All Films

Axiom of Choice

2003 • 5 min • United States of America

Evoking the physiognomy of a Rembrandt portrait, Axiom of Choice depicts Jonas Mekas and his son Sebastian, their heads rotating in radiant chiaroscuro against a black ground. With Mekas at its center, the references to cinematic machinery abound in this work: from the proto-filmic zoetrope (which used a spinning cylinder to create the illusion of a moving image), to the flickering zoom of Ernie Gehr’s film Serene Velocity, to the enormous gyrating machine at the center of Michael Snow’s La Région Centrale. —Richard Birkett, Karin Schneider & Nicolás Guagnini

San Yuan Li

2003 • 40 min • China

San Yuan Li, the collaborative project by Ou Ning, Cao Fei, and the members of U-thèque Organization, is a case study of the typical “urban village” phenomenon of Guangzhou in 1990s. Armed with video cameras, the crew penetrated San Yuan Li as “city flâneurs,” presented a highly stylized portrait of the village, attempting to rethink the debt of history, to document the confrontation and reconciliation between the newly urbanization and the patriarchal-clan-based traditional community, as well as the weird architectures and cultural landscape emerging from this previously rural area. At the end, all the colored footages were eidted into a piece of black-and-white video poetry. The project was exhibited in the 50th Venice Biennale for the first time, and then screened worldwide.

The Man with an Affair

2003 • 20 min

A former sex criminal has been cut off by his neighbors. Raises questions about the human rights of sex offenders

Reflections on 'Gaslight'

2003 • 14 min • United States of America

A documentary on the 1944 film "Gaslight" starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer.

Pororoca: Surfing the Amazon

2003 • 26 min

This film tells the story of an extremely interesting expedition by the two worldclass surfers Ross Clarke-Jones and Carlos Burle. On boats they penetrate deep into the delta of the Amazon to experience the exceptional natural spectacle of a several-metres-high tidal wave, which has been born hundreds of kilometres away in the ocean and which under certain climatic circumstances and under the full moon penetrates deep into the flow of the Amazon River. The surfers set off to meet this frightening wall of water and to surf on it for several kilometres. With its enormous force, this tidal wave also has devastating consequences for the landscape of the river.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne - Creation Trajectory

2003 • 48 min

Focusing on the PS2 game "Shin Megami Tensei - Nocturne", this extensive making-of documentary delves into Nocturn from the developer's point of view, focusing on the trial and error process of creating Shin Megami Tensei and the true meaning of the world view behind the game. Includes rare alpha development footage.

Crossing

2003 • 15 min

A disabled man on crutches hobbling along the streets of Sejongno, downtown Seoul. On paralytic actor Kim Moon-joo and disabled theatre group Hwol.

Bernard Tschumi: Architect and Theorist

2003 • 58 min

Filmed at his final lecture as Dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Bernard Tschumi: Architect and Theorist documents a compelling and driven discussion of space, time, and movement.

Face Value

2003 • 12 min

Depicts work settings where job applicants are evaluated by their physical appearance in looks-obsessed Korean society.

Chlorine: A Pool Skating Documentary

2003 • 46 min • United States of America

Features Steve Alba, Dave Reul, Lance Mountain, Brian Patch, Tony Alva, Steve Olson, and more

Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry: Red River Blues 1948-1974

2003 • 60 min • United States of America

For some 30 years, they embodied "country blues" for folk music audiences around the globe. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were once ubiquitous, and as such tended to be taken for granted in the halcyon days of the 1960s blues rediscoveries. But nearly two decades have passed since the perennial team parted, and the 16 performances here remind us of this superb duo's complementary strengths.

The Miracle

2003 • 13 min • Mexico

A miracle is about to happen, Margarita, like everyone wants to attend, but Alfonso, her husband, believes that everything is a sham.

Informação H. J. Koellreutter

2003 • 15 min • Brazil

Begegnung mit Werner Schroeter

2003 • 11 min

The late German film, theatre and opera director Schroeter is a self-proclaimed dinosaur from another age when people dreamed of ultimate freedom in film". Filmmaker Treut visits him on the set of his feature "DEUX" in Paris, and in Düsseldorf during the production of the opera "Norma". World premiere: FCMM October 2003. Screened at International Documentary Filmfestival Thessaloniki March 2004. Currently on the international filmfest circuit.

Realising The Deer Hunter

2003 • 23 min • United States of America

A documentary Interview with The Deer Hunter director Michael Cimino.

Lamb of God: Terror and Hubris

2003 • 53 min

Behind-the-scenes documentary with Lamb of God, includes interviews with band members and never before seen performance footage.

No Logo

2003 • 42 min

There's a bad mood rising against the corporate brands. No Logo is the warning on the label. In the last decade, No Logo has become a cultural manifesto for the critics of unfettered capitalism worldwide. As the world faces a second economic depression, No Logo's analysis of our corporate and branded world is as timely and powerful as ever. Equal parts cultural analysis, political manifesto, mall-rat memoir, and journalistic exposé, No Logo is the first book to put the new resistance into pop-historical and clear economic perspective. It tells a story of rebellion and self-determination in the face of our new branded world.

Joy to the World

2003 • 25 min • United States of America

Joseph and a pregnant Mary travel to Bethlehem for the census and stay in a stable where they prepare for the birth of Christ. Meanwhile, the bugs ride along with Mary and Joseph to search for a new place but find the stable already occupied. They continue their search and eventually wind up back at the stable where they discover the significance of the new baby.

Dan O'Bannon: Crafting Fear

2003 • 15 min

Documentary about Dead & Buried.

Shadow Skill: Secret of the Kurudan Style

2003 • 60 min • Japan

The story takes place in warrior kingdom where a deadly martial art called Shadow Skill is practiced to defend the continued existence of the kingdom. Dreaming of becoming an invincible warrior one day, like the legendary warrior named Scar Face who has defeated 2,000 opponents, the boy named Cau Ban trains hard with his older adopted sister Elle who has mastered Shadow Skill. A deadly combat breaks out when a rouge pack of intruders suddenly assaults the castle to steal a box that contains a secret...

Le Sortilège

2003 • 47 min

Clement, a shy and repressed young man is living on a Caribbean island. Working on the beach, he serves refreshments to the tourists basking in the sun. His shyness and his lack of insurance with girls push him to consult a marabout ...

Noam Chomsky: Distorted Morality

2003 • 55 min • United States of America

In this remarkable documentary, Noam Chomsky offers a riveting but devastating critique of America's current war on terror arguing, in fact, that it is a logistical impossibility for such a war to be taking place. Professor Chomsky presents his reasoning with astonishing and refreshing clarity, drawing from a wealth of historical knowledge and analysis. "Only those who are entirely ignorant of modern history will be surprised by the course of events, or by the justifications that are provided..."

Myth Makers 57: Keff McCulloch

2003 • 60 min • United Kingdom

Keff McCulloch was surrounded by music during his childhood, with both his mother and father having careers in the music business. It was almost pre-ordained for him to follow in his parent’s footsteps… Working with groups around the south coast of England finally resulted in Keff joining Pickity Witch and later The Climax Blues Band and a successful career as a musician. So how did this lead to writing the updated theme music for Doctor Who and incidental music for stories in all three Sylvester McCoy seasons? All this and much more is revealed in this latest Myth Makers hosted by Nicholas Briggs and shot on location in Australia and the UK. In a frank and honest interview, Keff discusses the criticism levelled at him by some fans and shows the humour that carried him through the incredibly pressurised work schedule set him by the Doctor Who production office.

Winter flower

2003 • 15 min • Japan