Isle of Flowers

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat(fr)

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

Land Without Bread(es)

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)

Megacities(en)

Megacities is a documentary about the slums of five different metropolitan cities.

Water(en)

Take a four-minute journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include, Iceland, Igauzu Falls Brazil, Atchafalaya Basin Louisiana, Lake Tahoe California, Black Canyon of the Gunnison Colorado, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Ripple(en)

Rae Ripple, a welder from the outskirts of West Texas transforms neglected metal into works of art and in the process finds healing from her traumatic past.

Darwin's Nightmare(en)

Africa in the sixties. The Nile perch, a ravenous predator, is introduced into Lake Victoria as a scientific experiment, causing the extinction of many native species. Its meat is exported everywhere in exchange for weapons, creating a globalized evil alliance on the lake shores. An infernal nightmare in the real world that wipes out Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

Mother(mk)

Stole Popov's Oscar-nominated Dae depicts a group of Roma celebrating St. George's Day. The documentary doesn't contain dialogue, just footage of the festivity.

Swatted(en)

Some game trolls in the United States make a sport of getting other players “swatted” live during the game: they find out someone’s name and address, fake his caller ID, and make a bogus 911 call. The next thing you know, a SWAT team armed to the teeth is bursting into his house and giving him the fright of his life. This is all streamed live on camera, of course, so everyone can be in on the joke. Swatted is a cinematic exploration of this phenomenon based on 911 calls by offenders, YouTube videos of games and raids, and first-hand accounts of what it’s like to be swatted.

Pestilent City(en)

Pestilent City covers Manhattan from South to North, from Times Square to Harlem, finding along the way ever more poverty, violence, rage and tragic drunkenness.

The Noise of Time(es)

In the town of Xoco, the spirit of an old villager awakens in search of its lost home. Along its journey, the ghost discovers that the town still celebrates its most important festivities, but also learns that the construction of a new commercial complex called Mítikah will threaten the existence of both the traditions and the town itself.

Brick by Brick(en)

A prescient portrait of late-1970s Washington, D.C., that chronicles the city's creeping gentrification, the systematic expulsion of poor Black residents, and the community response in the form of the Seaton Street Project, in which tenants banded together to purchase buildings.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness(ja)

Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.

Winter's End(en)

A short film shot on Super 8 which captures the last days of winter.

Dans le vent(fr)

Short subject on how fashion is created-- not by the great couturiers, but on the street.

Shooting Crows(de)

A deceptively quiet park in the mist. Mysterious things are happening: a woman disappears, trees fall as if struck by a sudden weakness, and shots ring out. Surveillance cameras observe crows from unfamiliar perspectives. They are the protagonists here – it’s a well-known fact that they are among the most intelligent birds. The camera in their territory: is it a friend or an enemy? A commotion ensues, the crows move to attack. Or are we just imagining all this?

A Culpa é do Sol(pt)

Moneyball: Playing the Game(en)

Cast and crew discuss the film's authentic recreation of baseball scenes and the landscape of the 2002 baseball season, sets and filming locales, costuming, and more.

La diga del ghiacciaio(it)

This documentary shows the construction of a high-altitude dam by the Sabbioni Glacier, and the daily struggles of the workers, now anxious for the outbreak of a mine, now silent for the nostalgia of the distant family.

The White Helmets(ar)

As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.

The Listening Project(en)

The profound impact of technology on the lives and identities of young deaf adults is explored in The Listening Project. Fourteen deaf people tell stories beginning with a childhood wide-eyed about sound, into the growing pains of adolescence and, eventually, their professional lives. Sometimes humorous, always tender, The Listening Project is a timely coming of age story, one we haven't heard before.

Flower & Snake(ja)

Shizuka is the aristocratic wife of the president of a large company. When she wants to divorce her domineering husband, he orders his employee Yoshi, the son of an adult toy store owner, to train his wife to become sexually submissive.

Sunday Lunch(fr)

It's Sunday. During the course of the meal, Jean observes family members. They ask you questions without listening to the answers... It is normal, Sunday dinner.

Atlantis(fr)

Atmospheric soundtrack follows this compilation of nature footage that focuses on the ocean and various life forms that live, mate and die in it.

Caroline(en)

In the middle of a Texas summer, plans for a babysitter fall through and six-year-old Caroline is left in charge of her two younger siblings.

Your Child, That Unknown Creature(de)

This is a continuation of the sex education films by Oswald Kolle. The entire Kolle family appears nude and openly discusses sex among the parents, two daughters and one son. The father recommends masturbation for children unless the act would be traumatic for the participant. Some mention of the Oedipal complex is discussed, but no details are given because individual situations may vary.

The Rounders(en)

Two drunks fight with their wives and then go out and get even drunker.

This Is Not Your Life(pt)

Noeli lives in a suburb of Porto Alegre, is a housewife and has two children. She was born in a country town, went to the capital, worked in a bakery, got married. She's an ordinary person. But there are no ordinary people.

The Mad Masters(fr)

The subject of the film was the Hauka movement. The Hauka movement consisted of mimicry and dancing to become possessed by French Colonial administrators. The participants performed the same elaborate military ceremonies of their colonial occupiers, but in more of a trance than true recreation.

Barbosa(pt)

Thirty-eight years after the 1950 World Cup, a man went back in time to prevent the goal that defeated Brazil, destroyed his childhood dreams and ended goalkeeper Barbosa's career.

Assault on the Pay Train(pt)

Based on true events in Rio de Janeiro, in 1960, when a gang having the infamous outlaw Tião Medonho as a leader performed a sensational railroad hold-up on a train carrying a small fortune.

Contra-Filé(pt)

A runaway runs out of time to save his life. But it depends on the butchers...

Love for Sale(pt)

In northern Brazil, Hermila patiently waits for her husband. However, he has abandoned her. Sexy, restless and resolute, she raffles off "a night in paradise" with herself. This beautifully-shot portrait doesn't shy away from the burdens of a young scarred woman, but it also celebrates her courage to live according to her own rules.

Jean Charles(pt)

The tragic true story of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazilian shot dead by British police in 2005 at the height of the London terrorist alerts.

Basic Sanitation, the Movie(pt)

When they discover their town lacks funding for a sewage system, but does have a federal grant to make a movie, a group of villagers decide to make a sci-fi joint about a monster who lives in the building site of a septic tank.

Scandal in Sorrento(it)

Back to his hometown, a former marshal finds his house occupied by a young woman working as a fishwife.

Polina(fr)

Polina is a young dancer from a modest family. After years of ballet academy, she is accepted by the Bolshoi; still, she decides to try and audition of a modern dance company in France. She makes it, but her journey will not end there...

Kinsey(en)

Kinsey is a portrait of researcher Alfred Kinsey, driven to uncover the most private secrets of a nation. What begins for Kinsey as a scientific endeavor soon takes on an intensely personal relevance, ultimately becoming an unexpected journey into the mystery of human behavior.

Pixote(pt)

10-year-old Pixote endures torture, degradation, and corruption at a local youth detention center where two of its members are murdered by policemen who frame Lilica, a 17-year-old trans hustler. Pixote helps Lilica and three other boys escape and they start to make their living by a life of crime which only escalates to more violence and death.

I Don't Want to Go Back Alone(pt)

The arrival of a new student in school changes Leonardo's life. This 15 year-old blind teenager has to deal with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he's having towards his new friend, Gabriel.