The subversive masterpieces of Russian-Ukrainian writer Isaac Babel challenged the reality of life under rising totalitarianism, and led to his arrest and execution in 1940. In Finding Babel, Andrei Malaev-Babel confronts complex traces of a turbulent history that echo in his grandfather's writing and in the conflicts of today's Ukraine and Russia. Babel's fiction is woven into Andrei's search with ethereal animation that puts the viewer, like Babel's readers, between fantasy and reality.
James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend (2013)
In the half-hour tribute, friends and colleagues remember the three-time Emmy winner, who died June 19 at age 51. The special features clips of Gandolfini’s work as well as behind-the-scenes footage.
Christopher Isherwood: A Born Foreigner (1969)
Documentary about author Christopher Isherwood, in which he is interviewed about his life and work and which features extracts from films of his novels and stories.
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.
Scotland's Einstein: James Clerk Maxwell - The Man Who Changed the World (2015)
Professor Iain Stewart reveals the story behind the Scottish physicist who was Einstein's hero; James Clerk Maxwell. Maxwell's discoveries not only inspired Einstein, but they helped shape our modern world - allowing the development of radio, TV, mobile phones and much more. Despite this, he is largely unknown in his native land of Scotland. Scientist Iain Stewart sets out to change that, and to celebrate the life, work and legacy of the man dubbed "Scotland's Forgotten Einstein".
Who Is Poly Styrene? (1979)
Originally aired as part of the Arena series, this BBC biography of Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. She is one of the first black women singer-songwriters in the early New Wave/Punk scene.
Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story (2018)
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of legendary NHL tough guy Bob Probert.
The Nativity Scene of Michele Pascuzzi (2023)
A short documentary about the intricate nativity scenes of Michele Pascuzzi.
The fairy-tale world of Aleksandr Ptushko (1988)
The wizard Finn sends Masha and Vanya on a journey through the fairy tale films of Aleksandr Ptushko, many dangers await them there.
The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti (2019)
The story of Pro Football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, whose resume encompasses turns as a linebacker, lawyer, sports agent, broadcaster, executive and philanthropist.
Beckenbauer (2024)
He is considered one of the most important athletes in football history. Franz Beckenbauer was the shining light of German football, won everything there was to win in club football as a player and coach, became world champion as a player and coach and, as the father of the "Summer Fairy Tale", brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany. He was also a pioneering advertising icon and an occasional singer and actor. The man whom everyone in his home country simply calls “Kaiser” shaped the image of the Federal Republic of Germany like no one else. The legendary footballer seems like a national treasure today, but little is known about the person behind the ball artist. Public knowledge of his private life is shaped by his long-term relationships with four women. The documentary, completed shortly before his death, uses archive material and prominent contemporary witnesses from sports, politics and entertainment to weave both facets into a look at a life's work with light and shadow.
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986)
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights few could even dream of, she was one of the loneliest of stars.
Half Sour (2014)
A group of young skateboarders find direction in their lives when they move to New York and start a pickle business.
Dear Valued Guests (2013)
Forty four years ago, it seemed like a good idea to build a squat, concrete motel in downtown Columbia, Missouri. But within a few years, guests were calling for a do-over. Now, with the downtrodden building’s fate sealed, the Rabid Hands artist collective arrives on the scene as hospice workers, assisting in the passing of the building’s soul. What ensues is a New Orleans-style voodoo celebration of a previously unsung piece of architecture.
Invasion 1897 (2014)
Invasion 1897 is an epic film based on the invasion of the Benin Kingdom by the British Empire in 1897 and the looting the priceless ancient artifacts of the Benin kingdom.
Le Grand Méliès (1952)
A biographical film about cinematic illusionist Georges Méliès featuring Méliès’s widow, Jeanne d’Alcy, as herself, and their son André as his own father.
Balzac (1951)
Balzac is a 1951 short documentary film by French director Jean Vidal. It is a biopic on the work, life, and loves of the French playwright and novelist Honoré de Balzac, his evolution as a writer and how his individual works fit into the design of La Comedie Humaine. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 1952 and won first prize for best director at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival the same year.
Simone de Beauvoir: A Contemporary Woman (2008)
An insight into the novelist and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, who was also a political activist and feminist.
Meaning of Robots (2012)
This short film profiles the benevolent Mike Sullivan, who has been in the process of shooting a stop-motion robot sex film in his New York City apartment for the last ten years. Obsessed with the meticulous construction of the miniature robot porn stars, his apartment now overflows with thousands, leaving him only tiny paths to navigate and no place to film his epic.