The Dinosaur and the Baby

My Journey Through French Cinema

2016

Famous French director Tavernier tells us about his fantastic voyage through the cinema of his country.

Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul

1993

An insider's account of Jack Warner, a founding father of the American film industry. This feature length documentary provides the rags to riches story of the man whose studio - Warner Bros - created many of Hollywood's most classic films. Includes extensive interviews with family members and friends, film clips, rare home movies and unique location footage.

Hitler's Hollywood

2017

Film journalist and critic Rüdiger Suchsland examines German cinema from 1933, when the Nazis came into power, until 1945, when the Third Reich collapsed. (A sequel to From Caligari to Hitler, 2015.)

Die Zeit meines Lebens - Dirty Dancing in Ost und West

2022

In 1987, a small film distributor from Frankfurt/Main brings the film "Dirty Dancing" to West German cinemas against all negative odds. The film becomes the hit of the year, in complete contrast to France, where foreign films have a hard time against the local film landscape.

"Auf der Alm da gibt's koa Sünd" - Die Erotikfilme der 1960er, -70er und -80er Jahre

2024

In the 1960s, the film production company Lisa Film, headed by Karl Spiehs, ushered in a new era in German film: the erotic film. This period, characterized by change and openness, produced numerous successful films that had a lasting impact on the genre in Germany and captivated audiences.

Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow

2019

The adventurous life of Natacha Rambova (1897-1966), an American artist, born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy, who reincarnated herself countless times: false Russian dancer, silent film actress, scenographer and costume designer, writer, spiritist, Egyptologist, indefatigable traveler, mysterious and curious; an amazing 20th century woman who created the myth of Rudolph Valentino.

Omnibus: François Truffaut

1973

Counter Shot: Departure of the Filmmakers

2008

Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic

2004

Documentary about the legendary American film director from his introduction to the film industry in its early years to his death in 1959.

In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema

2007

This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race movies” exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. Filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. left a lasting influence on black filmmakers, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen.

Akira Kurosawa: My Life in Cinema

1993

Nagisa Oshima interviews Akira Kurosawa, leading him to share his thoughts about filmmaking, his life and works, and numerous anecdotes relating to his films and his various film activities.

Bresson: Without a Trace

1965

An episode of the television program Cinéastes de notre temps in which the director gives his first on-camera interview.

Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials

1965

A behind-the-scenes documentary about director Michelangelo Antonioni as he's shooting his segment of The Three Faces, a vehicle for Soraya, the former empress of Persia. Featuring interviews with Monica Vitti, Tonino Guerra and more.

Cinéastes de notre temps : Max Ophuls ou la ronde

1965

A 1965 episode of the French television program Cinéastes de notre temps, featuring interviews with many of film director Max Ophuls’s collaborators

Afro Promo

1997

Co-curated by Jenni Olson and the late Black gay activist Karl Knapper, this entertaining showcase of vintage movie trailers traces the evolution of African American cinema through its most crucial period, 1952-1976. Filled with insights on race and social dynamics, this fascinating compendium of coming attractions explores an extensive range of stylistic approaches—Blaxploitation, Comedy, Music Bio, Plantation Drama and more—offering an outrageous joyride through motion picture history. Beyond mere camp, these marvelously condensed gems crystallize a range of African American identities and personalities, tracking the meteoric careers of Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Pam Grier and others through their bold performances in movies both hugely popular and practically forgotten. Afro Promo provides a compact glimpse at the representation of African Americans through twenty-five dynamic years of American cinema history.