
15 Dec 2016

China's Van Goghs
An intimate portrait of a peasant-turned oil painter transitioning from making copies of iconic Western paintings to creating his own authentic works of art.
The film approaches the work of the Greek artist Nikos Koniaris. The particular way in which the painter depicts human suffering is presented through a film - a hybrid of real recording and directed material. The grief, the sick body, is reflected in self portraits, portraits of dying strangers and paintings of dead models. The paintings, apart from his work, also express a different version of himself. All together contribute to the depiction of man as a "garment of pain".
Artist's Model
15 Dec 2016
An intimate portrait of a peasant-turned oil painter transitioning from making copies of iconic Western paintings to creating his own authentic works of art.
09 Nov 2010
Is there an audience for Latin American movies? These are some of the questions posed by an Ecuadorian filmmaker whose latest movie was a commercial flop. He embarks on a query to find answers to his questions and relief for his despair. His research leads him to a giant contraband market in the port city of Guayaquil, where pirated movies from all over the world are sold for one dollar each. Here, he discovers a number of Ecuadorian low budget movies produced by amateurs, with titles he had never heard of before: from action packed productions to evangelical melodramas.
25 Nov 2020
A reflection on the concept of pain through an immersive flow of images and words.
06 Oct 2017
When Werner Herzog was still a child, his father was beaten to death before his eyes. His mother was overwhelmed with his upbringing and thereupon shipped him off to one of the toughest youth welfare institutions in Freistatt. This was followed by a career as a bouncer in the city's most notorious music club and an attempt to start a family. Today, the 77-year-old from Bielefeld lives with his dog Lucky in a lonely house in the country. Despite adverse living conditions, he has survived in his own unique and inimitable way.
03 Mar 2007
This documentary brings alive a remarkable artist’s passionate journey through a turbulent century. Both epic and surprisingly intimate, the film presents a classic American immigrant saga, an inspiring search for artistic independence, and a great romance. Along the way, Biberman's growing commitment to social justice and struggle against McCarthy-era repression (his brother, director Herbert Biberman, went to prison as one of The Hollywood Ten) combine with his efforts to create both a loving family life and a groundbreaking body of work. With its grand scope, rich personalities, and vast array of breathtaking artwork, Brush With Life connects us in a deeply personal way to a brilliant artist who lived by the same high standards he set for his paintings.
01 Jan 2018
We admire beauty; we recoil from bodies that are marred, disfigured, different. Didier Cros’ moving, intimate film forces us to question what underlies our notions of beauty as we join a talented photographer taking stunning portraits of several people with profound visible scars which have dictated certain elements of their lives but have not come to define their humanity. The subjects' perceptions of themselves are dynamic, unexpected, and even heartwarming. This is an unforgettable journey to be shared with the world.
25 Jun 2013
“Even in hell, I would still paint.” Dimitris Andrianopoulos paints relentlessly. However, he refuses to sell his artwork, he doesn’t exhibit and he signs his wife’s name. On his 79th birthday he agrees to open up the door to his painting and share his art and thoughts in a documentary film. Over a period of 12 months, the camera records the microcosm of his colors and his life. The film follows his wanderings in search of answers regarding the relationship between the artist and his work, the difficulty of parting with his works, the mystery of inspiration and the unfathomable influence of the unknown
25 Mar 1997
The film is just this kind wandering through the personal ways and whys of different kinds of pain in different kinds of people. The film searches through the many levels of pain and finds it in its unique position between disaster and pleasure. Pain is..thus plunges us instantly into the midst of controversy and the unknown.
01 Jan 2007
Chuck Close, an astounding portrait of one of the world's leading contemporary painters, was one of two parting gifts (her second is a film on Louise Bourgeois) from Marion Cajori, a filmmaker who died recently, and before her time. With editing completed by filmmaker Ken Kobland, Chuck Close lives the life and work of a man who has reinvented portraiture. Close photographs his subjects, blows up the image to gigantic proportions, divides it into a detailed grid and then uses a complex set of colors and patterning to reconstruct each face.
26 Jan 2013
The real story about the camel ride around Mallorca, that journalist Miguel Vidal and painter Gustavo Peñalver did in 1964. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. This is one of them.
03 Apr 2017
Raphael: The Lord of the Arts is a documentary about the 15th century Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio.
11 May 2017
A visual journey into the life and legacy of one of Australia's most celebrated artists, Brett Whiteley.
09 Nov 2019
Mike Tyson escaped a life of poverty and petty crime to make a name for himself, becoming the youngest Heavyweight Champion of the World and a household name—but his rise was followed by a very public fall. In this remarkably candid portrait, the boxer addresses his controversial past, including the rape charge that sent him to prison and his struggles with substance abuse, while also detailing his ultimate recovery and comeback.
29 Sep 2023
While struggling to understand his place as a second generation Jordanian–born Palestinian, Abood's uncle returns from Canada with stories of his youth as a refugee following the Naksa. Soon after, and with his uncle's stories fresh in his mind, Abood finds himself lost in the streets of Amman, where he meets a young stranger who offers to guide him home as she shares her thoughts on the country, the people, and her identity as a Palestinian living in Jordan.
01 Jan 2008
A young working class Baltimore man spends 10 years on a single portrait, believing it is his means to fame and fortune. But he also believes that only one man can lead him there---the famous artist David Hockney. What happens when you finally meet the god of your own making?
01 Jan 2001
The Victorian era is often cited for its lack of sexuality, but as this documentary reveals, the period's artists created a strong tradition surrounding the classical nude figure, which spread from the fine arts to more common forms of expression. The film explains how 19th-century artists were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works to highlight the naked form, and how that was reflected in the evolving cultural attitudes toward sex.
01 Jan 1976
Interview with artist Jan Håfström about his art.
01 Jan 1977
Interview with the Swedish artist John E. Franzén.
12 Sep 2013
Piel dolor (Skin Pain) explains how power is structurally sustained in violence. Its nature and the relationships it establishes in society are based more on the imposition and use of force than on building consensus, dialogue, and respect for diversity. In that sense, power is a behavior that seeks dominance through force and man as a gender, becomes an instrument of violence that is exercised against the weakest. Extinguishing the socially constructed violence means eliminating the current power and its historical sustenance, questioning the source of origin, religion, ideology, the system and its values. Is that utopia possible?
22 Sep 2006
Jackass Number Two is a compilation of various stunts, pranks and skits, and essentially has no plot. Chris Pontius, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, and the whole crew return to the screen to raise the stakes higher than ever before.