New Chinese Cinema(1989)

Lai Man-wai: Father of Hong Kong Cinema(cn)

In the life of Mr. Lai Man-wai, he had seen the most turbulent times of recent Chinese history. From the fall of the Qing Dynasty to the founding of the Republic, from the Sino-Japanese War to the founding of the People’s Republic. With a patriotic spirit, he joined the revolution and used the theatre to promote the revolutionary course. For a ‘stronger China’, and ‘education for all’, he chose film as his life long goal and career. Lai was more than the father of Hong Kong cinema was; he was also one of the pioneers of the Chinese cinema. He made Hong Kong’s first short fiction film ‘Zhuangzi Tests His Wife’. He opened the first Chinese owned cinema, the New World Cinema, in Hong Kong…. In the several decades, Lai had devoted his life and fortune in writing this glorious inaugural chapter in early Chinese film history. The technical enhancement, the introduction of foreign techniques and equipment were all part of his contribution to the Chinese cinema.

Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema(cn)

An exploration of Chinese cinema and its relationships with gender and sexuality, which the film argues has been more frankly and provocatively explored than in any other national cinema. Utilizing both film excerpts and interviews with many leading directors and academics, the film examines topics such as male bonding in kung fu movies, depictions of same-sex bonding and physical intimacy, the emphasis on women's grievances in melodramas, and the career of Yam Kim-Fai, a Hong Kong actress who spent her life portraying men on and off the screen.

Le réveil des ombres(fr)

Documentary about new chinese cinema.

The Sniper(cn)

A police sniper teams up with a hot-headed rookie to take down his former friend and teammate, who is exacting revenge on the police force.

An Amorous History of the Silver Screen - Part II(zh)

Part two of A comedy film set on Shanghai film studio. The background events frequently involve the shooting of other films being made at Mingxing Film Company at the time. This includes a sequence of the 17th episode of the silent wuxia film series Burning of the Red Lotus Temple, which is the only known footage from this historic series to exist.

Apartamento 62(pt)

Cat in the Eastern Palace(zh)

Su Jin meets Li'er. As their bond grows, the weight of Su Jin being the crowned prince and Li'er as a cat spirit grows heavy.

The Secret of the Magic Gourd(zh)

Based on the beloved children's book, elementary schooler Wang Bao discovers a wish-granting gourd that gives him the ability to make his dreams come true. Due to the gourd's erratic nature, Wang Bao confronts his own dishonesty amongst his peers and family, and realizes that you might not get everything you wish for.

Velvet Underground's First Public Appearance(en)

Velvet Underground's first public appearance.

In Between(en)

Footage from 1964-1968 that did not find its way into the Walden reels is joined in this classic period piece. Mostly centered in New York, it also includes travel footage and appearances by David Wise, Salvador Dali, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Smith, Shirley Clarke, Jane Holzer and more. Mel Lyman plays his banjo on the roof.

Notes for Jerome(en)

During the summer of 1966 Jonas Mekas spent two months in Cassis, as a guest of Jerome Hill. Mekas visited him briefly again in 1967, with P. Adams Sitney. The footage of this film comes from those two visits. Later, after Jerome died, Mekas visited his Cassis home in 1974. Footage of that visit constitutes the epilogue of the film. Other people appear in the film, all friends of Jerome.

Paradise Not Yet Lost(en)

The film is arranged in six chronologically-ordered parts, each filmed in a different location during Oona's third year.

Off We Go!(de)

Documentary short on the Octoberfest in Munich.

Scenes from Allen's Last Three Days on Earth as a Spirit(en)

This is a video record of the Buddhist Wake ceremony at Allen Ginsberg's apartment. You see Allen, now asleep forever, in his bed; some of his close friends; and the wrapping up and removal of Allen's body from the apartment. You hear Jonas' description of his last conversation with Allen, three days earlier. You see the final farewell at the Buddhist temple, 118 West 22nd Street, New York City, and some of his close friends: Patti Smith, Gregory Corso, LeRoy Jones-Baraka, Hiro Yamagata, Anne Waldman, and many others.

To Barbara Rubin with Love(en)

This is a mini-portrait of one of the legendary figures of the 60s who should be credited for the discovery of the Velvet Underground, for saving Bob Dylan's mind after the motorcycle crash, for her pioneering sound/image installations, for keeping the New York Sixties' art community together, for one of the key works of erotic cinema Christmas on Earth, and etc. and etc.

Report from Millbrook(en)

Jonas Mekas documents Timothy Leary’s Millbrook estate in the wake of a police raid, juxtaposing serene images of the property with audio of officials justifying their actions. Blending diary footage with subversive reportage, the film exposes the gap between perception and authority, offering an oblique portrait of the counterculture and its suppression.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn(en)

Filmed in 1950 soon after Jonas Mekas arrived in New York, this short documents everyday life in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was the first film he shot with his 16 mm Bolex camera, but he did not edit and present the footage until 2003, making it both his earliest and one of his final works on film.

Håndværkerskolen: Brolægger(da)

Travel Songs(en)

Compiled from two decades of travels through Europe, Jonas Mekas’s Travel Songs gathers five diaristic segments filmed in Avila, Stockholm, Moscow, and Assisi. Shot with his characteristic spontaneity and playfulness, the film turns casual sightseeing into a lyrical meditation on place, memory, and movement.

Quartet Number One(en)

Quartet Number One (1991) 8 min.