Documentarian Karen Cruz profiles eight key players in the Magic: The Gathering scene on its twentieth anniversary in Denver, CO. One of the original fantasy collective card games, Magic has millions of players worldwide and is considered one of the most successful card games of all time.
Dynamo is Dead (2023)
The world-renowned magician Dynamo is back as you've never seen him before - embarking on a transformative and soul-searching journey to explore the depths of mental health and well-being. As he grapples with his own struggles, Dynamo seeks answers from inspirational figures around the world so that he can bury his past and find a new beginning. Through candid conversations with iconic actors, musicians, sports stars, journalists, and activists, each with their own powerful stories to tell, Dynamo learns of the struggles behind their success as they open up about their own journeys and share the wisdom and tools to navigate the complexities of life.
Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery (2013)
In this brand new episode, master illusionist and showman Derren Brown plans to pull off the perfect crime. He’s bet renowned art collector Ivan Massow that he can steal a painting from right under his nose. In true Derren style, he will tell Ivan exactly which painting he plans to target – a work by Turner-nominated British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman no less – as well as what time the theft will happen. He’ll even give him a photograph of the person that’s going to take it.
Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic (2017)
In addition to the insight provided by performers who knew Vernon, including Max Maven, Herb Zarrow, John Carney, Jackie Flosso, Ricky Jay, Steve Freeman and Persi Diaconis, it was an important opportunity for Vernon's children, Edward and Derek Verner, to share their own thoughts and feelings about their father, the magician. It also featured black-and-white silent footage of a younger Vernon demonstrating sleight-of-hand which we had converted and professionally retouched for the film. While the film was very well received, it was only available briefly for purchase as a VHS cassette, which was subsequently pirated. The film pops up regularly online, always low-quality copies of copies shared without any credit to those who made the project possible.
Uri Geller's Secret Treasures (2023)
An extraordinary look at the life of Uri Geller, the man famous for bending spoons and reading minds, told through exclusive interviews with the man himself.
Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants (1996)
Sleight of hand magician Ricky Jay blends light comedy and close-up magic to entertain a live audience. He discusses everything from the birth of the classic cup and balls trick to 14th century poetry.
Wild Cards - The Artistry Of Playing Cards (2016)
This behind the scenes documentary showcases a Singapore-based collective who practice the art of card flourishing. To date, Virtuoso (a.k.a. The Virts) have managed to gather an international following of more than 37,000 people. But how far can a Singapore Brand go in an international scene that is dominated by big personalities like David Blaine? This film examines how these innovative performer entrepreneurs are managing to harness the possibilities of the Internet to extend their reach beyond the shores of Singapore, and develop new business models to share their passion for their craft. Other aspects explored includes the science behind the art of cardistry as well as the cultural associations attached to cards in Asia.
Charles Manson, The Church of Satan, The Universal Order & The Process Church of Final Judgment (2012)
Out of the spiritual chaos of the 1960s, more strange cults and unorthodox messiahs have emerged than ever. Charles Manson is seen as the annoying result of libertarianism of the 1960s - the Cain who murdered the Abel from The Love Generation. Or in the words of one commentator; "the Elvis of alienation."
Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within (2006)
A feature length documentary which invites the viewer to rediscover an enchanted cosmos in the modern world by awakening to the divine within. The film examines the re-emergence of archaic techniques of ecstasy in the modern world by weaving a synthesis of ecological and evolutionary awareness,electronic dance culture, and the current pharmacological re-evaluation of entheogenic compounds.
David Blaine: Ascension (2020)
David Blaine will redefine magic once again for an unprecedented live event at a time when the world could use a positive distraction.
An Honest Liar (2014)
An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru names Carlos.
Kenneth Anger: Film as Magical Ritual (1970)
Anger discusses his Aleister Crowley-inspired theories of art: How he views his camera like a wand and how he casts his films, preferring to consider his actors, not human beings but as elemental spirits. In fact, he reveals that he goes so far as to use astrology when making these choices. This is as direct an explanation of Anger’s cinemagical modus operandi as I have ever heard him articulate anywhere. It’s a must see for anyone interested in his work and showcases the Magus of cinema at the very height of his artistic powers. Fascinating. (Dangerous Minds)
Lost in the Shuffle (2024)
Featuring two-time world champion magician Shawn Farquhar, this documentary explores the unique relationship between the art of magic and playing cards.
Dark Mirror of Magick: The Vassago Millennium Prophecy (2012)
On January 3rd, 2001, documentary writer/producer Wayne Darwen brought a professional TV news crew into the Temple of the O.T.A. to visually record a remarkable event: the summoning of the ancient spirit Vassago. Only 13 days after the ritual was visually recorded, President Laurent Kabila of the Congo was assassinated! See the entire operation in sequence, exactly as it happened with no rehearsals and no retakes. This 2011 edition has ten more minutes of new footage with commentary on the Vassago Prophecy, as subsequently revealed in the following 2 years, plus a new prophecy from Vassago.
Doorways To Danger (1990)
Dabbling in the occult is widespread and often thought of as harmless entertainment. But this video shows why it is dangerous to get involved with spiritism, fortune telling, witchcraft, magic, and Satanism. The program introduces the real life stories of those who have been involved in these activities and shows the way out based upon a Biblical perspective.
The Rites of Magick (2011)
The Rites of Magick is a feature length (90 minute) dramatic documentary on the rites, ceremonies and meditative practices of America’s oldest continually operating Magical tradition: The Order of the Temple of Astarte in Southern California. The O.T.A. is the religious-fraternal order of The Church of the Hermetic Sciences incorporated in 1971. This production was filmed and video-recorded in temples, outdoor henges, and retreats of the Order from 1974 to the 21st century. It is divided into six chapters: Hermetic Yoga, Pathworkings, Seasonal Ceremonies, The Magical Eucharist, Enochian Watchtowers, and -- as a special bonus feature -- a surrealist Alchemical Fantasy from the talented avant-garde filmmaker Eric Bossick.
The Philosopher's Stone: The True Story (2007)
Documentary examining the medieval myth of the Philosopher's Stone, a Holy Grail-type relic which supposedly held the key to alchemy and immortality. Many noted alchemists and adventurers searched obsessively for the artifact hoping to learn its powerful secrets, a quest which allegedly drove some to madness and others to celestial encounters.
Lost Magic Decoded (2012)
Some magic effects are so mysterious, they've confounded illusionists for hundreds of years. How can a mechanical man defeat a world chess champion? How can a live bullet be stopped in mid-air? Magic has an ancient history, and one master magician, Steve Cohen, is on a quest to uncover the secrets behind these legendary feats and more.
The Berglas Effect (2021)
Martin Hart has been working with David Berglas since 2015 on bringing his scrapbooks to life. The idea is to share these incredible adventures with the world, each one a fascinating event packed with magic, inspiration and synchronicity.
Jeff McBride: A Magickal Life (2006)
Jeff McBride is a magician, a master of the arts of deception, and a follower of a spiritual path based on a form of magic. As a teenager, he was already appearing on national TV and has since become world renowned among lovers of magic and illusion. He is equally adept at gracing a stage in Las Vegas or Paris, performing a card trick under your nose, and teaching a master class to already accomplished conjurers. He says that real magic is a path to sacred reality.