From a young age Magnus Carlsen had aspirations of becoming a champion chess player. While many players seek out an intensely rigid environment to hone their skills, Magnus’ brilliance shines brightest when surrounded by his loving and supportive family. Through an extensive amount of archival footage and home movies, director Benjamin Ree reveals this young man’s unusual and rapid trajectory to the pinnacle of the chess world. This film allows the audience to not only peek inside this isolated community but also witness the maturation of a modern genius.
A Brief History of Time (1991)
This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.
Berbères des cimes (2014)
At the heart of the Moroccan High Atlas mountains, water is a resource in short supply. The village of Tizi N'Oucheg has undergone a transformation thanks to Rachid Mandili, who is well-aware that the development of his village depends on access to clean water and on his strong leadership of this project. Mandili rallies all the villagers together and calls upon the knowledge of French and Moroccan scientists to tap water sources, to purify, and reuse waste water for irrigation. The documentary highlights the Berbers' community ties and ingenuity in their dream of independently managing their village water resources. It equally paints a portrait of a man whose initiative and resourcefulness has opened Tizi N'Oucheg up to modernity while still conserving its cultural heritage. Tizi's example presents some of the problems of water access in semi-arid regions and puts forward concrete solutions to these problems.
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024)
Newly discovered interviews with Elizabeth Taylor and unprecedented access to the star’s personal archive reveal the complex inner life and vulnerability of the groundbreaking icon.
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.
No No: A Dockumentary (2014)
Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD, then worked for decades counseling drug abusers. Dock's soulful style defined 1970s baseball as he kept hitters honest and embarrassed the establishment. An ensemble cast of teammates, friends, and family investigate his life on the field, in the media, and out of the spotlight.
De Gaulle, histoire d'un géant (2020)
50 years after the death of General De Gaulle, this film retraces his life, from his birth in 1890 to his burial at Colombey-Les-Deux-Eglises in 1970.
Laush (2014)
A documentary-narrative film which looks at real events and personal phenomena of artist Zarko Lausevic. "Laush" above all tells a story of an evil time we've all been through, represents both sides and is made with empathy and respect towards everyone involved in the tragic incident. Through recreations, narration, memories of colleagues and quotes from the book "A Year Passes, a Day Will Never Pass" which the artist wrote during the hardest stage of his life, the weight of his fate is presented. The aim of this project is to portray the life of brilliant actor, who in the midst of great fame, disappeared from the scene through the cruelty of dubious times.
Is God a Number? (1999)
This documentary explores whether we can use mathematics to describe the observable universe in order to reveal the potential connection to the mysteries of consciousness.
The genetic epistemology of Jean Piaget (1977)
A self-potrait of the influent Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget.
Parchís: the Documentary (2019)
The spotlight's on Parchís, a record company-created Spanish boy/girl band that had unprecedented success with Top 10 songs and hit films in the '80s.
Life Itself (2014)
The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.
Being Poirot (2013)
After 25 years playing Hercule Poirot, British actor David Suchet explores the enduring appeal of his most legendary character.
The Scars (2019)
The personal stories lived by the Uncle, the Father and the Son, respectively, form a tragic experience that is drawn along a line in time. This line is comparable to a crease in the pages of the family album, but also to a crack in the walls of the paternal house. It resembles the open wound created when drilling into a mountain, but also a scar in the collective imaginary of a society, where the idea of salvation finds its tragic destiny in the political struggle. What is at the end of that line? Will old war songs be enough to circumvent that destiny?
Truffaut / Godard, scénario d'une rupture (2016)
An inquiry into two of the most influencial French filmakers friendship and feud.
Steel Mask Versus Blue Abyss (1988)
A world of strong colours between documentary and fiction, centered on the life and work of modernist painter Amadeo de Souza Cardoso.
Michael Jackson: The One (2004)
Documentary containing interviews with performers discussing the influence that Michael Jackson had on their career, combined with clips from Jackson's music videos.
Kim Jong-un: The Unauthorized Biography (2015)
A journey through several countries to find those who really know Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, in an attempt to profile a contradictory dictator who seems to rule his nation with both disturbing benevolence and cold cruelty while being worshipped as a living god by his subjects in exalted displays of ridiculous fanaticism.