Stop for Bud

Stop for Bud is Jørgen Leth's first film and the first in his long collaboration with Ole John. […] they wanted to "blow up cinematic conventions and invent cinematic language from scratch". The jazz pianist Bud Powell moves around Copenhagen -- through King's Garden, along the quay at Kalkbrænderihavnen, across a waste dump. […] Bud is alone, accompanied only by his music. […] Image and sound are two different things -- that's Leth's and John's principle. Dexter Gordon, the narrator, tells stories about Powell's famous left hand. In an obituary for Powell, dated 3 August 1966, Leth wrote: "He quite willingly, or better still, unresistingly, mechanically, let himself be directed. The film attempts to depict his strange duality about his surroundings. His touch on the keys was like he was burning his fingers -- that's what it looked like, and that's how it sounded. But outside his playing, and often right in the middle of it, too, he was simply gone, not there."

Paradise

Michael Almereyda’s Paradise is a poignant and surprising sketchbook, a collection of brief episodes captured during a decade of travel. The film is marked by a sense of mystery, wonderment, and sly humor, reflecting a notion of life as a series of elusive, paradisiacal moments that are routinely taken for granted — and always slipping away.

Je m'appelle Régine et je vous emmerde !

the days we'll look back on

A story about 6 kids who grew up together and stayed together, once strangers, then friends, now family. Both a video diary and a travelogue, this coming-of-age film explores the fleeting moments of youth, reflecting on nostalgia, connection, and the bonds that endure as we grow older. A chapter in the story we've been writing since we were kids, these are the days we'll look back on.

Plan 9 From Syracuse

On August 15th, 2006, filmmaker Ryan Dacko set out to get a 30-minute meeting with a major Hollywood producer by running on foot from Syracuse, New York to Hollywood, California.

Works of Calder

The film begins with a sun materializing out of the emptiness of space. In the first of three sequences we see various images from nature against music: the sky, trees, leaves, a bird, water, sand, a beach. A little boy wanders along the beach observing the natural world around him. He walks and presently comes to a house and peers inside. The second sequence has no music. The narrator speaks of sculptor Alexander Calder and his work, as we see Calder in his workshop, cutting and creating unusual shapes, and seeing the resultant artworks. The last sequence has music as we view images of Calder's work. However, now they are intercut with images from nature so that we understand that Calder's inspiration is the natural world around him. The film ends as it began, with an image of the sun, now fading into the sky.

World's Young Ballet

In 1969, the Moscow International Competition of Ballet Artists played host to some of the dance world's most legendary names. Twenty-one-year-old Mikhail Baryshnikov performs "La Bayadere" and a solo from Leonid Jakobson's "Vestris," while Ludmila Semenyaka dances a scene from "Giselle" and a modern jazz piece. Judging the competition are dance notables Agnes DeMille and Alicia Alonso and composer Aram Khachaturian.

Robert McGinnis: Painting the Last Rose of Summer

Robert McGinnis' career as an artist is explored from the 1950s when he gained fame as a painter for Dell paperback book covers, through the 1960s when he created posters for such movies as "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Cotton Comes to Harlem" and numerous James Bond features, up to the present as a magazine illustrator and landscape painter.

The Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain

From PBS - With unprecedented access, The Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain captures the unique creative process of one of North America's longest running, most distinctive and exciting theatre experiences. Each year between April and October, the Shaw Festival--which began in 1962 with the mandate on works by George Bernard Shaw--presents around 10 plays on four stages that attract patrons from all over the world. Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada--the Shaw's one-of-a-kind schedule has actors and directors working on several plays at once. Over eight months, crews design and build sets on a finely honed schedule that is both frenetic, creative, and amazingly well planned and executed. Follow the process of getting the play from the page to the stage as The Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain provides insight into every aspect of production at a summer theatre festival.

Dying To Live

'if you only had one year left of your life, what would you do?' This question asks Swiss author Franz Hohler. His answer: 'Make death your adviser to live life to the fullest.' He is one of several carefully chosen Swiss citizens who give us an insight into their personal views on life and death. Besides these colorful, oftentimes funny quotes we meet Tom, a 50-year old male that has been diagnosed with incurable brain tumor. Contrary to what one would expect, Tom takes his sickness not as a burden but as a chance and lives his life happier than ever before. This to the surprise of his family and friends and above all - himself. The film encourages people to live life more consciously.

Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen

It's Charlie Sheen's turn to step in to the celebrity hot seat for the latest installment of The Comedy Central Roast.

Death of the Serpent God

This film begins, so to speak, where ‘Vol spécial’ left off. The reality of migration bears its teeth: Following a scuffle, 20-year-old Koumba from France is sent back to the place where she was raised – Senegal. She returns to the lost village of her ancestors hysterical, argumentative and unproductively rebellious. Now the mother of a toddler, she continues to come to terms with the two cultures; the outcome is unforeseeable, as is the outcome of this cinematic long-term observation. The risk of its failure due to its protagonist is palpable. But Koumba’s fascinating metamorphosis is also obvious, her body and character have taken on a more harmonious nature. All hope is not lost.

Ulrich Seidl - A Director at Work

This cinematic portrait shows the Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl at work. The much-discussed ‘Seidl method’ is conveyed here vividly and directly: The camera watches over Seidl’s shoulder during the filming of his new production IM KELLER, and observes him at the rehearsals for his latest theatre production ‘Böse Buben / Fiese Männer’. The film paints the picture of a fascinating and exceptional artist using a combination of extensive interviews and excerpts from earlier works.

Derren Brown: Infamous

Multi award-winning psychological illusionist Derren Brown returns in the recording of his acclaimed live show ‘Infamous’. Featuring Derren at his baffling best with the excitement of a live theatre audience, Infamous includes amazing, provocative, jaw dropping demonstrations of his incredible skills of magic, suggestion, showmanship and misdirection in a must-watch roller coaster of emotions.

Murbah Swamp Beer

Just before Easter 2001, a semi-trailer loaded with 40,000 bottles of beer crashed into the Tweed River on the out skirts of the northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah (known as "Murbah" to the locals). With salvage crews ordered to clear the crash zone for the busy Easter traffic, the locals undertook their own salvage operation, making it their best Easter ever. Murbah Swamp Beer is a documentary about an event that could only happen in Australia. It captures the spirit of a small, country town as its citizens discover that beer definitely tastes better when it's free.

Hockney

A documentary about the work and personality of artist David Hockney.

Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace

Known for his vibrant reinterpretations of classical portraits featuring African-American men, New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley has turned the practice of portraiture on its head and in the process has taken the art world by storm.

Misery Loves Comedy

Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abroad—take on this question, sharing anecdotes and insights with lively enthusiasm.

Stanley Donen: You Just Do It

Story of a director Stanley Donen, king of Hollywood musicals and man behind such classics as "Singin' in the Rain".

Birth of a Nation

Jonas Mekas assembles 160 portraits, appearances, and fleeting sketches of underground and independent filmmakers captured between 1955 and 1996. Fast-paced and archival in spirit, the film celebrates the avant-garde as its own “nation of cinema,” a vital community existing outside the dominance of commercial film.

Woody Allen: A Documentary

An intense portrait of the iconic filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen: his life, family and friends; his writing and directing habits, and his relationship with performers.

Spielberg

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

I Am Heath Ledger

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

The Eyes of Orson Welles

A poetic journey into the visual world of the legendary filmmaker and actor Orson Welles (1915-85) that reveals a new portrait of a unique genius, both of his life and of his monumental work: through his own eyes, drawn by his own hand, painted with his own brush.

Stan Lee

Celebrate the legacy of Stan Lee as the co-creator of such legendary characters as Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the X-Men, The Avengers, and hundreds more.

Frank and Ollie

Before computer graphics, special effects wizardry, and out-of-this world technology, the magic of animation flowed from the pencils of two of the greatest animators The Walt Disney Company ever produced -- Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Frank and Ollie, the talent behind BAMBI, PINOCCHIO, LADY AND THE TRAMP, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and others, set the standard for such modern-day hits as THE LION KING. It was their creative genius that helped make Disney synonymous with brilliant animation, magnificent music, and emotional storytelling. Take a journey with these extraordinary artists as they share secrets, insights, and the inspiration behind some of the greatest animated movies the world has ever known!

Dear Mr. Watterson

20 years after Calvin and Hobbes stopped appearing in daily newspapers, filmmaker Joel Allen Schroeder has set out to explore the reasons behind the comic strip's loyal and devoted following.

John Candy: I Like Me

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man

One man’s journey to find meaning in Bill Murray’s many unexpected adventures with everyday people, rare and never-before seen footage of the comedic icon participating in stories previously presumed to be urban legend.

I Am Ali

Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.

The Extraordinary Voyage

An account of the extraordinary life of film pioneer Georges Méliès (1861-1938) and the amazing story of the copy in color of his masterpiece A Trip to the Moon (1902), unexpectedly found in Spain and restored thanks to the heroic efforts of a group of true cinema lovers.

Springsteen on Broadway

Bruce Springsteen shares personal stories from his life and acoustic versions of some of his best-known songs in an intimate one-man show.

American Symphony

Musician Jon Batiste attempts to compose a symphony as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment.

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.

In Search of the Last Action Heroes

The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.

Hitchcock/Truffaut

Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.

Sidney

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

Back in Time

Cast, crew and fans explore the "Back to the Future" time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout our culture, thirty years after Marty McFly went back in time.

The Irishman: In Conversation

Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.

Katy Perry: Part of Me

Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.