The Pharmacratic Inquisition

Natpwe: The Feast of the Spirits(fr)

In Natpwe, the feast of the spirits, co-directors Tiane Doan na Champassak and Jean Dubrel have produced an immersive, seemingly timeless document of an annual Burmese trance ritual that dates back to the eleventh century. Shot in Super 8 and 16mm in sooty black and white, the film conveys the astonishing sense of liberation of tens of thousands of bodies and minds — a mass expression of faith, but also a rapturous respite from societal intolerance.

Adrift: People of a Lesser God(en)

ADRIFT- People of a Lesser God is the story of an incredible odyssey made by several-times Pulitzer Prize-nominated undercover reporter Dominique C. Mollard. In this gripping story, Mollard sails with 38 African migrants, among them a five-month-old baby, out of West Africa on a quest to reach the golden shores of Europe. All aboard are packed together like sardines in a leaky fishing canoe as they set off under full moon on their harrowing journey. ADRIFT-People of a Lesser God captures the struggle of these desperate migrants as they brave their way across the cold Atlantic, risking their lives in search for a better future. —Ziad H. Hamzeh

Ancient Aliens and Jesuits(en)

Is God an alien being from another planet? This is a question that has been puzzling mankind ever since Erich von Daniken popularized the Ancient Astronaut theory. Undeniably showing proof of aliens and high technology in ancient times von Daniken has shifted the perception of the God described in scripture to an extraterrestrial being. But is that really the case? Is “God” the creator of the universe or just an alien pretender using high technology to confuse mankind? Is there ancient scripture that would settle this argument and once and for all reveal not only the true identity of God but of the alien beings as well? And is von Daniken’s concept his own or are there dark powers at work?

Au cœur de Notre-Dame(fr)

Maestra(en)

Cuba, 1961: 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year. 100,000 of the teachers were under 18 years old. Over half were women. MAESTRA explores this story through the personal testimonies of the young women who went out to teach literacy in rural communities across the island - and found themselves deeply transformed in the process.

The Mighty Spirit(pt)

An overview of brazilian spirituality and religions.

The Most Holy Brotherhood(es)

The High Holy Brothers is a documentary on a mysterious Messianic cult formed by peasants who fled the violence of the forties/fifties in Colombia and are admitted to live in the mountains of southern Tolima. Its members dress in sacks, they have their own dialect and regard everything as “Blessed”, minus the right side of the body, which castrated covering it with the “holy coat”. This group rejects all elements of the consumer society, established institutions, the state, church and political parties.

The King's Body(pt)

How would it look like, the body of Dom Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, tutelary figure, subject to successive mythifications throughout Portuguese history?

La Plata Yvyguy - Enterros e Guardados(pt)

The Legend of the Paraguay War Legend tells that during the Paraguay War (1864-1870), families that lived near the border and soldiers who were leaving for battle used to hide their valuable belongings by burying them in secret spots, in order to safely recover them after the war. In several cases, though, the only people who knew about the secret spots of those personal treasures died before they could go back to recover them. According to inhabitants of that region, the spirits of those tormented men would reveal the location of those "buried and hidden" treasures to chosen people in their dreams, visions or by haunting them. "The Legend of the Paraguay War" approaches local legends in a historic and literary way. Those legends were born from within the biggest conflict in South America, and were developed and influenced by the local imaginary view of the world and which can be considered a relevant part of those people's identity up to this day

Son of God(tl)

The directors want to shoot a film about a man known as the son of god. But what starts out as a practical joke, extends to become a curious portrait of what could either be a petty fraud or the world’s most secret miracle. A film crew tracks his bizarre pilgrimage as magic and religion, faith and doubt, real and unreal blur and melt to the point that one of the director becomes one of the characters. The film traverses all descriptions, before ending as both an affirmation of faith for the faithless and a criticism of faith for the overly faithful.

Wake Up(en)

Jonas Elrod woke up one day with the ability to see and hear angels, demons and ghosts. Filmed over the course of three years, this documentary follows Jonas and his girlfriend as they try to understand the phenomenon.

Feral(es)

The mountains of Oaxaca harbor the remains of a ravaged and burnt shelter, once home to a psychoanalyst priest who used it to look after savage children, trying to re-integrate them into society. Through videotape diaries and interviews, the truth of what happened is shockingly revealed.

Jesus Camp(en)

Jesus Camp is a Christian summer camp where children hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ". The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.

Nemesis(de)

The film explores the destruction of a unique train station in Zurich and the construction of the new prison and police centre in its place. From the perspective of the filmmaker’s window, and with testimony from prisoners awaiting deportation, the film probes how we deal with the extinction of history and its replacement with total security.

C. H. Spurgeon: The People's Preacher(en)

This docudrama recreates the times of C. H. Spurgeon and brings the "people's preacher" to life as it follows his trials and triumphs with historical accuracy. Made by the award-winning Christian Television Association and shot on location in England, Scotland, France and Germany, this film captures the spirit and message of a man whose eventful life is relevant to the twenty-first century.

Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists(en)

Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrating the acclaimed journalists and the city they loved.

刺蔣(zh)

A documentary of 24th April, 1970 assassination of Chiang Ching-kuo.

Fungus(cs)

This film essay about mushrooms and their connections to other living things tries to use the structure of mushrooms to explain nature, science, and civilization, all the while searching for various analogies, such as the similarities between mycorrhiza and other structures.

How Should We Then Live?(en)

Dr. Francis Schaeffer's spectacular series on the rise and decline of Western culture from a Christian perspective.

The Church(de)