Die Mühen der Ebene

Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown(en)

"Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown" is a documentary examining the rise and fall of Ohio congressman Jim Traficant, a populist political figure whose confrontational style and local support contrasted with his eventual conviction on federal corruption charges.

Queen of New York(en)

Welcome to a different kind of drag race! As NYC emerges from the chaos of 2020, Marti Cummings (they/them), an audacious and big-hearted drag queen, goes all out in a historic bid to become a City Councilperson. It’s one of the most hotly contested Council races in years, and Marti’s strongest competitor is Shaun Abreu, a tenants’ lawyer with deep roots in the district’s Latinx community. As these first-timers race to do the most good for their Upper Manhattan neighbors, they offer very different visions for Democratic politics – one in a suit and tie, the other in combat boots and floral print. As this immersive documentary reveals, Marti’s passion inspires queer activists and allies to change the political system. Their campaign becomes a community of its own, especially for Marti’s non-binary peers who have never before seen themselves represented.

Weiner(en)

Documentary featuring a jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes look at the attempted comeback of Anthony Weiner in 2013 as he mounts a campaign for New York City mayor in the wake of his sexting scandal. Featuring unfettered access to the candidate and his campaign.

Flowers on a One-Way Street(en)

In the summer of 1967, a hippie group called The Diggers - led by the cool and charismatic 23-year old David DePoe - wanted to turn the street where they resided, Yorkville Avenue in Toronto, into a car-free zone. Fed up with the noise and fumes from cars, DePoe staged a 3-day sit in where the Diggers peacefully occupied the street to petition the Toronto City Council to get what they wanted. To their surprise, the police were ordered to remove them by force by the city officials who wanted to keep the street open as a necessary traffic artery. After being released from jail, DePoe and his group were invited by the fiercely conservative and patronizing Allan Lamport, a member of the Board of Control and former Mayor of the city to a meeting at City Hall to present their case. The climactic battle unfolded there between Lamport and DePoe, who was representing the Canadian Youth Council.

Votes for Verona(en)

Verona Sagato-Mauga, a first-generation American business owner in Salt Lake County, Utah, campaigns to become the first Samoan to win a state legislative seat in the continental United States.

Little Injustices: Laura Nader Looks at the Law(en)

Anthropologist Laura Nader's first field trip to a Zapotec Indian village in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the late 1950s, led her to study problem-solving in the local courts. There, "little injustices" were the meat of everyday courtroom life.

City Under Pressure(en)

The city of Edmonton is under pressure to deal with the problems related to housing, development, and traffic.

Campaign: The Making of a Candidate(en)

This feature documentary follows Toronto mayoral candidate David Miller as he runs in the 2003 municipal election.

Kampen om fjordane(no)

They are fighting against the government and the electric power industry to leave Norwegian nature as it is. Documentary about the "Monster conductors" in Hardanger.

Bologna Roma, due città due volti(it)

Ranczo Wilkowyje(pl)

Lucy and Kusy have to face quite a problem. From the States suddenly arrives Lucy's mysterious husband Louis. It turns out that their divorce was not fully carried out. Louis fights for his wife's lost feelings, he wants the girl to return to the US with him. Kusy removes himself into the shadows, but over time begins to suspect Louis of not very pure intentions. In the background, there is a clash between the cunning Czerepach, in the role of an auditor from the Chamber of Accounts, and the Village Head. Desperate, the Village Head, together with the entrepreneur Więclawski, who has won all tenders in the municipality for years, is plotting against his eternal enemy. The bench regulars are also preparing a surprise.

Meet The Gähwilers(de)

An african refugee starts working for a swiss family.

Hillsborough(en)

A look at the April 15, 1989 tragedy at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England, where a stampede in the stadium's standing-room-only areas killed 96 people and injured 766. The film also examines the ongoing efforts of victims' families to seek truth and justice, as well as tangible effects on English football, including stadium upgrades and the emergence of the English Premier League.

Regarding Susan Sontag(en)

An intimate study of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century tracking feminist icon Susan Sontag’s seminal, life-changing moments through archival materials, accounts from friends, family, colleagues, and lovers, as well as her own words, as read by Patricia Clarkson.

Misconception(en)

For almost 50 years, the world's population has grown at an alarming rate, raising fears about strains on the Earth's resources. But how true are these claims? Taking cues from statistics guru Hans Rosling, Misconception offers a provocative glimpse at how the world—and women in particular— are tackling a subject at once personal and global. Following three individuals, director Jessica Yu focuses on the human implications of this highly charged political issue, inspiring a fresh look at the consequences of population growth. In English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Russian with subtitles.

Crude Oil(zh)

Filmed in the Inner Mongolian portion of the Gobi Desert, this film follows a group of oil field workers as they go about their daily routine.

Bad Boys(en)

The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early '90s seemed willing to do anything to win. That characteristic made them loved — and hated. It earned them the title: Bad Boys.

Maradona '86(en)

In the 1986 World Cup, Diego Maradona, the world's greatest football player, reached his apotheosis, redefining what is possible for one man to accomplish on a football pitch. His ability to take control of the ball -- the game -- an entire tournament -- split the world in two. It was both illuminating and an affront, beguiling and an outrage, and the fervor that surrounded him was unprecedented, bordering on the religious. Constructed from archive material, "Maradona '86" is an ode to this ultimate footballing idol, basking in the operatic intensity of his performance in Mexico as he wrote his name on football history forever.

The Journey(sv)

Peter Watkins' global look at the impact of military use of nuclear technology and people's perception of it, as well as a meditation on the inherent bias of the media, and documentaries themselves.

Titanic Revealed(en)

For decades the wreck of the liner RMS Titanic had eluded those seeking to locate her grave site. Many failed until Dr. Robert Ballard turned a dream into reality in 1985 when he found her remains over 12000' beneath the North Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Ballard tells how his missions to two lost submarines from the Cold War helped him find the debris trail of the Titanic that she left across the sea bed. Interspersed with this intriguing once-Top Secret mission is the story of Ballard's 2004 trip back to Titanic to document the ensuing effects of visitors and salvagers since his last trip in 1986. Understanding that the Titanic and her remains belong to everyone, Dr. Ballard returns with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help make his vision of a museum - a museum available to all - become a reality. A companion to Return to Titanic. - Written by Glenn C. Reimer