Initiations 2[2000]

Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies(en)

Documentary portrays the saga of how Italian Americans went from being outsiders who were stereotyped as gangsters in American movies to insiders in Hollywood who took control of their own stories. Interviews, film clips and home movies from Italian American filmmakers highlight personal experiences and comment on Hollywood's politics and cultural impact.

Curling für Eisenstadt(de)

Until now, spoiled Vicky has always got through life by relying on the name of her father, who is an influential winegrower. After losing her job at an advertising agency and no longer receiving any money from her father, she desperately looks for a new goal. She wants to set up a women's curling team in Eisenstadt and win against the Kitzbühel state champions so that Eisenstadt becomes the venue for the Women's Curling World Championships.

Puppet Shark(en)

An all-puppet cast! When two boys venture into the nearby woods on a lakeside camping trip, they soon realize they have entered the territory of a rare lake shark with possibly supernatural properties. Campfire tales help them unravel the mystery surrounding this mysterious legend. Hippies, marshmallows, independent film crews, dentists and mermaids - no one is safe from the wrath of the PUPPET SHARK! From the loonies behind "Jurassic Shark", "Raiders of the Lost Shark" and "Ouija Shark"!

Jagga(pa)

Alientologists(en)

When Earth no longer exists, neighboring aliens examine human artifacts that float around in its place like paleontologists learning about ancient ancestors. This is the story of a curious alien struggling to fit in with his robotic co-workers and how his accidental discovery of a mysterious box full of noise leads his team to understanding one of humanity's most special gifts.

Fel @ Vie(en)

Intention: To become famous and to make a lot of money. How intention was achieved: I didn't have anything better to do.

Androcles and the Lion(en)

George Bernard Shaw’s breezy, delightful dramatization of this classic fable—about a Christian slave who pulls a thorn from a lion’s paw and is spared from death in the Colosseum as a result of his kind act—was written as a meditation on modern Christian values. Pascal’s final Shaw production is played broadly, with comic character actor Alan Young as the titular naïf. He’s ably supported by Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Robert Newton, and Elsa Lanchester.

The Wrong Path(en)

A small-town electrician with anger issues gets extreme therapy from a noted psychiatrist, Dr. Eric Peselowe, but is soon framed for a robbery and then a murder. Even with the help of Dr. Peselowe's female assistant Bonnie, he soon learns to trust no one but himself and becomes entrapped in a web of deceit, greed, and corruption.

Darkened Rooms(en)

Phony spiritualists were given a good going-over in the early talkie melodrama Darkened Rooms. Evelyn Brent stars as Ellen, a fraudulent medium working in cahoots with genuine clairvoyant Emory Jago (Neil Hamilton). The plotline is secondary; the film's main purpose was to emulate the methods of such professional "de-bunkers" as Mrs. Harry Houdini by exposing the various tricks of the spiritualist's trade.

The Ballet Dancer(da)

The ballet pupil Camilla Favier makes for a quick success and falls for the author Jean Mayol. She discovers a love letter to him from a rich married woman and is devastated. In revenge she reveals the secret love story for the cuckolded husband and his guests at a big party. Later she finds a new love message from the wayward wife and brings it to the husband, who gets furious, grabs a pistol and incites the climax of the story.

We Need to Talk(de)

Very often in life, no words are needed to express human feelings. Many issues appear to stand between the two protagonists in „We Need to Talk“, while still uniting them in the end. Within a few minutes, the short film will create different illusions of what they need to talk about for every spectator.

Tora-san's Lullaby(ja)

After Hiroshi is injured in a workplace accident, Torajiro gives Sakura the money he has saved and leaves to work as a traveling salesman once again. During his travels, Torajiro meets a father who shares a drink with him. In the morning, Torajiro is shocked to learn that the man has left his baby behind and a note asking Tora to take care of the child.

Quicksand(en)

"A week before he passed away, my grandfather shared with me his former aspirations of becoming a filmmaker. After many trials, a narrow escape from the Nazis and immigration to the United States, the dream slowly but surely came true. surely passed out. After his passing, I discovered a treasure trove of dust-covered 8mm film archives that had apparently not been seen by anyone for at least a generation. Mesmerized, what unfolded before me was something something most people, myself included, had never seen before: the development and complete decline of the human body and mind. Motivated by my grandfather's unrealized cinematic dreams, I decided to reconstruct a film that he had already made involuntarily." Lance Oppenheim

Cock o' the Walk(en)

The title character comes to town, complete with portable boxing ring. He grabs a local chicken and dances with her, inspiring several other barnyard animals to dance. But her rooster takes offense, and enters the ring to do battle.

¿Chocamos?(ca)

Rainy Season(en)

Based on the story by Stephen King, Rainy Season follows a young couple who arrive in the small town of Willow, ME.

Blue Hotel(tr)

Blue Hotel is to reflect on the lives of Afghan refugees who came to Turkey illegally from Afghanistan and providing a living by collecting paper.