Hidden Cities

detours while speaking of monsters(tr)

Here, where even monsters are political, the topography has its own memory. It has the mythological blues. Meanwhile, old gods are upset with us, and I am upset with my father.

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City(de)

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

London Symphony(en)

LONDON SYMPHONY is a brand new silent film - a city symphony - which offers a poetic journey through the city of London. It is an artistic snapshot of the city as it stands today, and a celebration of its culture and diversity.

Survival in Berlin-Neukölln(de)

About Stefan Stricker, who calls himself Juwelia and has been running a gallery on Sanderstraße in Berlin Neukölln for many years. Every weekend he invites guests to shamelessly recount from his life and to sing poetic songs written with his friend from Hollywood Jose Promis. Juwelia has been poor and sexy all her life, has always struggled for recognition, but only partially.

Nostradamus Decoded(fr)

Debunking the mythology surrounding the 16th century French prophet, Nostradamus.

maɬni—towards the ocean, towards the shore(en)

An experimental look at the origin of the death myth of the Chinookan people in the Pacific Northwest, following two people as they navigate their own relationships to the spirit world and a place in between life and death.

The Mythology of Star Wars(en)

George Lucas discusses how Joseph Campbell and his concept of the Monomyth (aka the Hero's Journey) and other concepts from mythology and religion shaped the Star Wars saga.

Leftovers(en)

A manufactured memory.

The Aswang Phenomenon(en)

What would happen if a country of 97 million people were taught at a young age that the boogie man was real. In the Philippines for the last 400 years, the 'aswang' has been used as propoganda and social control by Spanish Colonizers, the Catholic Church, the Philippine Administration, and even the CIA.

Nadja in Paris(fr)

Nadja is a guest student, who stays at Cité Universitaire and visits the Sorbonne, while preparing a thesis on Proust; she also likes to stroll about Paris.

I Am Gentrification. Confessions of a Scoundrel(de)

Is the city of Zurich suffering from ‘density stress’? What is it like to live in mega cities such as São Paulo, Mexico City and Tiflis? Filmmaker Thomas Haemmerli broaches the topics of city development, architecture, density, housing market, xenophobia and gentrification from an autobiographical perspective. The path of his life has led him from a childhood in the villa district of Zürichberg, through his teenage years as squatter to flat shares, yuppie apartments and finally second homes in various cities. Only recently having become a dad, he plans to further enhance Zurich’s price appreciation by purchasing a huge, extended city apartment… This multifaceted essay not only humorously questions the filmmaker’s decisions, but also those of the right-wing conservatives, who are afraid of losing their space to immigrants, and the political left, who fail to embrace modern-age architecture.

Oyler(en)

A Cincinnati public school fights to break the cycle of poverty in its Urban Appalachian neighborhood, where senior Raven Gribbins aims to become the first in her troubled family to graduate and go to college. When Principal Craig Hockenberry's job is threatened, it becomes clear it's a make-or-break year for both of them.

Praha Jana Kříženeckého(cs)

One Day in Rijeka(sh)

A short documentary film that follows and describes the city of Rijeka through one day - its port, shipyard, fish market, streets, bridges, parks, houses and the old town of Trsat.

Father of the City(sv)

A film about "the father" of Malmö Eric Svenning and how the city has developed during his time.

Soulless City(sv)

Vällingby - framtidsstaden(sv)

A Swedish documentary about Vällingby.

Deserted Streets of Amsterdam(nl)

Deserted Streets of Amsterdam

Monsters and Myths(de)

Monsters have always been part of our nightmares and fairy tales. But where do they actually come from? How much of it is truth, how much is myth? Going to great lengths in this documentary, the filmmakers join scientists to explore a number of the best-known sagas and legends in the world. The search for the origins of what is likely to be the oldest legendary creature, the dragon, leads to snake pits, archaeological dig sites, gold mines and the inside of an Icelandic volcano. They also travel to Texas, hunting for traces of the “chupacabra,” literally the “goat-sucker,” a modern mythical creature with vampire-like teeth that was first spotted in Central America, and accompany palaeontologists to Kazakhstan in search of the remains of what might be the origin of the alluring unicorn, whose horn the Vikings used for trading.

1,2,3... Barcelona!(xx)

Tourists eating and taking photos. Tourists strolling and taking photos. Tourists bathing on the beach and taking more photos. Barcelona has become an overexploited photocall to the point of paroxysm, and this is what this film shows by turning the camera and pointing towards the visitors. A small gesture that, added to a powerful sound contrast and a caustic sense of humour, exposes without subterfuge a grotesque normality.