SYSTEM-Stories and Connections to Land and Country

Cecil B. DeMille, l'inventeur du blockbuster

A Day at the Cat Cafe

A documentary about a cat cafe for a film class

Angano... Angano... Tales from Madagascar

Venerable storytellers recount for the camera and their listeners the founding myths of Malagasy culture.

Like It Is

This documentary on the "youth movement" of the late 1960s focuses on the hippie pot smoking/free love culture in the San Francisco Bay area.

Short Stack Live at the Sydney Opera House

In the pinnacle of their Stack Is The New Black national tour, Short Stack play the Sydney Opera House in a sold out mega-show.

Skin Pics

A bold reveal of a rose tattoo opens this 1980 documentary on tattooing in New Zealand. The potted history includes visits to tattoo parlours on K' Road and Hastings, and the studios of industry legends Steve Johnson and Roger Ingerton. Tattooists discuss public stigma, people's reasons for getting inked, and popular designs: sailors, serpents, swallows and tā moko. Made for documentary slot Contact, Skin Pics chronicles a time when "folk art has become high art".

Signatures of the Soul

Tattooing — "the world's oldest skin game" — is the subject of this iconic documentary. Writer/director Geoff Steven scored a major coup by signing Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda as his presenter. Travelling to Aotearoa, Samoa, Japan and the United States, the doco traces key developments in tattooing, including its importance in the Pacific, prison-inspired styles, and the influence of 1960s counterculture. Legendary tattooists feature (including Americans Ed Hardy and Jack Rudy), while the closing credits parade some eye-opening full body tattoos.

Raja, rai

Five residents of a tiny village in Catalonia decide to make a report on the drought it is suffering from. A group of young filmmakers accompany them for a day.

The Ocean of Tears

The Ocean of Tears is a 2012 Kashmiri short Directed by Billal A Jan documentary film produced by Rajiv Mehrota under the banner of Public Service Broadcasting Trust of India. The film is a documentary of the crimes and human rights violations impositioned on the people of Kashmir especially on women.

Something in the Water

Something in the Water explores the rock phenomenon that is music in WA. How can the most isolated city in the world have exploded with so many successful bands over the years? Across decades and genres, Something in the Water asks "what is responsible for the sparkling talent pool?"

It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures

A 60-minute salute to American International Pictures. Entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff founded AIP (then called American Releasing Corporation) on a $3000 loan in 1954 with his partner, James H. Nicholson, a former West Coast exhibitor and distributor. The company made its mark by targeting teenagers with quickly produced films that exploited subjects mainstream films were reluctant to tackle.

Zombies: When the Dead Walk

Zombies are part of pop culture, but what are they? Where do they come from? To find real zombies we visit Haiti where Zombies are an integral part of the island's cultural and religious roots.

Neither live nor die in Tashkent

Chronicles of the cultural life of Tashkent (2007 – 2015). From the murder of Mark Weil to the wedding of Alisher Usmanov. Tashkent Biennale, apartment buildings, video art festival, conversations about nothing, amateur performances and operational shooting, advertising and much more. Tashkent, which no longer exists, just as these people are no longer in it.

Grandmother of Russian Feminism

Portrait of a typical European feminist - Olga Lipovskaya (1954-2021), journalist, translator, poet, founder of the women's non-profit organization St. Petersburg Center for Gender Issues (an educational and resource center for women and women's organizations), editor of the samizdat magazine Women's Reading.

A Greater Chance

Upon learning of his father's terminal illness diagnosis, a young, autistic, hearing-impaired artist travels back to Taiwan with a filmmaker to make a film in his honour.

Alhambra, the treasure of the last sultanate of Spain

The Alhambra is a unique site in the world: a palatial city built between the 13th and 15th centuries by the last of the Muslim kingdoms of Spain. It is the ultimate demonstration of the talents of a people condemned by the Reconquista.

The Philip Experiment

Inspired by an experiment from 1972, a team of paranormal researchers led by an unscrupulous documentary filmmaker try to summon the ghost of a fictional character.

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.

Festivity in the Sella

Documentary short film that shows what the International Descent of the Sella (Asturias), one of the most famous canoeing events in the world, was like then. It also covers the festival, celebrations and traditions that surround "les piragües".

Limbo

Documentary explores the life stages of different people.