
Necrology
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A Messenger from the Shadows (Notes on Film 06 A/Monologue 01)(de)
Thanks to his myriad film roles, Lon Chaney is known as “the man of a thousand faces,” and you could say that the early horror era never beheld a figure more intriguing. Yet because of his numerous transformations, his face never became as iconic as that of, say, Boris Karloff. Accompanied by a soundtrack from Bernhard Lang, this “re-imagination of shots” taken from Chaney´s forty-six surviving films offers a beguiling excursion into the history of film. The director reveals surprising associations, while highlighting the enduring magic of works which are now more or less forgotten.

Burden of Dreams(en)
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.

Hearts and Minds(en)
Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

Frank Zappa: Music In Review(en)
Idiosyncratic composer, unique musician and ground-breaking film director ..Frank Zappa packed more into his short lifetime than most men would manage in two. His restless, challenging, creative spirit meant that he never stood still during a career that bought huge critical and commercial success Zappa sold more than 60 million albums both as a solo artist and with the Mothers of Invention. The life and work of Frank Zappa are examined in this superb new critical review, which features new in-depth interviews with industry insiders, rock journalists and respected critics plus highlights from the songs that re-drew the face of rock music.

Guadalcanal Requiem(en)
One of Paik’s most overtly political and poignant statements, Guadalcanal Requiem is a performance/documentary collage that confronts history, time, cultural memory and mythology on the site of one of World War II’s most devastating battles.

Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily(en)
In the feature documentary, Summer 82 – When Zappa Came to Sicily, filmmaker and Zappa fan Salvo Cuccia tells the behind-the-scenes story of Frank Zappa's star-crossed concert in Palermo, Sicily, the wrap-up to a European tour that ended in public disturbances and police intervention. Cuccia had a ticket to the concert but never made it. Thirty years later, collaborating with Zappa's family, he re-creates the events through a combination of rare concert and backstage footage; photographs; anecdotes from family, band members, and concertgoers; and insights from Zappa biographer and friend Massimo Bassoli. The story is also a personal one, as Cuccia interweaves the story of Zappa's trip to Sicily with his own memories from that summer.

Avant-Drag!(el)
Avant-Drag! paints portraits of ten drag artists of varying gender expressions and sexualities who take to the streets of Athens to query, problematise and (yes, please!) undermine social strictures. Employing wildly imagined personas – like riot housewives and Albanian turbo-folk girls – who perform acts as revolutionary as praising abortion and as charming as drawing childish pictures, these artists call for social justice by taking aim at conservatism, patriarchy, patriotism, racism and sexism.

Manzanar(en)
Short film about the Manzanar Japanese American internment camp. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance(en)
Les Blank's poetic documentation of 1967's Los Angeles Easter Sunday Love-In. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.

The Last Word in Chickens(nl)
This 10-minute short documentary exploring the shifting state of the American poultry industry was preserved in 2015 from an original nitrate print. More information is available on the film's page in the National Film Preservation Foundation's website, where this version can be found featuring original music by Michael D. Mortilla.

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero(en)
An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

Sans Soleil(fr)
A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.

Wealth of a Nation(en)
"This film explores how freedom of speech — including dissent — is afforded to all Americans, and shows freedom of expression in art, music, dance, architecture, and science. The film also emphasizes the importance of the individual’s contribution to the whole of society and demonstrates how a productive and creative society is formed by the open and respectful exchange of ideas. The film was written, produced, and directed by William Greaves" (National Archives).

Naqoyqatsi(en)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

The Art Director(en)
A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Chicken Real(en)
One of Les Blank's industrial films, which follows a Holly Farms "broiler" chicken from factory incubation to the county fair barbecue pit. A hilarious, disturbing and surreal look at a large-scale chicken farm producing 156 million chickens a year! Film includes lots of chicken songs and music recorded live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.

California's Golden Beginning(en)
A description and enactment of the discovery of gold by James Marshall, and the role played by John Sutter. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

Chronos(en)
Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.

Discovering Buñuel(en)
Luis Bunuel, the father of cinematic Surrealism, made his film debut with 'Un Chien Andalou' in 1929 working closely with Salvador Dali. Considered one of the finest and controversial filmmakers with, 'L’Age d’Or' (1930), attacking the church and the middle classes. He won many awards including Best Director at Cannes for 'Los Olvidados' (1950), and the coveted Palme d’Or for 'Viridiana' (1961), which had been banned in his native Spain. His career moved to France with 'The Diary of a Chambermaid' with major stars such as Jeanne Moreau and Catherine Deneuve.

Microcosmos(fr)
A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.
Recommendations Movies

Fridge(en)
Two Neds are harassing a drunken 'jaikie' and an inebriated resident confronts them. A stand off takes place until one of the Neds shuts a young boy in an abandoned fridge. They leave but threaten to return and burn down the tenement. The residents try to open the fridge but are unsuccessful. Panic initially sets in as they fear the young boy will die.

Graveyard Horror(th)
4 horror tales from 4 graveyards. Defy death in a graveyard where the djinn awaits, Escape death and flee from ghosts in a cemetery marked by violent deaths, Cheat death and bring your beloved back from the grave, A haunted doll leads the kids to the mysterious dead of the deaf kid in the graveyard.

Battle for Saipan(en)
On July 7, 1944, a U.S. Army hospital on the remote island of Saipan is overrun by Japanese forces during a relentless attack. Outgunned and surrounded by the enemy, a lone medic puts it all on the line to lead a band of wounded soldiers to safety.

Mantra Warrior: The Legend of The Eight Moons(th)
A story inspired by the original RAMAYANA, retold in a futuristic universe, involving brave warriors who possess ancient powers from another dimension.

Your Christmas or Mine 2(en)
They've swapped Christmas – again. Can Hayley and James' relationship survive another turbulent family Christmas or has their future together gone off-piste?!

The Hawk(es)
Criminals control Mexico and wrestling is now illegal. A retired fighter and a policewoman join forces to stop the perfidious criminal who has kidnapped her son.

A(tl)
Ken spends his days getting ready for his new lead role and getting into the skin of his new character: A, a troubled young man who tries to commit suicide after getting rejected by the man he loves. But Ken has another fight to deal with and while his family and friends are supportive, his hope to win this battle is slowly dying. Will fiction bleed into real life?

The Exorcism of Hannah Stevenson(en)
Hannah and Matt, a young couple on their first holiday together, quickly discover that they may not see eye-to-eye. Feeling as though she let her boyfriend down, Hannah enlists the help of a mysterious gypsy woman, in the hope that the couple's troubles can be overcome. However, when Matt wakes to find his girlfriend has disappeared, the gypsy woman's sinister intentions become all too clear.

The Accursed(en)
Hana spends twenty years suppressing a maleficent curse that was placed upon her bloodline, only to have a family member knowingly release it forcing her to kill or to be killed.
Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two(en)
A quick look at the post-credit sequences throughout the Marvel film universe and how they interconnect the stories from Iron Man forward, including how they are selected, filmed, and what they mean in the broader context.

Etoile(it)
An American ballerina arrives in Hungary to enroll in a ballet school and it soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem.

Muxˣ(de)
Mux spent many years in a coma in a clinic with a constant stream of television. But at least he survived a serious car accident! Now he has woken up, and he has a plan: during his time in hospital, he came up with the idea of a fairer society. From now on, Mux sees it as his task to save the world from neoliberalism and goes to France, the motherland of revolutions, with his long-term nurse Karsten and a self-written manifesto.

America at War(fr)
The United States of America has been at war for almost all of its 250 years of existence. From the wars of independence to current armed conflicts, its armed forces have not only shaped American identity, but also influenced the political decisions of its leaders. The documentary delves deep into this complex history and analyzes the hot and cold wars that shaped the development of the USA, along with lessons for the future. How have generations of Americans experienced these wars and how have their lives been changed by them? How has military engagement been used to shape the image and role of the USA on the world stage? Do military decisions today shape the world of tomorrow and what are the effects on democracy and society? And as the US president begins his new term in office, the question also arises: what role does the army play in Donald Trump's understanding of the world?
AC/DC - Documentation(de)
A detailed documentary about the band AC/DC. It begins with the beginnings of the band, which was still young at the time, through Bon Scott's death to their great successes. An exciting story for every fan who also wants to see behind the scenes of AC/DC.

Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda(en)
In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.

More Funny Women of a Certain Age(en)
Caroline Rhea headlines a cast of the funniest women of standup in a night of uninhibited, outrageous comedy. Starring Caroline Rhea, Carol Leifer, Tammy Pescatelli, Thea Vidale, Carole Montgomery and Julia Scotti.