Jacques Désiré Laval - Un homme parmi les autres

Gaëtan Duval, une vie

The Endless Summer

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

Las Hurdes

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)

Megacities

Megacities is a documentary about the slums of five different metropolitan cities.

Dworzec

Kieslowski’s later film Dworzec (Station, 1980) portrays the atmosphere at Central Station in Warsaw after the rush hour.

Gimme Shelter

A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical significance, as it marked the end of an era: the generation of peace and love suddenly became the generation of disillusionment.

Primary

Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.

Dont Look Back

In this wildly entertaining vision of one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Bob Dylan is surrounded by teen fans, gets into heated philosophical jousts with journalists, and kicks back with fellow musicians Joan Baez, Donovan, and Alan Price.

Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked

A behind-the-scenes look at the highly-anticipated two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, featuring interviews with the cast and crew.

Dream Catcher X

A narrative/documentary/experimental hybrid about a man who buys a new technology to record his dreams. Created in December 2023 for the FILMMAKING 1: FUNDAMENTALS final at the University of Pittsburgh.

Code Haneke

Features interviews with two-time Palme d'Or winner Michael Haneke and his key collaborators, alongside excerpts from his films.

Reformisten

Three years in the life of the female Danish imam and feminist Sherin Khankan's life, through ups and downs.

Im Rücken der Geschichte - Die verlorenen Dörfer von Masuren

In September of 2017 German writer and director Daniel Raboldt accompanied a group of German and Polish scientists and students into the woods of Masuria, Poland. The expedition aimed to find traces of the so-called "lost villages", left by the Masurians around 1945 by the end of the Second World War. Today only some of the old graveyards can be found deep in the woods of the beautiful Masurian landscape. The documentary "In the back of history - The lost villages of Masuria" shows the students at their work in the historic archives and in the woods. How conclusive can this kind of historic research be? How much can we really learn by looking through old files or other sources? And what can we learn from the vanishing of the Masurians? Do we face similar problems today? The film dives deep into themes like the rise of nationalism and identity and uncovers the tragic end of a population that was asked one simple question in the early 20th century: Stay or Leave?

Fiddlin'

Sister filmmakers Julie Simone and Vicki Vlasic return to their Appalachian roots to film at the world's oldest Fiddler's Convention. With multiple generations jamming together, Fiddlin' is a love-letter to American roots and the uplifting power of music.

Earth Protectors

For a decade, environmental artist, Anne de Carbuccia has travelled the world, documenting drought, water shortage, plastic-filled oceans, endangered species and cultures through her camera. She states that she ‘wanted to maintain her artistic and sensitive stance as she photographed beautiful imagery, and create a film that is accessible as it attempts to encourage people to contemplate who they are and where they come from’. The filmmaker is inspired by dedicated ‘Earth Protectors’ she meets on the sites of climate disaster and sees a glimpse of hope for the environment.

O Pioneer

An anthem for the past and a love letter to the future, O Pioneer poetically reckons with and redefines the American pioneer. As a blacksmith forges connections, a seamstress hems raw edges, and a hospital chaplain ministers the spirit, three Appalachians endure without repeating the follies of the past.

Of Night and Light: The Story of Iboga and Ibogaine

Tells the astounding unknown story of what might be the aha scientific breakthrough moment of our generation: ibogaine.

The Shepherd and the Bear

High in the French Pyrenees, the reintroduction of wild bears in a traditional shepherding community provokes deep conflict. An aging shepherd struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy becomes obsessed with tracking the bear.

Palmer

The setting of the film was simple and straightforward: the now 77-year-old Friedl vom Gröller asks a (homosexual) escort to do a nude film session, has the man’s fine rib underpants pulled down by her younger accomplice, filmmaker Josephine Ahnelt – who, like a puppeteer, remains hidden behind a wooden wall – and exposes his member. (Dietmar Schwärzler)