Avant-Drag! paints portraits of ten drag artists of varying gender expressions and sexualities who take to the streets of Athens to query, problematise and (yes, please!) undermine social strictures. Employing wildly imagined personas – like riot housewives and Albanian turbo-folk girls – who perform acts as revolutionary as praising abortion and as charming as drawing childish pictures, these artists call for social justice by taking aim at conservatism, patriarchy, patriotism, racism and sexism.
Terra Firma (2016)
In a small commercial harbour in the south of France, two Moroccan sailors are watching over ferries that were abandoned by ship-owners. Young Syrians make a stopover to load their cattle, African traders prepare a convoy of second-hand vehicles. Men, machines, and animals transit through this space open onto the sea.
The Views From Sunset Hill (2024)
My debut short film - as I approached adulthood, I created this as a means of reflection towards adolescence and life. A poetic documentary about looking away from the past and being present in the beauty of life.
Battle Cry (2018)
At the oldest-running queer theatre in the world, Toronto's most cerebral drag queen and "tragicomedienne" Pearle Harbour prepares to take the stage for her new show "Battle Cry: Songs Of Warfare & Gaiety".
Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
Olympia: Part One – Festival of the Nations (1938)
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. This first half of her two-part film opens with a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, then goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals.
Olympia: Part Two – Festival of Beauty (1938)
Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. Where the two-part epic's first half, Festival of the Nations, focused on the international aspects of the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, part two, The Festival of Beauty, concentrates on individual athletes such as equestrians, gymnasts, and swimmers, climaxing with American Glenn Morris' performance in the decathalon and the games' majestic closing ceremonies.
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927)
A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.
Christer Lindarw: Ett Porträtt (2023)
Portrait documentary of the Swedish drag show pioneer Christer Lindarw and his life both on and off the stage.
Talent Show - Jennifer Dorothy Lee (2023)
An insightful, personal, and heartfelt spotlight on Professor Jennifer Dorothy Lee of the School the of Art Institute of Chicago.
House of Pride – Ballroom Boudoir (2021)
Montreal artistic collective House of Pride takes you behind the scenes of innovative performances in drag, dance and the performing arts. A queer film that plays with gender in a provocative, avant-garde, innovative and legendary way while celebrating female power!
Sans Soleil (1983)
A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.
China Dolls (1998)
Aussie boys of Asian descent candidly discuss their status as a "minority within a minority".
Chronos (1985)
Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.
Baraka (1992)
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.
This Filthy World (2006)
In this filmed version of cult film director John Waters' popular one-man show, the Pink Flamingos and A Dirty Shame director takes the stage to discuss everything from his early influences, fondest career memories, and notorious struggles against the MPAA rating system. Part endearing memoir and part hilarious lecture, This Filthy World touches on everything from the insanity of contemporary pop culture to the director's unforgettable early collaborations with inimitable Pink Flamingos star Divine.
The Song of the Years to Come (2024)
On the island of La Gomera, children imagine stories while they examine archeological remains. An ethno-fictional journey in which past and present coalesce, creating resonances between the volcanic landscape and Silbo, the whistled language of the island.
Galore (2019)
Fighting for visibility and solidarity, Lady Galore has become vital to the European drag community. For Sander den Baas, the man behind Lady Galore, this devotion is starting to take its toll. Although his size is what makes Lady Galore stand out and brought her fame, Sander is struggling with more and more health problems. Gastric bypass surgery will help him regain a healthy weight. But what will remain of Lady Galore?
L'envol de Paloma (NaN)
A short film narrated by the drag queen Paloma, in interview with the filmmaker.
From Dust to Light (2024)
Filmed In the heart of the mountainous villages of Greece and North Macedonia, the documentary follows a group of conservators of antiquities and works of art on their journey, with the goal of preserving Byzantine iconography. The dialogue between them and the hagiographers of the past comes to life.