The Exclusive Brethren

Fernanda(es)

Fernanda Ocaña, a 60-year-old drag artist from Seville, left her hometown at 14 to build a life in Barcelona. Taken in by the iconic Spanish artist José Pérez Ocaña, she immersed herself in the world of show business. Today, she continues to shine as the host of the Bar Ocaña in Plaza Real, welcoming guests with her unmistakable charm.

Are You Awake?(es)

After seeking transcendence through shamanic rituals, Ana’s life is transformed overnight by an unexpected turn toward faith.

I Wish(cn)

Hong Kong started and flourished as a fishing port in the past, and its people have long been committed to worshipping ancient deities for their blessings. With over a hundred Tin Hau temples (Goddess of Sea) in Hong Kong, there are three on Lamma Island alone, located respectively in Sok Kwu Wan, Luk Chau and Yung Shue Wan. The film documents the states of Tin Hau temples on the island and beyond, as an attempt to contextualise the everyday practice of the fishing community, islanders and city dwellers visiting the temples.

The Virgin Mary(en)

In BBC ONE's The Virgin Mary, dramatic reconstructions and stunning visual effects are combined with the latest findings from historians and New Testament scholars to recreate the story of this remarkable woman. Presented by actress Sue Johnston, The Virgin Mary explores the history behind the miraculous Bible story to reveal the living, breathing mother of Christianity. The picture that emerges is very different from that of popular belief – the serene young woman, dressed in blue silken robes, was largely a creation of later writers and Renaissance painters.

Religion and the People(en)

Documentary by Andrew Buchanan illustrating a time when faith lay at the heart of the British Experience.

Wirf dein Herz ins Meer(de)

Le silence(fr)

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Catholic priests committed numerous sexual abuses on young boys in several French-speaking villages in New Brunswick. Brought to light when the victims were in their fifties, these scandals sparked shock and indignation in the media and the public. Why have affected communities chosen secrecy over justice and truth for so long? Taking advantage of their influence to impose a "pious silence" on their parishioners, several figures of authority have built a veritable structure of abuse that testifies as much to the oppressions specific to the Acadian populations as to the systemic denial of the Catholic Church. Challenged by the power of collective silence, seasoned filmmaker Renée Blanchar seeks to unravel the root causes by going out to meet the survivors.

Francesco(en)

Francesco takes an unsparing look at the most pressing challenges of the 21st-century, asking deep questions about the human condition. The film is guided by Pope Francis who, with tremendous humility, wisdom, and generosity, offers moving lessons from his life that illuminate what it will take to build a better future. In doing so, he addresses issues such as climate change, immigration, peace and religious tolerance, LGBTQ support, gender and identity justice, and economic equality.

The Goodman Family - Fortress of Love(en)

The Goodmans were a singing Christian-based family who toured the world from the 1990s-early 2000s. On Sunday, December 8, 1996, father Steve Goodman and five of his children were in a car accident that resulted in the death of sons David (age 12) and Peter (age 11) and daughter LeAnne (age 10). They were buried together on December 14. Steve, and daughters Aimee and Andrea were on life support and had various complications, but eventually recovered. The family immediately resumed their worldwide touring with a new mission, to speak of their personal experiences rebuilding their family after the devastation of the accident. On December 20 the following year, the story was aired on TV as a musically charged documentary called Fortress of Love, hosted by Merrill Osmond and with music by Kenneth Cope.

The We Should Game(en)

Fame driven Ken Dean becomes the subject of a documentary when he attempts to start a pornography company. Following the failure of the company, Ken uses his father's religious music to start a Christian rock band but finds himself trapped in a gay conversion cult.

A Life Too Short(en)

Social media superstar Qandeel Baloch pushed boundaries in conservative Pakistan like no other. In 2016, high on her newfound celebrity, Qandeel exposes a well-known Muslim cleric – with tragic results.

Option Zero(es)

There are countless stories of Cubans reaching their dream destination of Florida as boat refugees. A lesser known route to the United States starts with a flight in a ramshackle plane to Guyana. Then the refugees travel to Colombia where they cross the jungle to arrive in Central America, from where they hope to reach the promised land of America—a hard and dangerous journey. Cuban filmmaker Marcel Beltrán visits them in a refugee camp in Panama, where one of the residents gives him an idea. Many people here have filmed their journey, she says, and these videos tell their real story. These jerky, shocking videos are interspersed with Beltrán’s footage of the camp, tangibly illustrating the difference between the hectic pace of the journey and the insecure life at the reception center.

In Home God Remains(pt)

Religious imagery in Curado I, a small neighbourhood in the northeast of Brazil.

Sunny Night(ka)

On 25th December 2011 the Georgian Patriarch Ilia II described his 34 year-long leadership as head of the Georgian Orthodox Church as a ‘sunny night’. Beginning in 1989, and going up to the present, the film essay Sunny Night tells of political and social events since Georgian Independence. A variety of formats and sources, disparate images and voices report on protests, recommencements, uproars and wars, and religious identity that centres around the dominant religion of the nation. In the midst of the ongoing shifts and the various state of affairs, the patriarch stands out as the only constant figure. Meanwhile the sermonised religion begins to take on radical forms, going as far as priests forming front row human-chains, leading protests of several thousand orthodox believers chasing a handful of LGBT activist throughout the streets of Tbilisi in May 2013.

Yeshua(en)

Split into five parts and filmed on location in Israel and elsewhere, Yeshua features interviews with scholars, reenactments of events, and recreations of ancient culture and ritual.

Les Scandales de « La Religieuse »(fr)

Released in 1796 posthumously, The Nun, a novel that Diderot did not dream of publishing during his lifetime, as he knew it to be revolutionary, caused the same explosion in the 19th century France as in that of the 1960s, when Jacques Rivette decided to adapt it, with Anna Karina in the title role. “This film is banned and it will remain so!” said the General de Gaulle. Exploration of an indictment of incredible modernity which, through the tragedy of the young Suzanne, locked up in the convent against her will, denounces the inequity of a society denying women all moral, political and sexual freedom.

Ghuza da Sher(en)

The story of Nisar Ahmed Khan, told through his children and the people he served, a spiritual guide whose followers still visit his tomb on his birth and death anniversaries. And alongside how his family spends a few days at the village keeping his traditions alive.

The Jupiter Menace(en)

George Kennedy narrates this documentary that examines the theory that the world is doomed due to the influence the planet Jupiter has on the Earth.

Moscow Golden-Domed(ru)

The collection "Moscow Golden-Domed" includes documentaries from the history of the capital. "Egoriy the Brave" about the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, whose image has adorned temples, princely and royal coats of arms, and banners of Russian troops since ancient times. The film "Reigning" tells about the appearance in Rus' in 1917, on the day of the abdication of Nicholas II, a new icon of the Reigning Mother of God. "Vratarnitsa" is a film about a chapel where Muscovites from time immemorial worshiped the icon of the Mother of God of Iberia. "The First Dean" - a story about the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki - one of the most remarkable in Moscow. The parishioners still remember the builder and first rector of the temple, Father John Kedrov. Filmed from 1993 to 1996.

Insides and Outsides(ur)

Insides and Outsides is a documentary film project, which captures a timeline from the end of 2019, when the CAA/NRC protests were at their peak, till 2022 when the pandemic had upturned everyone's personal life. In an increasingly hostile environment of escalating violence, Arbab explores what it is like being a Muslim in India. The film ebbs and flows between looking outside, where a constant stream of hate erupts, and inside, where Arbab's parents renegotiate their place in the country with changing times.