Birth of Afrobeat

Chasing the Sound

Travel with Major Lazer to Ghana and Nigeria to make the world smaller by making the party bigger. They are collaborating with cutting-edge Afrobeats artists including Mr.Eazi, Efya, Teni, Sarkodie and Amaarae as they explore the culture and history of Africa. Chasing the Sound: Major Lazer, watch now only on YouTube.

Fela Kuti: Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense

A huge influence on world music, Nigerian artist Fela Kuti played many instruments, pioneered afrobeat music and served as a prominent activist for human rights in Africa. This 1984 documentary examines the life and music of the remarkable man. Using his music to raise awareness, Kuti embraced social justice themes. He died in 1997 of complications from AIDS. Footage from his legendary show in Glastonbury, England, is included.

Fela Kuti: Music Is the Weapon

Musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti recorded more than 60 albums to promote the magic of Afrobeat but never lost his political voice as an outspoken critic against widespread government corruption in Nigeria. This documentary examines the role that Fela, dubbed "Black President," played in shedding light on atrocities in his homeland and in promoting the ascent of African music worldwide.

Brincando com Maracatu

Aline Morales is one of the main broadcasters of Maracatu in Toronto. From a meeting with members of Recife's Maracatu Estrela Brilhante Nação, she and her traveling companions reflect deeply on the different aspects of this genre, beyond music.

Fela Kuti: Live at Glastonbury 1984

Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti performs at the 1984 Glastonbury Festival. Originally produced for Arena.

GIMS à Paris la Défense Arena : le concert événement

After becoming the first French-speaking rapper to fill the Stade de France in 2019, Gims has chosen a new arena for an exceptional concert in Europe's largest venue: Paris La Défense Arena. With a career spanning twenty years, eight million albums sold, and billions of streams, Gims is an extraordinary artist, multi-award-winning and adored by more than 25 million fans around the world. In this phenomenal show, which has already attracted 800,000 spectators in France this year, Gims offers a spectacular performance with his timeless hits, such as "Sapés comme jamais," "Bella," and more recently, "Ciel."

Lock Down Love

Lisa, a plus-sized African American woman, concludes that her boyfriend broke up with her because of her weight. Now on quarantine lock down and alone, she will now use the next 40 days to try to lose the weight, in hopes of winning him back.

Awoko 70's

Afrobeat emerged in Lagos, Nigeria in the 1970s. The film follows an Afrobeat tube broadcast, from its early morning studio recording, to selling vinyl records and cassette tapes in town, into the evening where people dance feverishly to the music.

Amazon Music présente Aya Nakamura

Aya Nakamura is set to set the stage ablaze at the Stade de France. Join us for the live stream on May 30 for an unforgettable show headlined by one of the most-streamed French-speaking artists in the world. Get a front-row seat, no matter where you are.

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Immortality and Resurrection For All!

The last film in Vidokle's trilogy on Cosmism is a meditation on the museum as the site of resurrection-a central idea for many Cosmist thinkers, scientists and avant-garde artists. Filmed at the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow Zoological Museum, The Lenin Library, and the Museum of Revolution, the film looks at museological and archival techniques of collection, restoration and conservation as a means of the material restoration of life, following an essay penned by Nikolai Federov on this subject in the 1880s. The film follows a cast comprised of present-day followers of Federov, several actors, artists and a Pharaoh Hound that playfully enact a resurrection of a mummy, a close examination of Malevich's Black Square, Rodchenko's spatial constructions, taxidermied animals, artifacts of the Russian Revolution, skeletons, and mannequins in tableau vivant-like scenes, in order to create a contemporary visualization of the poetry implicit in Federov's writings.

The Last Words of Dutch Schultz

The last words of the gangster Dutch Schultz form the starting point for this animated documentary. The FBI noted these words down on Schultz’ deathbed, in the hope he would betray his colleagues. Here, spoken in the english version by Rutger Hauer, they accompany the sober, pencil drawn animation based on traced (film) images from Schultz’ time: the late 1920s, early 1930s.

From The 50 Yard Line

The 94 minute documentary film “From the 50 Yard Line” presents the football field not only as a sports venue but also as a stage for the marching band. The viewer goes on an exciting adventure through band camp, auditions, the marching season, and the regional and national competitions in 2006. You see the great rewards of disciplined practice, the overlooked technical artistry of the group endeavor, and the important life changing effects of instrumental music education. Another layer delves into the misconceptions about marching band, showing "band nerds" in a whole new light.

A Hero Who Kicks

An interview with actor Dan Zukovic about Hanging Heart (1989)

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee

Aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. And one of the most iconic actors of all time.

Stuttgart Shanghai

A young pair from Stuttgart fly to Shanghai to hop aboard the textile business of his father while she prepares for the birth of their son. A story about the ever more common movement of Germans into the East for professional gain.

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory

Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

Pablo Escobar: Angel or Demon?

Pablo, Angel o Demonio is the untold story of a man who changed our world forever. He created the multinational enterprise of cocaine trafficking and through terror brought a country to its knees, but through altruistic generosity he transformed the lives of his people, the underprivileged.

Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime

A short documentary on Japanese animation featured on the DVD for The Animatrix (2003).