Digging New York

Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World(en)

New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff.

Die Menschenfischer(en)

Beat Makers(en)

A documentary that charts the never ending hustle of up and coming, as well as seasoned hip-hop producers.

The Fall of Cannonsville(en)

Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s the communities of Cannonsville, Granton, Rock Rift, Rock Royal, Johnny Brook and Beerston, NY were destroyed to make way for the Cannonsville Reservoir. The reservoir would serve as the last piece of New York City’s growing water infrastructure in a battle of upstate versus downstate. 60 years after vacating or moving their homes, former residents gather at their annual town reunion to reflect and reminisce on their memories and the collective trauma that they share.

Criminal Minded: Live at the Crime Scene(de)

Nobody Knows My Name(en)

A film about women who love and make hip-hop music. These artists strive through the erasures and obstructions of a heavily male-dominated industry.

X Tutto Questo Tempo(it)

At the end of 2018 Colle Der Fomento, the most enduring italian hip hop group, were about to release “Adversus”, a full album after more than a decade since their previous classic “Anima e Ghiaccio”, for this movie the group (along with the producer Dj Craim) opened the doors of their rehearsal room to the cameras and released an in-depth interview about the development “Adversus” and the themes of each track.

Shine a Light(en)

Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones unite in "Shine A Light," a look at The Rolling Stones." Scorsese filmed the Stones over a two-day period at the intimate Beacon Theater in New York City in fall 2006. Cinematographers capture the raw energy of the legendary band.

The Mona Lisa Curse(en)

The Mona Lisa Curse is a Grierson award-winning polemic documentary by art critic Robert Hughes that examines how the world's most famous painting came to influence the art world. With his trademark style, Hughes explores how museums, the production of art and the way we experience it have radically changed in the last 50 years, telling the story of the rise of contemporary art and looking back over a life spent talking and writing about the art he loves, and loathes. In these postmodern days it has been said that there is no more passé a vocation than that of the professional art critic. Perceived as the gate keeper for opinions regarding art and culture, the art critic has supposedly been rendered obsolete by an ever expanding pluralism in the art world, where all practices and disciplines are purported to be equal and valid. Robert Hughes, however, is one art critic who has delivered a message that must not be ignored.

Pestilent City(en)

Pestilent City covers Manhattan from South to North, from Times Square to Harlem, finding along the way ever more poverty, violence, rage and tragic drunkenness.

Hip hop live : L'anthologie(fr)

Half Sour(en)

A group of young skateboarders find direction in their lives when they move to New York and start a pickle business.

Here We Come(en)

The story of hip hip behind the iron curtain.

The Automat(en)

The 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. From the perspective of former customers, we watch a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever changed America.

Donald Trump: All-American Billionaire(en)

Emily Maitlis tells the story of Donald Trump, the world's most famous developer, who changed the New York skyline with his glitzy towers and made himself a multi-billionaire.

The Writing on the Wall(en)

"In this half-hour documentary, Producer Sandra King provides an intimate portrait of a public phenomenon: Graffiti. Over an 18 month period, King and her crew followed the teenage members of a graffiti 'crew,' Vandals on the Street, as they painted and rapped and moved through the streets of downtown Newark. What emerges is a unique glimpse behind the 'tags' at the kind of inner city kids who write on walls, but who also make art; who create out of wedlock children, but who also form binding relationships; who drop out of school and never read a book, but who create their own brand of poetry through the medium of 'rap.'

Dream City(en)

This film is a portrait of New York in the 1980s by famed photographer Steven Siegel, including footage of the subways, the parks, Times Square and other neighborhoods. The film is narrated by teenagers of that era.

Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig(en)

A review of the wild New York City nightlife of the 90s. The cast of characters who made up the infamous Club Kids speak candidly about that era, culminating with Alig's release from incarceration.

African Underground: Democracy in Dakar(en)

African Underground: Democracy in Dakar is a groundbreaking documentary film about hip-hop youth and politics in Dakar Senegal. The film follows rappers, DJs, journalists, professors and people on the street at the time before, during and after the controversial 2007 presidential election in Senegal and examines hip-hop’s role on the political process. Originally shot as a seven part documentary mini-series released via the internet – the documentary bridges the gap between hip-hop activism, video journalism and documentary film and explores the role of youth and musical activism on the political process.

Mr. Dial Has Something to Say(en)

The documentary film "Mr. Dial Has Something to Say" investigates the problem of classism and racism in the elite American art world. By following the dramatic, disturbing story of Thornton Dial, a 79-year-old American-African artist from Alabama's Black Belt.

Strange Object(en)

An archival investigation into the imperial image-making of the RAF ‘Z Unit’, which determined the destruction of human, animal and cultural life across Somaliland, as well as Africa and Asia.

Re-Births(fr)

A documentary film depicting five intimate portraits of migrants who fled their country of origin to seek refuge in France and find a space of freedom where they can fully experience their sexuality and their sexual identity: Giovanna, woman transgender of Colombian origin, Roman, Russian transgender man, Cate, Ugandan lesbian mother, Yi Chen, young Chinese gay man…

Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror(en)

Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror is a television documentary film that premiered on the Canadian cable network Space on February 25, 2009. The hour-long documentary examines the experiences, motivations and impact of the increasing number of women engaged in horror fiction, with producers Donna Davies and Kimberlee McTaggart of Canada's Sorcery Films interviewing actresses, film directors, writers, critics and academics. The documentary was filmed in Toronto, Canada; and in Los Angeles, California and New York City, New York in the US.

Re-Existences(pt)

“Re-Existence” is a documentary about migration stories of individuals from the Brazilian queer community.

Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver(en)

The gingerdead man travels back in time to 1976 and carries out an epic disco killing spree.

I Was a Mermaid and Now I'm a Pop Star(en)

A mermaid gets discovered by a, autotune-loving record producer, turning from an innocent fish into an ignorant popstar with fame, drugs and asshole-attitude.

Lionfish: New Pirates of the Caribbean(en)

Armed with venomous spines, invisible to its prey, a pack hunter who terrorizes other fishes - watch the stunning adventures of lionfish. Get to know the fish's prowess to dominate the oceans, to the extent that its invasion endangers local marine life!

Love's Enduring Promise(en)

In the 1800s frontier, Missie Davis is a bright and beautiful schoolteacher whose love for the prairie is matched only by her passion for books. When Missie encounters Grant, a handsome New England railroad executive, she feels as though she's met a hero from one of her novels.

Hello(gu)

During one of their night stays, three college teens play a silly prank where they randomly call people and tell them that they know who that person is and what they have done. What will happen when things take a dangerous turn?

Any Which Way You Can(en)

Philo takes part in a bare knuckle fight - as he does - to make some more money than he can earn from his car repair business. He decides to retire from fighting, but when the Mafia come along and arrange another fight, he is pushed into it. A motorcycle gang and an orangutan called Clyde all add to the 'fun'.

Aromah(ar)

The Language of Shadows: Murnau, the Early Years and 'Nosferatu'(de)

A documentary about F.W. Murnau.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man(el)

In front of an angry audience somewhere in Latin America, a North American discloses the secret network that used the World Bank, payoffs, extortion and sex, military coups and political assassinations to create the American empire. The definitive answer to President Bush's question: "why do they hate us?"

Re-Elected(en)

Friends battle former U.S. presidents when they come back from the dead as zombies on the Fourth of July.

Slash-O-Lantern Part II(en)

Kevin and James deal with the aftermath of their brush with death on Halloween night. As Hazel Falls P.D. arrive on the scene, they quickly realize the nightmare isn't over just yet.

The Avenging Quartet(cn)

A female Chinese cop teams up with a lady kung-fu master to stop two female Japanese gangsters from stealing a valuable painting.

Vindication Swim(en)

The inspirational story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel and her battle against both the cold waters of the Channel and the oppressive society of the 1920s England.

How I Unleashed World War II, Part III: Among Friends(pl)

Disguised as an Italian medic, Dolas finds himself on a ship evacuating wounded Axis soldiers to Italy. He leaves the ship disguised as a Nazi soldier, but is found out, declared a deserter and sent to the Eastern Front. However, on the flight to Russia, he is able to escape with a parachute, and finds himself back in Poland, now occupied by Nazis.