Circular

John Grierson(en)

A BFI-produced documentary about documentary filmmaker John Grierson speaking about documentary.

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.

The Garden Ape(en)

The Garden Ape enthusiastically explores a wild city garden.

Lili(en)

Lili refuses to let go of her childhood fights a sandstorm who threatens to take it away.

The Wheel(es)

A young boy who loves to draw and build ferris wheels encounters strange creatures that turn his life upside down.

Augusta is Dieting(en)

Augusta goes on a diet in an attempt to impress her date.

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.)

Manga(ja)

A series of mini-stories satirising our world in the 20th Century.

Mower Minions(en)

The Minions need to raise $20 to purchase an as seen on TV banana blender. So they take up lawn mowing at an old folks home, with hilarious antics!

The Cars in Your Life(en)

A light, humorous look at the motor car and the great North American itch for a place on the road. From the comparative peace of Honest Joe's used-car lot, this film hustles you onto our public speedways, where hot rubber erases any distance between all points. Slow-motion and pop-on-pop-off photography make this a provocative, revealing study of motormania unlimited. A 1960 black and white production. (Also released under the title 1/3 Down and 24 Months to Pay.)

Blood and Fire(en)

The Salvation Army in action. Band rehearsals, personal reminiscences of an Army officer, and an unrehearsed "coming to Christ" in the Army Citadel make for a revealing film study of men and women dedicated to a life of service to humanity.

TreatsforBeasts(en)

This short film begins with the character Chauncey (a puppet made of sex toys resembling a mouth and hands with a sock for a body) rolling around in a babies’ rolling chair and watching obscure cartoons and shows on TV. They have satirical, comedic, religious, and disturbing overtones... but to Chauncey and his Dad, this is normal. After a while of the cartoons and Chauncey eating a sausage and then throwing it up, the cartoons inspire Chauncey to ask a series of philosophical questions to his Dad. The questions involve what happens after death, the meaning of life, and Chances asking about his identity and why he’s different.

NLOOPS(en)

Video art by Vibeke Sorensen made at Calarts in 1989

The 4%: Film's Gender Problem(en)

Explores the hot-button issues around the striking gender gap in Hollywood. Both women and men in the entertainment industry share first-person insights, questions, and anecdotes about the place of women in Hollywood.

The Man on the Moon(fr)

Obmaru(en)

"Marx was born in Queensland, Australia, and was a landscape painter and model there before moving to San Francisco. However, when she arrived, she found herself in the midst of fascinating non-objective painting and filmmaking activity. She was greatly influenced by the work of Harry Smith and Jordan Belson, and changed her own style to non-objective, receiving graphic inspiration from Jungian brain drawings, symbols in the occult sciences, and the design used by Eastern cultures, all of which being important elements in the San Francisco school mystical school of non-objective art." -Robert Pike, A Critical Study of the West Coast Experimental Film Movement. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.

Nothing Escapes My Eyes(en)

"Nothing Escapes My Eyes" is about a silent transformation of a place and a human being. Inspired by the texts of Edward W. Said, the poems of Mahmoud Darwish and Verdi’s opera Aida, the film depicts in a metaphoric form current issues of cultural identity, loss and the pressures to conform. With no dialogue, the film is backed by a musical excerpt from Aida whose lyrics express the difficulties of being loyal to one’s country and cultural identity. The personal and urban transformation tackles on issues of identity, loss and disorientation as a result of historical colonialism and contemporary globalization.

Edwin(en)

Edwin Debrow Jr. murdered a cab driver when he was 12. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Preston's Gone(en)

Preston Thornton, an Army veteran, was experiencing paranoid delusions at his home. After calling the Veteran's Crisis line, deputies arrived to transport Preston to a hospital, and tragedy followed.

The Island of the Dead(de)

A soldier is about to be executed because of his disobedience. The execution will be carried out by an ancient machine which engraves a sentence (the committed crime) on a man's skin. What would happen if silent-film fan Franz Kafka were to ask FW Murnau to make a movie of his short story In the Penal Colony?