
Joáo Bénard da Costa, director of the Portuguese National Film Archives [deceased in 2009], interviews the dean of contemporaneous film directors [96-years-old then]. Two humanists of different philosophical backgrounds, both with their long, entire lives dedicated to culture in general (music, painting, literature) and to film in particular, discuss freely, sometimes haltingly, the director's power as a creator or a magician, the philosophy beyond particular scenes in classic movies, film technique, the importance of color, sound and music to films, art versus entertainment, and much more. Their talk takes place in a museum room, seating in front of "The Annunciation" (a 1510 oil painting by João Vaz, a Portuguese artist), which eventually leads to a discussion of 'Leonardo da Vinci', and the relationship between a trend-setter master and his disciples.


Joáo Bénard da Costa, director of the Portuguese National Film Archives [deceased in 2009], interviews the dean of contemporaneous film directors [96-years-old then]. Two humanists of different philosophical backgrounds, both with their long, entire lives dedicated to culture in general (music, painting, literature) and to film in particular, discuss freely, sometimes haltingly, the director's power as a creator or a magician, the philosophy beyond particular scenes in classic movies, film technique, the importance of color, sound and music to films, art versus entertainment, and much more. Their talk takes place in a museum room, seating in front of "The Annunciation" (a 1510 oil painting by João Vaz, a Portuguese artist), which eventually leads to a discussion of 'Leonardo da Vinci', and the relationship between a trend-setter master and his disciples.
2007-10-26
6.5
Manoel de Oliveira and João Bénard da Costa in a conversation filmed by Rita Azevedo Gomes
8.5In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.
6.5Two madmen wish to avenge the historical Peruvian ship "Monitor Huascar" under the command of Capitain Grau: a hero, and a symbol of the 19th century war lost to Chile.
7.0At fifteen, David and his two buddies are the youngest members of the Boston Aquarium Society. The three make their way to a monthly meeting at the New England Aquarium, but David has a secret he is reluctant to share.
The air in London was damp and cold, a stark contrast to the vibrant warmth of Kathmandu that Anmol often dreamed of. It had been five years since he left Nepal for the United Kingdom, chasing the dreams his mother, Susmita, had envisioned for him. She had sacrificed everything-her small savings, her comfort, and her daily joy of having her son by her side-so Anmol could study and build a better life abroad. Anmol was a hard worker, juggling university classes and long hours at Amrish's restaurant. The boss, a shrewd businessman, valued profits over people. Anmol, like the rest of the staff, was little more than a cog in the relentless machinery of the restaurant's success. One evening, after another grueling 12-hour shift, Anmol sat on his small bed in his shared apartment. His phone buzzed. It was his mother. "Anmol, Dashain and Tihar are coming. I've cleaned the house and even set aside some money to buy your favorite sweets.
5.0Anna is a woman who sells flowers at the local market and whose only hope and joy in her life is her only son Amaurys. Raul, Amaurys' best friend, involves him in a drug deal which results in his death.
6.2On December 8, 1995, at the age of 43, Jean-Dominque Bauby, editor-in-chief of ELLE Magazine, suffered from a stroke and fell into a coma. When Bauby awoke he found himself completely speechless and paralyzed. In Locked-In Syndrome, director Jean-Jacques Beiniex follows Bauby's efforts to write The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film.
5.0On the highways of the Ruhr region, the paths of four people cross as they try to fulfill their long-lost dreams. One of them is Georg, the coach of a Bundesliga soccer team that has to win that evening's cup match if he wants to keep his job. He is about to be sacked and realizes that the business and its mechanisms are beginning to turn against him. Dieter, the roving TV reporter, is on the hunt for spectacular pictures day and night. Although he loves his son, who lives with his ex-wife Rita, he takes too little care of him.
7.0Prequel of the film Nobody, 浪浪山的小妖怪, introducing us to the pig as one of the main characters!
5.0The thrilling story of a lonely Russian immigrant trying to find the "American dream" in present day Los Angeles. To provide care for his dying sister he works as an assistant to a mysterious and dangerous man, but his desire to achieve something more takes him down a dark and risky path. When a seductive call girl enters his life his world is thrown upside down and the choices he makes may have deadly consequences.
5.3An MI5 officer's attempts to foil a possible terrorist plot are undermined by bureaucracy and moral dilemmas. Will he make the world a safer place or be complicit in making a tense situation even worse?
4.8The romantic comedy and drama follows the manga of the same name and follows the adventures of cute and coquettish schoolgirl Shirabaka Aya and nerd of a man Tairaku Arihiko. There is a problem or two. Aya loves Arihiko. Arihiko is a school teacher. Aya is a student at the school. Aya's father is a yakuza thug. Aya and Arihiko live in the same apartment. Aya is hot. Arihiko could lose his job.
2.2Carl, a low-end hustler and pimp, uses his girlfriend to start his own prostitution ring. Trouble begins when Carl recruits Sherrie, a local waitress who likes sex. A cheesy narrator relates this morality tale.
This video features Faith Evans and Kelly Price. The amazing Whitney Houston is shown in full diva mode throughout the video, wearing a giant white fur coat, ruby red gown and a signature choker. At the end of the video, she throws the all-white fur coat into the ocean.
9.0Set in a decayed urban core, Robota, a homeless robot, wins enough money at the robot cockfighting arena to afford a trip downtown to fulfill her dream.
6.3Love and desire fill the minds of villagers in a Hungarian speaking village in Transylvania, Romania, even in their old age. Time has stood still here, and although most of the village’s inhabitants are elderly, they are refreshingly young at heart.
6.2"Touches on elemental images; air, water, (and snow), earth and fire (and smoke) all come into it." - MT
7.6A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.
5.6Rafael - the minister of sports of an unrecognized country, and Natasha - a Russian opera singer, try living together in Abkhazia - a war-torn future-less country. Observing their difficult relations, we see life in a place marked by war and nationalism. The film portrays trapped people dreaming of peace, normality and happiness.
7.2Through rare and precious footages and gigs with great artists such as Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Hermeto Pascoal, Djavan, Nara Leao, Luiz Gonzaga, among many others, "Dominguinhos" reveals this genius of Brazilian music, creator of a deeply authentic, universal and contemporary work. The film values the sensory cinematic experience, a journey driven by Dominguinhos his own.
5.0The Execution of Wanda Jean chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen, the first black woman to be put to death in the United States in the modern era.
0.0This short documentary is a celebration of life on planet Earth. Made from haunting visual images selected from 50 years of NFB productions, the film looks at human beings, their place on earth, and their deep interconnection with all other beings. Evocations of forces that threaten the planet and all its inhabitants also offer avenues for reflection.
7.0The Purity Ball symbolizes a father's protection over his daughter's virginity, but how does this reflect in the choices she makes, understanding her sexuality, and knowing her worth as a woman? This documentary examines the effects of Abstinence-Only Programs versus Comprehensive Sex Education in schools and what society can do to help lower teen pregnancies, abortions, and STDS, as well as poverty and sexual abuse.
5.5Every Wednesday at noon, women who were kidnapped for sexual purpose by the Japanese army during its imperialism and their supporters demonstrate against Japanese government to request official apology and indemnity for their crimes. This documentary portrays sexually abused old women's suppressed story of overcoming of their shame and forced silence.
7.0Straight from the front lines in Iraq, THE WAR TAPES is the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves. These soldiers bypassed Pentagon supervised media to share their experience like never before. Funnier, spicier, and more gut wrenching than news reports, this is Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi and Specialist Mike Moriarty. Steve is a wisecracking carpenter who aspires to be a writer. Zack is a Lebanese-American university student who loves to travel and is fluent in Arabic. Mike is a father who seeks honor and redemption. Each leaves a woman behind - a girlfriend, a mother and a wife. Through their candid footage, these men open their hearts and take us on an unforgettable journey, capturing camaraderie and humor along with the brutal and terrifying experiences they face. These soldiers got the story that 2,700 embedded reporters never could.
6.6McLibel is a documentary film directed by Franny Armstrong for Spanner Films about the McLibel case. The film was first completed, as a 52 minute television version, in 1997, after the conclusion of the original McLibel trial. It was then re-edited to 85 minute feature length in 2005, after the McLibel defendants took their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
A poetic documentation of the Long Beach Island, NJ community as they battle local politics, cope with personal tragedy, and band together after Hurricane Sandy.
7.6The film meticulously unravels the case of Norma Khouri, whose best-selling memoir about an honor killing captivated the world before her entire story began to collapse under the weight of its own fabrications. More than just a look at a spectacular con, this is a timely and unsettling exploration of media manipulation, cultural differences, and the dangerous power of a compelling narrative. Broinowski’s film is a riveting study of a pathological liar, but it also holds a mirror up to a world eager to embrace a good story, fact or fiction.
7.4World War II was not just the most destructive conflict in humanity, it was also the greatest theft in history: lives, families, communities, property, culture and heritage were all stolen. The story of Nazi Germany's plundering of Europe's great works of art during World War II and Allied efforts to minimize the damage.
4.3You’d never know this is your home away from home. The surveillance camera outside shows a drab reception area and an unremarkable street in Mexico City; inside, the lights flash, but the tables are empty. Yet preparations are soon underway and fixed categories cease to apply: stubble is removed, make-up applied and strands of hair are teased into place; the camera is trained not on the men themselves, but what they see in the mirror.
6.0Harry Schein was an anomaly in Swedish cultural society. Equal parts playboy, intellectual, and political visionary, his life story could very well be the foundation of a Hollywood film. Citizen Schein is a film about a refugee who refused to look back, a film about powerful men, and the myths that fuel them.
6.0The everyday life of a Belo Horizonte lower class neighborhood.
6.3This documentary on the effect the talent competition "Afghan Star" has on the incredibly diverse inhabitants of Afghanistan affords a glimpse into a country rarely seen. Contestants risk their lives to appear on the television show that is a raging success with the public and also monitored closely by the government.
6.5Examined Life pulls philosophy out of academic journals and classrooms, and puts it back on the streets. Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from moral philosophy to cultural theory, Examined Life reveals philosophy's power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.