Five portraits of the Maidan

Ukraine: Masks of the Revolution(fr)

In February 2014, paramilitary groups fought against the police in the streets of Kyev and ousted President Yanukovych. They settled a new government. According to western media, they were the revolution heroes. But they are actually heavily armed extreme-right militias. The Right Sector, Azov or Svoboda created parallel irregular forces that easily go out of control. In Odessa, in May 2014, they were responsible for burning 45 people to death without facing any charges. How come western democracies haven’t raised their voice in protest? Most likely because these Ukrainian nationalist militias actually played a significant role in a much larger scale war. The Ukrainian revolution was strongly supported by the US diplomacy. In the new cold war that opposes Russia to the USA, Ukraine is a decisive pawn. A tactical pawn to contain Putin’s ambitions. “Ukraine, masks of the revolution” by Paul Moreira sheds light on this blind corner.

Ukraine on Fire(en)

Ukraine in Flames is a documentary produced by Oliver Stone that reveals American and NATO participation in the 2014 coup d'état in Ukraine and its aftermath. The renowned American director, who in recent years has made several productions within the genre of political cinema, investigates the origins of the current conflict that currently keeps the entire European continent and the entire planet in suspense. In the film, Stone interviews, among others, the former president of Ukraine, Víktor Yanukovych; Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitali Zajarchenko.

The Long Breakup(en)

Ukrainian journalist Katya Soldak, currently living in New York City and working for Forbes magazine, chronicles Ukraine's history: its strong ties to Russia for centuries; how it broke away from the USSR and began to walk alone; the Orange Revolution, the Maidan Revolution, the Crimea annexation, the Donbass War; all through the eyes of her family and friends settled in Kharkiv, a large Ukrainian city located just eighteen miles from the Russian border.

Crossfire(en)

Crossfire is the investigative documentary by an international team of journalists about two reporters, Andrea Rocchelli and Andrej Mironov, killed in eastern Ukraine, and the Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Markiv accused of their murder

Revolutions on Granite(uk)

Revolutions on Granite is a documentary about Maidan Nezahlezhonsti, a public square in the heart of Kyiv, Ukraine — famously home to a number of political revolutions, but also the birthplace of a cultural revolution after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The film takes a look at the burgeoning skateboard scene at Maidan in the early 1990’s, and investigates the idea of a counterculture being created in a place of strict uniformity.

MAIDAN. Six letters of our freedom(uk)

The film collects the memories of five different people about the events on the Maidan. Among them are the stories of the mother of Roman Huryk, who was killed on Maidan, Radio Liberty correspondent Andrii Dubchak, artist Oleksii Sai, human rights activist Sasha Matviichuk, and Andrii Prepodobnyi, a former police officer and now the regional representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Rivne region. ‘MAIDAN. Six letters of our freedom’ consists of six chapters. Each letter of the word ‘Maidan’ is the title of a chapter, which symbolises a topic related to the events of the Revolution of Dignity, the memories shared by the film's characters.

Feathered Cocaine(is)

FEATHERED COCAINE is not a wildlife documentary. It is a documentary about the international trade of falcons. After the trade of drugs, people and weapons, smuggling falcons is ranked No 4 in the list of the most profitable illegal trades. Most people are not aware that the effects of the falcon trade has exerted huge influence over thousands of years on politics, economy and society all around the world. FEATHERED COCAINE reveals in an investigative way the contexts between the trade of falcons and historical events, where royal dynasties, institutions like the CIA and the KGB, the oil industry and Al Queda were involved. This documentary was filmed and released shortly before the 'supposed' execution of Osama bin Laden, who CIA Operative Alan Parrot & his Team had met with 6 times between 2004 & 2010. As of October 11th, 2020.

Zidane, un destin d'exception(fr)

Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot'(en)

Leonard Maltin interviews Tony Curtis on his experience filming 'Some Like It Hot'.

The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'(en)

A look back at the impact Billy Wilder's comedy classic "Some Like It Hot" has left since it's release in 1959.

The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'(en)

A look back at the making of Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy classic "Some Like It Hot."

Beijing 2008: Games of the XXIX Olympiad(en)

Here's a Special Edition DVD that captures the most dramatic and exciting moments from the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the competition was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Ten thousand five hundred athletes competed in 302 events in 28 sports. The 2008 Summer Olympics did bring athletes from around the world together as they competed for the bronze, silver and gold medals. More importantly, television coverage united citizens from all nations, who rooted for their own countrymen as well as the world's best athletes. These games were the first to be produced and broadcast entirely in high definition, and did garner upwards of four billion viewers. This exclusive highlights DVD features the greatest athletes in the world, united in the most important competition of their lifetimes.

A Batalha do Passinho(pt)

Kids from the favelas of Rio use dance as an alternative to drugs and crime.

Breaking News(en)

‘Breaking News’ is a documentary about Police misbehaviour. It investigates how Police are arresting journalists in order to prevent reports about misbehaviour and set free without charge when their deadlines have passed.

Justice(pt)

In Justiça, Maria Ramos puts a camera where many Brazilians have never been – a criminal courtroom in Rio de Janeiro, following the daily routine of several characters. There are those that work there every day (public attorneys, judges, and prosecutors) and those that are merely passing through (the accused).

Portinari do Brasil(pt)

Chicken Elections(sr)

Present day: a small village somewhere in rural Serbia. Reports on the upcoming parliamentary elections drone from the radio while a local traffic policeman tries to teach his old grandmother how to use a mobile phone. Glimpses of this old lady, who lives a lonely life on a remote farm, become the red thread running through the film with its snapshot-like portraits of everyday life in the tiny community. There’s the grocer’s shop the men visit to talk about money and politics. Or the postman who delivers on his moped the ballot papers for the forthcoming elections. The policeman who stops cars as he fancies. The school with a handful of children in the overlarge classroom. The pub in which something approaching merriment occasionally arises. And the recurrent visits to the old peasant woman: Her matter-of-fact inventory of aches and pains delivered to the local doctor, her worries about increasing thievery confided in the village priest.

Pixinguinha and the Old Masters of Samba(pt)

The documentary records the celebrations for the celebration of the fourth centenary of the city of São Paulo, in 1954. In charge of the party, Pixinguinha, Donga, João da Baiana and other representatives of the Old Guard.

The Order(fr)

Pollet provides an insight into life on the leper colony of Spinalonga, an island off Crete, through the eyes of Raimondakis, who tells the story of his life to the camera after having been excluded from his community to spend years of his life on the island with his fellow sufferers. Themes addressed include love, community, companionship and death and the importance of these values to all people whatever their state of health.

Happy Birthday Garfield(en)

Garfield creator Jim Davis presents a behind-the-scenes 10th-anniversary celebration of the pasta-eating cat.