What It Feels Like(2020)

Enrico Caruso: A Voice for the Ages(de)

Born in 1873 in a poor neighbourhood in Naples, Enrico Caruso conquered the world with his singing voice. At the age of 27 he got a contract at the Scala in Milan, and his already considerable popularity skyrocketed thanks to the invention of the gramophone. He sold millions of records, and garnered international acclaim. In 1903 he moved to New York to perform at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera, in the role of Radames. But his riches and fame attracted the attention of the Mafia, who started blackmailing him. He felt trapped by his fame and died at just 48 years old. Biographer Francesco Canessa, the music critic Jürgen Kesting and the composer Micha Hamel explain the ups and downs of the man behind the timeless Italian voice.

Liniers, el trazo simple de las cosas(es)

Winter 2007. Two artists from Argentina receive a grant to develop their work in Montreal (Canada). The only catch? They have to share an apartment. In this way filmmaker Franca González and cartoonist Ricardo Siri Liniers come to know each other. From the moment González becomes the roommate of Liniers, a friendship emerges between them and she makes him the proposal of doing a documentary about him. The film starts with an argument to get Liniers permission to chase him with videocameras and ends up becoming one of the most tender portraits ever done of the artist, reflecting the transcendence that ensues from the simple line of his drawings.

Strong, aussi forts que fragiles(fr)

Discover STRoNG, as strong as they are fragile, a new documentary which takes a modest look at mental health and depression in high-level sport through the testimonies of surfer Jérémy Florès, swimmer Camille Lacourt, skier Perrine Laffont, handball player Valentin Porte and fencer Ysaora Thibus.

What's wrong with you? Nothing.(cs)

Child psychiatry is in a phase of clinical death. Yet there are facilities and doctors who can return children back to their families cured and healthy. That is the path that needs to be taken. The documentary mapping the state of child psychiatric care in the Czech Republic was made by director Jiří Podlipný, Czech Television cooperated with the Vendula Pizingerová Foundation Kapka naděje. Artificial intelligence visualization under the guidance of cinematographer Jiří Studnička allows us to look into the depths of a child's aching soul.

The Flood(en)

The decision to move to Holland doesn't sound like a wise idea. Why move to a country that could be flooded at any moment? For the last 25 years, the political climate has shifted. The public debate on migration has become harsher, more heated, and polarized. What would have been considered right-wing xenophobia back then, is now considered mainstream. Populists simplify complex realities into good and evil, victims and perpetrators: ‘us’ versus ‘them’. Their rhetoric often consists of dehumanizing words and metaphors. One of these is ‘water’. In reality, water is not an immediate threat to the average Dutch person; but it is a huge threat to the thousands trying to reach the Netherlands. People trying to survive the Mediterranean Sea in rubber boats. Trying to survive winter on the Aegean coast in primitive tents. To them, water really is deadly.

Asgard(en)

In subarctic Norway in a storm the sun projects shadows of clouds on a mountain forest.

Right to Wynwood(en)

Right to Wynwood is an investigative documentary that explores the causes and effects of gentrification in Wynwood. Through interviews with developers, gallerists, artists, community leaders, and members of the local Puerto Rican population, we seek to tell the story of how Wynwood went from Miami's oldest Puerto Rican community to its largest art district, and what that means for the future of the neighborhood.

Der Maler Philip Guston – Ein amerikanisches Leben(de)

James Tissot: L'étoffe d'un peintre(fr)

A movie about James Tissot (1836-1902), a French painter and portraitist

Nadar, le premier des photographes(fr)

A documentary about the French photographer Nadar aka Gaspard-Félix Tournachon

The Lost Supper(en)

This rare film tells the strange, disquieting and protracted story of the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece, The Last Supper. Some say the results of the restoration are glorious. Others have called them tragic. Da Vinci’s famously fragile fresco was always going to be a challenge for its secretive Italian restorers. No one, however, could have foreseen how problematic and strange their task would become. Marked by a series of extraordinary mishaps, mistakes, and miscalculations, the incredible restoration is hilarious to watch but may have resulted in the loss of a masterpiece.

People on Paper(en)

Americans are preoccupied with the news, but need an escape from many of the events reported in the news. These escapes in the past have included dime store novels. The most accessible of these escapes is what are known as the funny papers, the set of serialized comic strips that are included within many newspapers. They appeal to all socio-economic classes, and all ages. Some of the earliest known from the late 19th century include the Yellow Kid, Little Nemo, Happy Hooligan, the Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt & Jeff, and Bringing Up Father. Many cartoonists are seen in action. Some originated their characters, while others have taken over following the passing of the originator. The joy of many comic strips are the absurd and the fantastical, which are limited only by the imagination of the cartoonist. Others are grounded in reality, which add to their poignancy within the public mindset.

See: An Art Road Trip(en)

Artists Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby travel the country finding art in their surroundings before being unexpectedly forced to consider what it would mean to lose the ability to see.

Fragility(sv)

"You are suffering from a mental fragility,” the doctor tells Ahang as she desperately tries to understand why she sometimes feels so terribly sad, as though everything has fallen apart. From the outside, she seems to live a sound and good life. For periods of time everything feels really good. But then it hits her: that horrific panic and despair that destroys everything and presses her down into a deep black hole.

Awaker(sk)

At a time where there were no alarm-clocks, an old men worked as an awaker. Every day he walked the long way from his house to the village until he gets an old shiny bell.

Art From Art(en)

Experimental research and dissemination documentary about current contemporary art that compiles the opinions, experiences and anecdotes of artists, gallery owners, curators, museum directors and experts.

Zeitzeugengespräch Jürgen Böttcher(de)

In this interview with contemporary witnesses, painter and director Jürgen Böttcher talks about some stages of his professional career. This also includes his path to film art and his work at Deutsche Film AG (DEFA) in Potsdam-Babelsberg. He also tells of his experiences during the shooting of films such as "Barfuß und ohne Hut", "Rangierer" and the documentary film "Jahrgang 45", once banned but finally re-released at the Berlinale 2015. During the conversation, questions about the difference and similarities between painting and film, the significance of music in film, Böttcher's preference for black and white, and his criteria for choosing topics for documentary film projects will be discussed.

The Penguin Who Couldn’t Swim(en)

An animation about a disabled penguin who lives on a rocky island in the southern seas where she feels isolated from the rest of her colony. She is inventive, resourceful and tough but frustrated about what she cannot do.

Pollock & Pollock(en)

Jackson and Charles Pollock, two brothers, two painters, are caught up in the twists of twentieth century American history. The electrical center of their trajectory is New York. Their correspondence resonates with it, questions a myth and brings a painter out of the shadows.

Symptoms in Schizophrenia(en)

Shows masked mental patients enacting various schizophrenic symptoms as they were understood at the time. A disturbing film that raises questions about the condition and treatment of its subjects. (archive.org) “Abstract: This film describes and demonstrates four types of schizophrenia. Filmed at various New York institutions, it shows patients singly and grouped in large, outside recreational areas. Some patients are blindfolded. Symptoms shown include: social apathy, delusions, hallucinations, hebephrenic reactions, cerea flexibilitas, rigidity, motor stereotypes, posturing, and echopraxia.” (Guide to Mental Health Motion Pictures)