Picturing the Obamas

Viewers learn from curators, journalists and art critics about the ways in which the Obamas’ portraits commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery disrupt traditional presidential portraiture and spur museums to reach new audiences. The paintings of the ex-commander in chief and first lady, by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, were revealed to much fanfare at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018. The portraits — which drew record attendance to the Washington art museum — have since traveled the country as part of a nationwide exhibition.

≒ 森山大道

A documentary that follows the life of photographer Daido Moriyama in the present, which has never been revealed before. Even though his charismatic presence has reigned over the world of photography since the late 60’s, his true persona had been hidden behind a veil of mystery, since he had refused any major appearances in front of any media in the past. Follow the charismatic photographer Daido Moriyama as he takes his first digital photos and observe his style of quick snapshots without looking in the finder. His stark and contrasting black and white images symbolize his fervent lifestyle.

Fired Up, Ready to Go

'Fired Up, Ready To Go' follows a number of hopeful and, above all, fanatical grassroots campaigners in New York who are committed to Obama's presidency. A documentary that does not look at Obama's closest associates, but rather at the people on the ground. People who sacrifice a lot to make Obama the first black president of the US.

Collage

Considerations on collage as a cognitive act in artists’ cinema. A pedagogical film adrift: 35mm photographs and other materials collected over the last fifteen years by artist Stefano Miraglia meet a text written by Baptiste Jopeck and the voice of Margaux Guillemard.

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.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Imagraphy

Step inside the minds of 16 international masters of photography. They share stories behind their most iconic images and techniques whilst learning their impressions of our world as seen through their lenses.

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing

Shut Up and Sing is a documentary about the country band from Texas called the Dixie Chicks and how one tiny comment against President Bush dropped their number one hit off the charts and caused fans to hate them, destroy their CD’s, and protest at their concerts. A film about freedom of speech gone out of control and the three girls lives that were forever changed by a small anti-Bush comment

Frans Lanting: The Evolution of LIFE

A dazzling journey through time via the remarkable images of National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting and his epic "LIFE" project, which presents a stunning interpretation of life on Earth, from the Big Bang through the present.

Soviet Bus Stops

“There’s a bus stop I want to photograph.” This may sound like a parody of an esoteric festival film, but Canadian Christopher Herwig’s photography project is entirely in earnest, and likely you will be won over by his passion for this unusual subject within the first five minutes. Soviet architecture of the 1960s and 70s was by and large utilitarian, regimented, and mass-produced. Yet the bus stops Herwig discovers on his journeys criss-crossing the vast former Soviet Bloc are something else entirely: whimsical, eccentric, flamboyantly artistic, audacious, colourful. They speak of individualism and locality, concepts anathema to the Communist doctrine. Herwig wants to know how this came to pass and tracks down some of the original unsung designers, but above all he wants to capture these exceptional roadside way stations on film before they disappear.

Un été à la Garoupe

La Garoupe, a beach in Antibes, in 1937. For one summer, the painter and photographer Man Ray films his friends Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar, Paul Eluard and his wife Nusch, as well as Lee Miller. During these few weeks, love, friendship, poetry, photography and painting are still mixed in the carefree and the creativity specific to the artistic movements of the interwar period.

Aboard Air Force One

Air Force One is a marvel of military engineering. For more than half a century, the presidential fleet of armed jumbo jets has served as a flying fortress for America's commanders-in-chief, carrying them in victory, in shame, and even death. Join us as we take an unprecedented look at the world's most famous aircraft: how it was born, how it has developed over the decades, and the role it has played in historic events, from the death of Kennedy to the 9/11 attacks to a morale-building, surprise Thanksgiving visit to Iraq, and more.

Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency

A fascinating account of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who was both one of America's great presidents and a borderline tyrant. The seventh president shook up the glossy world of Washington, DC with his "common-man" methods and ideals, but also oversaw one of the most controversial events in American history: the forced removal of Indian tribes, including the Cherokees, from their homes.

Four Faces of the Moon

Follow the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. The oral and written history of her family reveals the story — we witness the impact and legacy of the railways, the slaughter of the buffalo and colonial land policies.

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

Boogie Man is a comprehensive look at political strategist, racist, and former Republican National Convention Committee chairman, Lee Atwater, who reinvigorated the Republican Party’s Southern Strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. He mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush and played a key role in the elections of Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Il mio nome è Battaglia

November 8th

In the hours leading up to Donald Trump’s unexpected victory on Election Day 2016, a cross-section of Americans go about their radically different lives: in Washington DC, Hillary Clinton’s Director of Video giddily anticipates a clean victory; in Massachusetts, a married couple who own a small business spar over how quickly Trump would be able to make America great again; in Utah, a Mormon mother canvases for a third party candidate; in West Virginia, a coal miner worries that the election could lead to the loss of his industry; in San Jose, a Mexican American “Dreamer” worries that the election could lead to deportation; in Alabama, a recently exonerated death row inmate celebrates his first time voting in over 30 years; and in Philadelphia, NPR’s Dave Davies follows the news of the day as it unfolds. As the country braces itself for a surprising turn of events, what emerges is a portrait of American democracy in all its chaotic glory.

Retratação

Fernando Lemos, a Portuguese surrealist artist, fled from dictatorship to Brazil in 1952 searching for something better. The movie follows the last moments of his journey and the struggle for the preservation of his legacy, trying to fulfill his last great desire: to be a good dead man.

Responsabilidad empresarial

Images of Argentinian companies and factories in the first light of day, seen from the inside of a car, while the director reads out documents in voiceover that reveals the collusion of the same concerns in the military dictatorship’s terror.

#monalisa

People looking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre – or are they just looking at themselves?