank DVD in the Downtown arts district, Vidiots in sunny seaside Santa Monica, and Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee in bustling North Hollywood. Their stories chronicle not only the birth and twilight of a particular kind of corner store, but also decades of personal lives intertwined with those of their communities, the new challenges and facilities of a rapidly changing world, and an enduring love of the movies, a slice of Americana on the brink of disappearance yet defiant to the end.

A Dangerous Boy(en)

Sigurdur Thordarson, known as Siggi, becomes a hacker at 12, exposing Icelandic bank corruption at 14. Branded the "teenage whistleblower," he joins WikiLeaks in 2010, mentored by Julian Assange. Siggi leaks globally, but clashes with Assange, prompting him to spy for the FBI at 18. This tale weaves paranoia, hacking, and friendship, portraying Siggi's turbulent journey from trust to betrayal, revealing a heart-wrenching coming-of-age narrative.

The Ghost Story.(en)

Everyone in town knows Simón's story, because like a rumor or an urban legend, it has been spreading among its inhabitants, the few who believe him and those who question everything about his story... But Simón will clear up doubts, recounting what happened during those supernatural events...

Home Movie(en)

Filmmaker Jan Oxenberg narrates her own home videos, commenting on how her views towards lesbianism and femininity have evolved over time.

This is Bottlecap(en)

A short-form documentary that follows the members of a Montana-based psychedilic rock band from early days up until present.

Ban the Sadist Videos!(en)

An in-depth analysis of the "Video Nasty" scandal of the early 1980s in Britain.

BAND(en)

Was it a cult? A charismatic bandleader convinces four generations of Midlands factory workers to dedicate their lives, and their children’s, to his obsession with leading the world’s best marching band, whatever the cost.

Éramos Livres(pt)

Five inmates recite poetry while time keeps passing by.

The Babysitter(en)

When Melody was a young child, 20+ years away from coming out as transgender, she developed an obsession with movies. One of her biggest hobbies was acting out her favorite VHS tapes, FBI warnings and trailers included, in front of her parents' camcorder. Mom and dad realized this was an easy way to keep their child busy. Thus, the camera became a sort of babysitter, resulting in dozens of tapes featuring Melody performing in front of the (usually stationary) camera.

Super Mario Bros: This Ain't No Video Game(en)

A documentary about the making of the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie.

Chuck Norris vs Communism(ro)

In late eighties, in Ceausescu's Romania, a black market VHS bootlegger and a courageous female translator brought the magic of Western films to the Romanian people and sowed the seeds of a revolution.

Hold mig fast. Før jeg forsvinder(da)

34 Days in 2018(en)

13-year-old Anderson Cefola documents his month-long grounding in 2018 with an old handheld camera he kept.

Cleanflix(en)

When a small Utah-based edited movie company is caught sanitizing Hollywood's copyrighted material, the film industry strikes back with a devastating blow.

The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh(en)

Orson Welles sits in his chair behind his typewriter where he sends a message out to his dying friend Bill Cronshaw: a passage from the journal of Charles Lindbergh.

Your Brother. Remember?(en)

As kids in Maine in the early '90s, Zachary and his older brother Gator loved making home-movie versions of their two favorite films, Jean-Claude Van Damme's karate opus Kickboxer and psuedo-snuff classic Faces of Death. Now it's 2009, and though estranged from his family, Zachary returns to Maine to re-create these childhood tapes as accurately as possible. Things aren't the same however, as aging, drugs, and prison time have taken their toll on the Oberzan siblings. But with Jean-Claude and Dr. Frances B. Gröss in their corner, Zack and Gator (and sister Jenni) step back into the ring for a title shot at redemption.

Hit So Hard(en)

The rise to fame (and the near-fatal fall from it) of Patty Schemel, drummer for Courtney Love's seminal rock band, Hole. Given a Hi-8 video camera just before Hole's infamous Live Through This world tour, Patty captured stunningly intimate footage of the scene that has never been seen... until now. Not just an all-access backstage pass to the music that shaped a generation, Hit So Hard is a harrowing tale of overnight success, the cost of addiction, and ultimately, recovery and redemption.

Cyborg Society(en)

What does the looming A.I. revolution mean for us as individuals and as a society?

Quarantine(es)

A short film of the first weeks of strict national lockdown, filmed in Barcelona on a classic home video camera Hi8. Narrates the story of three women who share a flat and who create a microworld not only to survive the global pandemic but also to survive themselves.