Portrait of Penge

The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism

Taking its lead from French artists like Renoir and Monet, the American impressionist movement followed its own path which over a forty-year period reveals as much about America as a nation as it does about its art as a creative power-house. It’s a story closely tied to a love of gardens and a desire to preserve nature in a rapidly urbanizing nation. Travelling to studios, gardens and iconic locations throughout the United States, UK and France, this mesmerising film is a feast for the eyes. The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism features the sell-out exhibition The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement, 1887–1920 that began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and ended at the Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Scale Model

MAQUETTE is an excursion into the world of dance and other cultural activities in Toulon: “There is a film that I didn’t complete. I shot it in Châteauvallon with a dance group called Artefact. A rough cut of it exists entitled MAQUETTE, but that’s all I did with it.”

Roundhay Garden Scene

The earliest surviving motion-picture film, and believed to be one of the very first moving images ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken on paper-based photographic film in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince’s son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. Roundhay Garden Scene is often associated with a recording speed of around 12 frames per second and runs for about 2 to 3 seconds.

Den store aktion

Lessons from the Air

Behind-the-scenes documentary about the making and broadcasting of pedagogical radio shows on the BBC.

Carmencita

The first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera and possibly the first woman to appear in a motion picture within the United States. In the film, Carmencita is recorded going through a routine she had been performing at Koster & Bial's in New York since February 1890.

Electronic Awakening

A documentary following the conscious evolution of electronic music culture and the spiritual movement that has awakened within.

Nahel, un an après : la révolte étouffée

A Chair Fit for an Angel

For two hundred years, the Shakers have been America's most successful utopian society. While seeking harmony, order and perfection in every aspect of their lives, they built minimalistic furniture and buildings that influenced modern design. The Shakers wrote songs of exquisite beauty and danced to the point of ecstasy during their religious meetings. Inspired by this music and dance, choreographer Tero Saarinen created Borrowed Light, a dance piece about communal life and individual sacrifice. Shot in Finland and the United States, featuring interviews and excerpts from Borrowed Light, this documentary explore the cultural legacy of this religious group devoted to creating heaven on earth.

Stepping

Stepping is a dance form that can be found across the country at virtually every college with a substantial African American enrollment. Stepping is performed informally during parties as well as more formally during organized step shows. This film explores this tradition, its historical roots as well as its contemporary forms, styles and uses, to understand how students construct various levels of identity through this dance form…African American identity, fraternity or sorority identity, gendered identity and personal identity. The film goes behind the scenes with the Alpha Phi Alphas as they prepare for a step show that is only a few hours away. Cutting between this show and interviews with current and past steppers as well as footage from previous shows, the film provides a broad picture of this vibrant and dynamic dance form.

To Be and to Have

The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.

Two Monkeys

An independent documentary focusing on the Blue Monkey and New Monkey nightclubs in Sunderland. The dawn of the rave scene in the late 80s and early 90s changed the face of music forever and left a legacy that still continues to this day. Hear the stories of those who lived through it and were involved in the North East scene at the beggining. From raid to ruins, we shed light on the rise and fall of the Blue Monkey and New Monkey nightclubs investigating the music and the controversy that came with the all night rave clubs.

The ABCs of Book Banning

In recent years, more than 2,500 books have been removed from school districts around the US, labeled as banned, restricted, or challenged, and made unavailable to millions of students. By no accident, the themes targeted are the usual scapegoats of the American Right—LGBTQ+ issues, Black History, and women’s empowerment—impeding the power of future generations to develop their own thoughts and opinions on critical social issues. By weaving together a lyrical montage of young readers and authors, THE ABCs OF BOOK BANNING reveals the voices of the impacted parties, and inspires hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

Madonna: Truth or Dare

From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.

LSD-25

The dangers of LSD are driven home to teenagers in this classroom training film, which is "narrated" by an LSD tab. The "tab" tells kids that he is "a depth charge in the mind!" and various teenagers are shwn babbling about their LSD experiences. "Experts" are presented who warn that LSD makes kids "paint themselves green" and has various other horrible side effects, the most serious of which is that it gives users a police record, and that there is "no known way of getting your fingerprints out of a police file once they're in there."

Living Stars

In this documentary, Argentinians dance to their favourite hits.

Cuban Dancer

Alexis, a talented and proud student of the National Ballet School of Cuba, spends his life practicing chassé and entrechats with his girlfriend and dance partner Yelenia. However, when his family moves to Florida to be reunited with his sister, he must adjust his expectations and dreams to a radically new environment. Alexis, facing rejection and homesick for his native Cuba, feels lost and alone. He must find his way in the world of American ballet while remaining faithful to his roots.

Bobbi Jene

A love story, portraying the dilemmas and inevitable consequences of ambition. It is a film about a woman's fight for independence, a woman trying to succeed with her own art in the extremely competitive world of dance.

Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour

With the coveted glitter ball trophy once again up for grabs, how will series winner Chris Hollins fare against other celebrity favourites - including Austin Healey, Kelly Brook, Mark Ramprakash, Ali Bastian, and Natalie Cassidy? As they take to the stage alongside their professional partners including; Kristina Rihanoff, James and Ola Jordan, Brian Fortuna, Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite, in brand new breathtaking outfits and daring routines. They will need to impress judges; Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Arlene Philips. Who as always, are ready with quips, banter and razor-sharp observations!

Appalachian Spring

A filmed version of Aaron Copland's most famous ballet, with its original star, who also choreographed.