Song Searcher

Jan Terri: No Rules(en)

30 years in the making, the film Jan Terri: No Rules tells the story of an irrepressible, and often delightfully perplexing personality. As a child, Jan would dance and sing for anyone who would listen. As a teenager, she began writing and performing her own songs. After earning her BA in Arts and Entertainment Management, she continued making music while working full-time as a limo driver. The income from that job allowed her to hire a studio as well as a videographer to help her make her unorthodox DIY music videos and distributing them on VHS tape. Without her knowledge, her videos made their way to the nascent YouTube. The fact that her most popular YouTube video was given the title “Worst Music Video Ever” didn’t dampen her spirit. Her fanbase grew to include such luminaries as Marilyn Manson and Cynthia Plaster Caster. Over the years, Jan’s independent spirit attracted many collaborators who’ve helped bring her vision to life.

The Arod Quartet: Ménage à 4(fr)

Ten years of hard work have made the young Arod Quartet one of the most brilliant of its generation. For it takes years to blend together 4 individual talents into one. Their repertoire is ranging from Mozart to Bartok, Debussy to Kurtág.

An Evening With Hugo & Diego - "Tambourine"(en)

Two friends and a cat hangout, make snacks and record music together.

The Ballad of Crowfoot(en)

Released in 1968 and often referred to as Canada’s first music video, The Ballad of Crowfoot was directed by Willie Dunn, a Mi’kmaq/Scottish folk singer and activist who was part of the historic Indian Film Crew, the first all-Indigenous production unit at the NFB. The film is a powerful look at colonial betrayals, told through a striking montage of archival images and a ballad composed by Dunn himself about the legendary 19th-century Siksika (Blackfoot) chief who negotiated Treaty 7 on behalf of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The IFC’s inaugural release, Crowfoot was the first Indigenous-directed film to be made at the NFB.

Pleasant Hell(en)

Four Rotterdam boys find solace and connection through a substitute form of spoken language, music, bridging the gap of a missing fifth. Without one, there is no other; without sorrow, no happiness. Together, we strive to endure the great unbearable existence.

Hip-Hop @ 50: Rhythms, Rhymes & Reflections – A Soul of a Nation Presentation(en)

Honouring Juneteenth and Black Music Month, this primetime special will detail the history of hip-hop, providing insight into its origins, growth and evolution over the last 50 years and where things stand today.

Rolling Stones – Hearts for Prague(cs)

Tokyo Vein(ja)

A tour through the city of Tokyo from its waterways, originally shown in a Roppongi Hills installation space, this short film was soon adapted into a DVD with all 4 angles captured and shown in the original exhibition and a full view that condenses them onto one screen.

News from Laayoune(en)

The film follows a couple of young boys in the Saharian refugee camp „February 27“ located in the bleak desert area of southwestern Algiers. One by one, they ran away from the occupied part of Western Sahara. Music is their only weapon in the everlasting struggle for freedom and independence of their own country – Western Sahara.

Mwuana - framför allt(sv)

Moor Mother: Jazz Codes(en)

Poet, musician, visual artist, and Afrofuturist Moor Mother roams a hallucinatory Mojave Desert alone. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Moor Mother visits the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra HQ and plays with jazz luminaries and elders, including Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, Michael Session, and Maia.

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story(en)

Between 1959 and 1975, Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee released international chart-topping hits from artists including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MG's, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, and even Richard Pryor and Jesse Jackson. Founded by a white conservative bank teller who played country fiddle music, Stax became the preeminent soul music label in America, and became identified with the civil rights movement of the 1960s and '70s. RESPECT YOURSELF documents the Stax label, its visionaries, and most of all, its music.

Oscar Thiffault(fr)

A documentary about the folk country musician Oscar Thiffault, the famous songwriter of Le Rapide blanc.

Hide Your Metal(en)

Hide Your Metal is a short documentary following four Heavy Metal bands leading up to the DeathRash Night II concert in Amman, Jordan. The story depicts the obstacles metal musicians face in expressing themselves publicly and how heavy metal's 'satanic' reputation in Jordan impacts their evolution as musicians.

Listen(en)

"A soundscape is any collection of sounds, almost like a painting is a collection of visual attractions," says composer R. Murray Schafer. "When you listen carefully to the soundscape it becomes quite miraculous." David New's portrait of the renowned composer becomes a lesson unto itself, gracing viewers (and listeners) with a singular moment of interactive subjectivity. This film was produced for the 2009 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Mamamoo: Where Are We Now?(en)

A documentary showing the seven-year history of MAMAMOO, one of South Korea's most famous and powerful girl groups, from their debut to global triumph, culminating in their world tour.

Story of Iron Mic(zh)

Containing never-before-seen footage spanning 20 years, this monumental documentary tells the definitive story of the rise and fall of Chinese freestyle battle rap.

Songs of the madmen(en)

The Bauls of West Bengal are nomad musicians who practice a traditional form of concert challenged by the increasing modernization of India. The term "Fous" here refers to those inspired and wandering musicians of Bengal known as Baül. The word Baül is derived from the Sanskrit word "vatul," which means "mad" in the sense that it commonly connotes a more or less frenetic behavior in French. The Baül are peculiar individuals, particularly in their mannerisms, customs, and practices. Although they may belong to either the Hindu or Muslim religion, the Baül refuse to be guided by any social or religious conventions. Freedom of spirit is their only guide. They thus move against the tide of habits, preconceived notions, and general theories. "Le chant des fous" (The Song of the Mad) is a film made by Georges Luneau.

Classic Albums: The Doors - Morrison Hotel(en)

Documentary about the making of The Doors’ album Morrison Hotel, considered by many to be one of the greatest resurrection albums of all time. Released in 1970, opening with its iconic guitar lick from the breakout hit Roadhouse Blues, the album sold a million copies in less than 3 days.

Alexander Barantschik - San Francisco Symphony(en)

A Studio B Production – Co-produced by Citizen Film for the San Francisco Symphony