Christophe

It is 1 p.m. on June 30, 1982, when Christophe Profit, 24, shows up at the foot of Les Drus with his pof bag, his climbing shoes and nothing else. He will try the west face of Les Drus in "solo", in the Mont Blanc massif by "Directe Américaine", 1100 meters of vertical and smooth rock. Christophe will achieve the feat of climbing the wall in free solo, without using a rope or any belaying technique. At 4:10 p.m., barely more than three hours after the start of his ascent, the new climbing star can embrace the Virgin of the Drus at the same time as the career of a high-level mountaineer. Three years later, on July 25, 1985, he climbed the north faces of the Matterhorn, the Eiger and the Jorasses in the same day. Awarded at many mountain film festivals, this great documentary is a magnificent testimony to one man's passion for climbing, the mountains and adventure.

Rotpunkt

Rotpunkt documents the advent, the agony and the art of the redpoint through Alex Megos’s efforts to redefine the boundaries of the form. The film traces the redpoint—which transformed rock climbing from an engineering problem into a brilliant test of mental and physical strength—from its origins with a ragtag bunch of tights-wearing revolutionaries in rural Bavaria, to its golden era with Wolfgang Güllich, to its new ideal in the German phenom Megos as he battles to unlock new levels of human potential.

The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting

“La Zerda and the songs of oblivion” (1982) is one of only two films made by the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar, with “La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua” (1977). Powerful poetic essay based on archives, in which Assia Djebar – in collaboration with the poet Malek Alloula and the composer Ahmed Essyad – deconstructs the French colonial propaganda of the Pathé-Gaumont newsreels from 1912 to 1942, to reveal the signs of revolt among the subjugated North African population. Through the reassembly of these propaganda images, Djebar recovers the history of the Zerda ceremonies, suggesting that the power and mysticism of this tradition were obliterated and erased by the predatory voyeurism of the colonial gaze. This very gaze is thus subverted and a hidden tradition of resistance and struggle is revealed, against any exoticizing and orientalist temptation.

Raï Story: From Cheikha Rimitti to Cheba Djenet

Raï Story is a musical journey in search of the Raï legend, Cheikha Remitti, in Oran, Algeria, where the Raï musical tradition began. In 1923, the first Raï singers performed behind screens during ceremonies to protect their identity. It was only when the music of singer Cheikha Remitti began to gain popularity among the general public that Raï music was made public, in the 1940s. Cheikha Remitti, who lives between Paris and Oran, is nowhere to be found, the filmmakers then decide to meet producers, musicians, singers like Cheba Dalila or Cheba Djenet, for whom Remitti created a wake. The opportunity, through these unique stories, illustrated with archive images, to retrace the important place of women in this musical tradition and the transformation of Raï music from the 1960s to 2000.

Cervin 1865, une première tragique

The first ascent of the Matterhorn was made on July 14, 1865 by Edward Whymper, Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson, Douglas Hadow, Michel Croz and two guides from Zermatt, Peter Taugwalder father and son. Douglas, Hudson, Hadow and Croz are killed on the descent after Hadow slips and drags the other three men down the north face. Whymper and the two Taugwalders, who survive, are later accused of having cut the rope that connected them to the rest of the group so as not to be dragged into the fall, but the ensuing investigation finds no evidence of their guilt and they are acquitted. The Matterhorn is the last great peak in the Alps to be conquered and its ascent marks the end of the golden age of mountaineering. One hundred and fifty years later, a team undertakes the same expedition in order to unravel the mystery.

Les Mains Libres

In 1964, Algeria, just two years after the end of the war of independence, found itself catapulted into new contradictions, a still rural territory which responded to the modernity brought by the revolution. Filmed during the winter of 1964-1965 by the young director Ennio Lorenzini, it is the first international Algerian production which paints a rare portrait in color of a multifaceted nation, far from the simplistic vision created by the press and the French army. Produced by Casbah Film, Les Mains Libres (initially titled Tronc De Figuier) bears witness to the stigmata of colonization and the future of free Algeria throughout the Algerian territory and reveals the richness of its landscapes and the diversity of its traditions . The documentary, using the aesthetics of militant cinema of the time, is made up of four scenes: Sea and Desert, The Struggle, The Earth, Freedom.

Dans les pas du Groupe

First in Line

A screen adaptation of the well-known novel by Roger Frison-Roche about the harsh lives of mountain guides and their families in the French Alps, near Chamonix and the French/Swiss/Italian borders... Like his father, Zian Servettaz is a dedicated mountain man. His Italian-born wife Bianca does not adjust well to his mountain village in France, and to the ever life-threatening dangers presented by his mountain guiding and climbing. She briefly returns to Italy and to her family. However, after Zian's insistence and trip to Italy, she returns to mountain life in the French Alps. Once back there, events will unfold, changing their lives as well as those of other mountain people forever.

Les Piliers Du Rêve

On the Thessalian plateau, a place famous in ancient Greek history, enormous and steep rocks rise, almost representing an epic clash of giants. In this mystical environment, Meteora once served as an aerial refuge for hermits and then for nuns of strict orders, who, renouncing the world, lived in the celestial peace of the peaks. This area is today a silent and fantastical climbing site, and some caves carved into the rock face remain inaccessible. Mountaineer Patrick Berhault and his French partner Patrick Cordier, one of the classic leaders of modern climbing, have set out to conquer these peaks steeped in history, which will never cease to be "The Pillars of Dreams."

El Ouafi Boughera, The marathon runner of history

On August 5, 1928, after 2 hours and 32 minutes of racing, the 71st rooster wearing the bib entered the Olympic stadium in Amsterdam. Ahmed El Ouafi Bouguéra wins the gold medal and becomes the first Olympic champion from the African continent. He achieved his feat under the tricolor flag. The start of his real marathon is underway. The history of sport extends to the history of Algeria and France. This documentary retraces the different stages of the life of this great champion, not only the history of sport but also the great story. Archival photographs and interviews mingle with the painted paintings. The series thus once again gives voice to this forgotten hero, one of the great heroes of immigration who defended France for more than a century.

Passion Extrême

Aleph

Structured as a labyrinth-like game and inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, Aleph is a travelogue of experience, a dreamer's journey through the lives, experiences, stories and musings of protagonists spanning ten countries and five continents.

To the Limit

At the Limit is a documentary about extreme climbing. In this sports documentary, Pepe Danquart shows brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber climbing in Patagonia and on the granite rock "El Capitan" in Yosemite Valley (USA). A key part of the film is their attempt at a speed ascent of the 1,000-meter-high route "The Nose," in which the two athletes aim to break the then speed record of 2:48:30 hours, set by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama in September 2002.

Le Dernier Voyage de Patrick Edlinger

Stars at Noon

Les Etoiles de Midi is an engaging docudrama about some of the more spectacular exploits of French mountain climbers over the last several decades. In one re-enacted story, there is a wartime escape through the mountains, and in another, a daring rescue of a pair of climbers who had been missing. The actors themselves are adept at the sport of climbing, and they give the scenes an immediacy and real daring that brings the stories alive. A combination of their acrobatics and skill and the outstanding episodes in the history of French climbing creates a winning 78 minutes.

How Much I Love You

Beginning with a promotional reel encouraging farming investments in Algeria and ending with the secret 1950s nuclear tests that France conducted using Algerian prisoners, How Much I Love You appropriates archival footage produced by the French colonial powers in Algeria. Meddour’s approach is disarmingly simple and yet awe-inspiring—his caustic undoing of colonial discourse is underscored by a liberating release of humor.

Dawn of the Damned

This excellent feature-length documentary - the story of the imperialist colonization of Africa - is a film about death. Its most shocking sequences derive from the captured French film archives in Algeria containing - unbelievably - masses of French-shot documentary footage of their tortures, massacres and executions of Algerians. The real death of children, passers-by, resistance fighters, one after the other, becomes unbearable. Rather than be blatant propaganda, the film convinces entirely by its visual evidence, constituting an object lesson for revolutionary cinema.

Partition Libre - Sur Les Traces De Patrick Berhault

Dying for Everest

On 15 May, 2006, double amputee Mark Inglis reached the summit of Mt Everest. It was a remarkable achievement and Inglis was feted by press and public alike. But only a few days later he was plunged into a storm of controversy when it was learned that he had passed an incapacitated climber, Englishman David Sharp, leaving him to a lonely end high in the Death Zone.

Masters of Stone VI - Breakthrough

Once again, Masters of Stone breaks through to the cutting edge of the sport. Harder, Faster, Bolder, Newer, and more...six points of breakthrough in all.... where human edges toward the superhuman. This is the Super Bowl, Olympics, and Boston Marathon of rock climbing, all rolled into one. More than any other sport, rock climbing continually redefines its rules and resets its limits. Yesterday's impossible becomes today's warm-up as advances in mental and physical mastery combine to break new ground. Every few years the Masters of Stone series delivers a new episode that captures these breakthroughs in a tasty mix of music, character, commentary, and above all, visual action.

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

An Iranian filmmaker participates in a series of video calls with a young Palestinian photojournalist who describes her life confined in Gaza during the current regional conflict.

Una película póstuma

A city man receives a call from the woman he loved and embarks on a clandestine journey to reunite with her in an outlaw community settled on the top of a mountain. Two successive guides take him to his destination: the reunion with a story that he has not been able to forget.

Canned

An unhinged vocal coach and his dysfunctional staff struggle to keep the dying art of canned laughter alive.

Straight Through Crew

It's Christmas Eve and a group of friends prepare to attend a village rave. However, dynamics are challenged when substances and feelings collide.

Oseyi and the Masqueraders

Oseyi, an eight-year-old boy, lives in the village of Colihaut, in Dominica, which is the home of a particular masquerade/carnival art-form/African Retention known as the Bann Mové.

#0. sisocisP

"[An] experiment that aims to highlight the number of shots of a specific scene [from Hitchcock's Psycho] by replacing the shot of the image with several of the credit titles from the same film [...] An early work, which would be the first official of Pinent's filmography, made when he was only 16 years old, [...] Two years away from Matthias Müller's 'found footage' reference work, 'Home Stories' (1990), a key piece in the genre." -Center de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona

Light Years

Macarena (8) and Perla (6), two sisters, whom after the sudden death of their parents, embark on a journey in search of Virgin Mary in an attemp to bring them back. The physical and emotional journey of both sisters reaches a new meaning when Macarena finds herself confronting the acceptance of her new reality.

Bound by Lies

When Detecive Max Garrett is assigned to protect the sultry photographer Laura Cross from a ruthless killer, he has no idea what he's in for. The more involved Garrett gets in the case, the more attracted he is to Cross, but as they get closer, so does the killer.

Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender-In Concert

DVD from 1976, from ALL STARS, with a live concert where tracks were used from 1969, 1970 and 1972.

Marbie, star de Couillu-Les-2-Eglises

Jean Tube (in his forties) is the only butcher in the village of Couillu les 2 Eglises. One evening, during a séance, a woman bursts into his life. Marbie, who admits to being in her forties, is a local artist with a temperament brimming with authenticity and naivety. In short, she caught the eye of the cattle producer, who was convinced he could fulfill his role as a talent scout by propelling his "filly" into showbiz. Of course, the man is aware that he mustn't put the cart before the horse and promises Marbie that he will soon take her away in his carriage, under the starry sky of the Cannes Film Festival.

Immer wenn der Tag beginnt

Dr. Hanna Burkhardt is a teacher by vocation: she is not only interested in teaching the pupils the subject matter, she also wants to be a human support and help them when necessary. The school authorities don't like this at all; in their eyes, she has failed several times. Her last chance is the ninth grade of a grammar school. At first, she has no access to the pupils. Only with Martin, a spoiled but lonely child of divorce, does Hanna develop a genuine relationship of trust. The rest of the class, however, remains dismissive until the day Hans, leader of the class jazz band, dies. His last wish was for the band to play at his grave, which the principal does everything in his power to prevent. Hanna, however, manages to get the class to play at the boy's grave - the ice is broken. Martin's diary, which is found in the school and in which the pupil confesses his love for her, almost becomes the teacher's undoing.

Whiteblood

Rico illegally emigrated with his mother to escape the dangerous drug world, but when his mother contracts cancer, he must dive back into that world to pay for her treatment.

Blackberry

Two young people in their twenties, Lilian and André, decide to escape the dreary holiday season and go to the paradise that is supposed to be Spain. During their aimless journey, the couple naively places their trust in a shady guy named Sylvester. Although he is a little older than the two lovers, Sylvester also tries to give some semblance of meaning to his life by becoming acquainted with the hackneyed myths of our mediatized world: road movies, war games, romantic stories, drift into drugs. By agreeing to play roles based on clichés, the trio are gradually mired in a dangerous conflict over trust and confidence, love and life.

Hot Ice

Winford and his wife Charlotte are criminals, who end up at a remote ski resort, where a rock star named "Diamond Jim" is performing. Winford and Charlotte steal his diamonds, which were kept in a safe behind the hotel's main desk.

Jerry Seinfeld: Submarine Captain

A half-hour look at what Seinfeld did to pull the show together to get season 8 going and what he did behind-the-scenes to substitute for Larry David. Most of the cast and crew discuss what went on behind the scenes of the show as well.

Conspiracy

American Steve Kendall, a freighter's radio officer, discovers seaman Carlson sending an unauthorized message ashore as the ship approaches his war-poised homeland. Carlson is shot in cold blood when he jumps ship and Kendall, implicated in the espionage, swims ashore to avoid arrest. A woman he meets at the dock hides him in her apartment, where he learns Carlson was her brother, and they both work in a sabotage ring. Nedra is a singer at Tio's Cafe, and she approaches Tio for help when both the saboteurs and the secret police try to capture Steve.

Akaash Singh: GASLIT

Akaash Singh comedy special GASLIT