Peng. Von Augenblick und Ewigkeit

Hermitage: The Power of Art

The Man Who Looked Beyond the Horizon

More than 40 years ago, Bas Jan Ader decided to go on an adventure. In a tiny sailing boat, the Dutchman set sail across the ocean. Nine months later the boat was found adrift at sea. There was no sign of Ader. It’s a story that has always fascinated filmmaker Martijn Blekendaal, not just because of the disappearance itself, but also because of the entire mystery that surrounds it. Blekendaal embarks on an investigation that follows his footsteps to Hollywood. It turns out that, in order to understand what drove this man to his fateful voyage, the filmmaker has to overcome his fear of looking beyond his own horizon. In a whirlwind montage of images jumping from one time, place and person to another, Blekendaal shows us that Bas Jan left behind something more special than just a mystery.

Art is More Precious Than a Hot Dog

"Art is more precious than a hot dog" - Francis Picabia's (1879-1953) pamphlet is the title of this color animation of Cartsen Regild's art and the studio recording in black and white.

A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil

A Lake of the Isles homeowner and a Minneapolis chainsaw sculptor shape meaning (and a twenty foot tall pencil) from the twisted trunk of a fallen oak tree. But this pencil isn’t meant to last. Every year, thousands gather to sacrifice a part of the pencil in a sharpening ceremony, and in the process renew the collective promise to “do something.”

The Grapes of Wrath: The Ghost of Modern America

In April 1939, "Grapes of Wrath" entered the pantheon of literature with a bang. Americans are at loggerheads over the odyssey of the Joad family, tenant farmers from Oklahoma who, like thousands of others, were driven from their land during the Great Depression. Eighty years have passed since the famous work was published, and 90 years since the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. To mark this occasion, the documentary examines the genesis of the novel, its themes, its renewed reception during the financial crisis of 2008.

Once Upon a Time... "Loveless"

A documentary about the Russian movie "Loveless" by Andrey Zvyagintsev

The Thought Of Art

Research and dissemination documentary-film about contemporary art in which more than 30 staff members of museums and galleries, visual and sound artists, collectors, art critics and curators share their knowledge and give an account of their experiences and anecdotes.

Behind the Artist: Andy Warhol, an American Prophet

This documentary cracks open the meticulously constructed façade of Andy Warhol, exposing the complex figure behind the soup cans and Marilyns. Director Tania Goldenberg traces the transformation of Andrew Warhola, a shy, churchgoing son of Pittsburgh immigrants, into the silver-wigged icon who redefined modern celebrity while deliberately maintaining a lifelong mask. Behind the iconic person...

Two in One: The Briscoe Story

Mark Briscoe and the Pugh family share the story of how The Briscoe brothers built a dynasty over a 20+ year career filled with barbed wire, love, and tragedy.

National Gallery of Art: A Treasury of Masterpieces

The artistic treasures of the National Gallery of Art are beautifully explored.This video is ideal for anyone who desires a lasting portrayal of this glorious art museum.

The Doors of Perception

Francisco Esteves, an elevator technician, lives between routine and a quiet passion for art. Inspired by the music of The Doors, he reflects on the paths not taken and the dreams that still drive him, in a constant search for meaning and freedom.

The Writer Who Hated the Swedish Language

A documentary about Antti Jalava, a Swedish-Finnish writer who was among the first to write about the immigrant experience in Sweden.

Soleil noir

Because I Have To

SYSTEMIC NODE

A documentary diptych made during my internship at Secant Space in Istanbul: the first part focuses on Eléonore Varone, curator and director of Secant Space, and the second on the space itself. Though the two parts differ narratively, the diptych explores shared themes of independence, networks, and the sense of value within the market.

Beat of distant hearts (the art of revolution in Western Sahara)

Nearly 200,000 Saharawi refugees live in the barren desert of southwestern Algeria. A former nomadic society, the Saharawis, who have been under Spanish colonial rule for 90 years, were forced to flee their homeland when Morocco was invaded in 1975. Against all odds, they have sought to keep their culture alive while carrying on their fight to gain the independence of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa. Through the lives and works of poets, singers and painters, Beat of Distant Hearts explores their collective experience of exile, loss and war and offers insight into how these art forms have played a role in the ongoing struggle.

Video: The New Wave

The New Wave is the seminal compendium of independent video work in the early 1970s. Written and narrated by Brian O'Doherty, this overview of the emerging video field includes examples of guerrilla television and "street" documentaries, early explorations with image-processing and synthesis, and performance video. This historical anthology includes excerpts of tapes by the following video pioneers: Stephen Beck and Warner Jepson, Peter Campus, Douglas Davis, Ed Emshwiller, Bill Etra, Frank Gillette, Don Hallock, Joan Jonas, Richard Serra, Paul Kos, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, Willard Rosenquist, Dan Sandin, James Seawright, Steina Vasulka, TVTV, Stan Vanderbeek and William Wegman.

Munch 150

Many know Munch as the man who painted The Scream, but his complete works are remarkable and secure his place as one of the world's great artists. Munch 150 goes behind the scenes to show some of the process of putting the exhibition together - as well as touring Norway to provide an in-depth biography of a man who lived from the mid-19th century right through to the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War.

Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

Nicknamed “Architect to the Stars,” African American architect Paul R. Williams had an incredible life. Orphaned at the age of four, Williams grew up to build mansions for movie stars and millionaires in Southern California. From the early 1920s until his retirement 50 years later, Williams was one of the most successful architects in the country. His clients included Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. His name is associated with icons like the Beverly Hills Hotel, the original MCA Headquarters Building and LAX Airport. But at the height of his career Paul Williams wasn’t always welcome in the restaurants and hotels he designed or the neighborhoods where he built homes, because of his race. “Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story” tells the compelling, but little known story, of how he used talent and perseverance to beat the odds and create a body of work that can be found from coast to coast.

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History

Handbook of Movie Theaters’ History is a documentary about the history, the development in the present days and the future of movie theaters in the city of Turin, Italy. It mixes the documentary language with comedy and fiction, and is enriched by interviews to some of the most important voices of Turin cinematography. The film follows the evolution of movie theaters by enlightening its main milestones: the pre-cinema experiences in the late 19th Century, the colossals and the movie cathedrals of the silent era, the arthouse theaters, the National Museum of Cinema, the Torino Film Festival, the movie theaters system today and the main hypothesis about its future.