Red Chairs - Parma and the Cinema

For the First Time(es)

In 1967, Cuban documentary filmmaker Octavio Cortazar followed a projectionist whose mission was to show moving pictures to rural communities for the first time. Cortazar’s short film documents one audience’s response to its first film: Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times.

The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry(es)

King of Horror, legendary actor, scriptwriter and director, Paul Naschy is regarded as the Spanish Lon Chaney and the most prolific filmmaker dedicated to the fantastic cinema in Spain.

Natan(en)

Natan tells the remarkable story of Bernard Natan, a Romanian immigrant who came to Paris in 1905 and was involved almost immediately with French cinema. He took control of the Pathe film group in the late 1920s and went on to produce epic films such as Les Miserables. But Natan has become largely written out of French film history for various different reasons. Little attention is paid to him centres on his alleged career as a pioneer and performer in early gay and BDSM porn? The story is an excellent one, suffice to say that his ethnicity and subsequent rumours plagued Natan almost from the start of his career. His ‘comeuppance’ for his alleged transgressions is at the heart of this devastating documentary.

Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studio(zh)

Hong Kong cinemas had a wide range of glamorous female stars during the golden age of the 60's and 70's. The series will take the audience on a sentimental journey to the good old days and once again look at the expansive epic costume dramas and huangmei operas in which actresses played both the male and female roles. Rare interviews with Sir Run Run Shaw, stars Ivy Ling Po, Shaw Yin Yin, Tanny Tie Ni and Cheng Pei Pei are also featured.

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.

Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic(de)

The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.

Stallone, profession héros(fr)

Cortázar y Antín: cartas iluminadas(es)

In the 60s and thanks to the epistolary exchange, the young filmmaker Manuel Antín and the famous writer Julio Cortázar devised four films. An ocean away, a fruitful collaboration and genuine friendship are born.

The Dinosaur and the Baby(fr)

An hour-long discussion between Fritz Lang and Jean-Luc Godard in which they discuss a variety of art forms, the role of the cinema, their collaboration together, and much more. (Filmed in 1964 but released for TV in 1967.)

Blood of 1000 Virgins(en)

The question of "who hunts virgins" and more will be stripped down and explored in the sexiest trailers hosted by Playboy's Nikki Leigh.

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History(it)

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History is a documentary about the history, the development in the present days and the future of movie theaters in the city of Turin, Italy. It mixes the documentary language with comedy and fiction, and is enriched by interviews to some of the most important voices of Turin cinematography. The film follows the evolution of movie theaters by enlightening its main milestones: the pre-cinema experiences in the late 19th Century, the colossals and the movie cathedrals of the silent era, the arthouse theaters, the National Museum of Cinema, the Torino Film Festival, the movie theaters system today and the main hypothesis about its future.

Caligari: When Horror Came to Cinema(de)

On February 26, 1920, Robert Wiene's world-famous film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin. To this day, it is considered a manifesto of German expressionism; a legend of cinema and a key work to understand the nature of the Weimar Republic and the constant political turmoil in which a divided society lived after the end of the First World War.

Complicated Women(en)

Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, until 1934 when the Hays Code virtually neutered film content. No longer portrayed as virgins or vamps, the liberated female of the pre-code films had dimensions. Good girls had lovers and babies and held down jobs, while the bad girls were cast in a sympathetic light. And they did it all without apology.

The Silence of Pelešjan(it)

A documentary about the Armenian avant-garde filmmaker, Artavazd Pelešjan.

Ni Muy, Muy... ni Tan, Tan... simplemente Tin Tan(es)

"Ni Muy Muy, Ni Tan Tan, Sim­ple­men­te, Tin Tan. Tin Tan was one of the grea­test com­de­dian-​ac­tors in the his­tory of Me­xi­can Ci­ne­ma. He be­gan his film ca­reer du­ring the early years of what be­ca­me the Gol­den Age of Me­xi­can Ci­ne­ma. Th­roughout the ma­jo­rity of his mo­vies he plays the cha­rac­ter of a pa­chu­co; the Chi­cano/Me­xi­cano in zoot suit, th­ro­wing out the ti­ri­li ph­ra­ses and words, and jam­min the jitty-​bug. With the sty­le and the slang down to a tee, he was pi­cked up in Cd. Jua­rez Chihuahua by an ac­ting trou­pe. Tou­ring ex­ten­si­vely th­rough-​out Me­xi­co with the trou­pe lan­ded him in Me­xi­co City with film con­tracts. It was in tho­se films that Tin Tan ex­po­sed the ima­ge of the pa­chu­co, which Me­xi­can Youth adop­ted. From the de­sert bor­der-​towns of Jua­rez y El Pa­so the sty­le took off in va­rious parts of the coun­try, most no­ta­bly in Me­xi­co City

I'm a Stranger Here Myself(en)

A portrait of legendary filmmaker Nicholas Ray while he is working as a film professor at a college in upstate New York.

Parma: Back From The Brink(it)

This is the story of how Parma rose through the Italian divisions to become Champions in Europe, before a spectacular crash saw them bankrupt and relegated to the amateur leagues.

Writing Heads(es)

They are the first and the last, those who imagine stories and give voice to the characters who live them. However, they never speak. But now, they emerge from the shadows of a poorly lit room and tell their secrets, their tricks, their influences; they tell their own story, that of those who face the blank page, the absolute nothingness; that of those who are the true authors, those who create and destroy entire universes. They are the screenwriters.

The Batman Shootings(en)

The premiere of The Dark Knight Rises was the big event in Aurora, Colorado. So popular with young cinema-goers, the city's theatre complex put on an extra showing. But minutes into the film, lone gunman James Holmes, dressed as the Joker, entered the room and started firing indiscriminately. Twelve people died, many more were injured. This documentary tells the life story of Holmes, of his victims and speaks to survivors.

Score: A Film Music Documentary(en)

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.