3 Minutes with a 12 Piece Band

Billie Holiday: A Sensation(en)

A documentary about the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915-1959). There exist many myths and legends about the Jazz Singer Billie Holiday — one of the greatest voices of the last century. Most of them tell the story of the tragic victim of drugs, alcohol, men, color, or the circumstances of her upbringing. To some extent she contributed herself to these legends, especially in her autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues". In recent years, more and more records and reports have shown a different picture of her. These statements of confidants, colleagues and friends clean up with many of the legends and show a strong personality who has been anything but a pitiable victim. Billie Holiday was a strong-willed and determined person and a very complex personality who did not correspond to the classic victim type.

Daybreak Express(en)

Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording "Daybreak Express", this is a five-minute short of the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated subway station in New York City.

Cecil Taylor: All The Notes(en)

Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the unconventional stance of this media-shy modern musical genius, regarded as one of the true giants of post-war music. Seated at his beloved and battered piano in his Brooklyn brownstone the maestro holds court with frequent stentorian pronouncements on life, art and music.

Sunshine in Soho(en)

1950s Soho beats with far more energy than its 21st century counterpart in this vivid time capsule.

Taube Feuer(de)

With noise-canceling headphones, they communicate with an inaudible counterpart. Decoupled, they move around the room and meet their surroundings. Intimate stories and needs are discussed. The personal blends into a shared portrait.

8 Points(ar)

"Birth is not a beginning and death is not an ending. They are merely points on a continuum." - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Duration-Difference(xx)

Inspired by Lois Patiño's short movies project called "Paisaje-Duración" (Duration-Landscape) and Hiroshi Sugimoto's photo series "Seascapes", "Duração-Diferença" (Duration-Difference) reveals the difference through duration, through time; this short experimental movie seeks to capture, as Patiño and Sugimoto achived, the immanence as the entrance for something more - or something in between.

More Than Jazz(en)

A tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, with Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Etta James, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, and many more geniuses on tape; a cool Quincy Jones and a laughing Herbie Hancock; sweaty musicians, crazy audiences, and some very rare files.

The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus(pt)

For this behemoth, Bressane took his opera omnia and edited it in an order that first adheres to historical chronology but soon starts to move backwards and forward. The various pasts – the 60s, the 80s, the 2000s – comment on each other in a way that sheds light on Bressane’s themes and obsessions, which become increasingly apparent and finally, a whole idea of cinema reveals itself to the curious and patient viewer. Will Bressane, from now on, rework The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus when he makes another film? Is this his latest beginning? Why not, for the eternally young master maverick seems to embark on a maiden voyage with each and every new film!

Sandy & Junior: Nossa História(pt)

"Nossa História" was the ninth tour of the Brazilian duo Sandy & Junior, held between July and November 2019. The tour marks the reunion of the duo twelve years after their last shows in 2007. The show, recorded in São Paulo, was first released exclusively for Globoplay, and later made available on DVD.

The Magic Sun(en)

Multi-faceted artist Phil Niblock captures a brief moment of an interstellar communication by the Arkestra in their prime. Black turns white in a so-called negative post-process, while Niblock's camera focuses on microscopic details of hands, bodies and instruments. A brilliant tribute to the Sun King by another brilliant supra-planetary sovereign. (Eye of Sound)

The The - The Comeback Special - Live at the Royal Albert Hall(en)

The Comeback Special documents The The's triumphant Royal Albert Hall Concert on 5th June 2018. The Royal Albert Hall concert was the first of a trio of London shows during The Comeback Special tour—the others taking place at Brixton Academy and The Troxy—all of which sold out within minutes of going on sale. Performing live for the first time in 16 years with a headline appearance at Denmark’s Heartland Festival a few days before the Royal Albert Hall concert, the rejuvenated The The, which featured previous members James Eller on bass, DC Collard on keyboards and Earl Harvin on drums and new member Barrie Cadogan on guitar alongside Matt Johnson, would go on to play sold-out shows and make festival headline appearances across the globe throughout 2018.

Lost in NOLA(it)

A young student filmmaker in an attempt to shoot a documentary gets lost in New Orleans. Out of fear of making a mistake, he ends up making hundreds of mistakes.

Chasing Trane(en)

An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist, an extraordinarily talented thinker whose original, avant-garde work has impacted and influenced people all over the world. A story about music's ability to entertain, inspire and transform.

I Called Him Morgan(en)

Part jazz history, part true-crime tale, Kasper Collin’s new documentary employs extensive archival footage and new interviews to tell the tragic story of the magnificently talented trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who murdered him in a New York bar in 1972.

Last Room(fr)

Komeda, Komeda...(pl)

A feature- length documentary on the life and work of jazz musician and composer Krzysztof Komeda.

Sound and Silence(ja)

Toshio and Shizuko Omiro, both over seventy years old, have lived in Kawasaki, Japan since 1981. With their free-spirited lifestyle, the improvisaton duo continues to pursue their vision of changing the world into a more peaceful one in an inappropriate and unseemly way.

The Case of the Three Sided Dream(en)

The documentary film on the life and legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk – a one of a kind musician, personality, activist and windmill slayer who despite being blind, becoming paralyzed, and facing America’s racial injustices - did not relent.

Road to Austin(en)

Road To Austin chronicles how Austin, Texas became the Live Music Capital of the World, dating from 1835 to present day. The film builds to a climax and weaves its way towards an all-star live performance led by Stephen Bruton and his 14-piece band.