Becoming Who I Was

Angdu is no ordinary boy. Indeed, in a past life he was a venerated Buddhist master. His village already treats him like a saint as a result. The village doctor, who has taken the boy under his wing, prepares him to be able to pass on his wisdom. Alas, Tibet, Angdu’s former homeland and the centre of his faith, lies far away from his current home in the highlands of Northern India. On top of that, the conflict between China and Tibet makes the prospect of a trip there even more daunting. Undeterred by these harsh facts, the duo set off for their destination on foot, accompanied by questions of friendship and the nature of life. With its narrative approach steeped in a serene sense of concentration, this documentary film, composed over a period of eight years, stands as a fundamental experience in its own right.

The Paris Opera

A behind-the-scenes look at the of how the Paris Opera is run under the direction of Stephane Lissner.

Into Great Silence

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

Exit: The Right to Die

Switzerland is presently the only country in the world where suicide assistance is legal. Exit: The Right to Die profiles that nation's EXIT organization, which for over twenty years has provided volunteers who counsel and accompany the terminally-ill and severely handicapped towards a death of their choice.

Picture of Light

A documentary of an expedition to Churchill, Manitoba to film the Northern Lights.

Tibet Les nourritures spirituelles

Zeit der Titanen

Between 1950 and 1966, thousands of men set off into the high mountains of the Valais, into a primitive landscape of rock and ice. Here, they erected a temporary civilization. From here, they blasted the rock beneath the Matterhorn and other towering peaks to dig a 160 km-long labyrinth of tunnels to bring water from 35 glaciers to the world's highest dam: Grande Dixence. Miners and intellectuals such as the writer Maurice Chappaz retraced their steps through this endless black abyss in search of the places where the overcrowded barracks once stood, of which only a few ruins remain today. This is where they surpassed themselves.

Toumast - Entre Guitare et Kalashnikov

In 1996, Kalashnikovs were publicly burnt in Timbuktu. At the time, the "Flame of Peace" symbolized the end of the Touareg rebellion, which had been suppressed in bloody massacres. That year, the rebels laid down their arms. That year, with the government having made promises, the families who had fled abroad left Mauritania, Algeria and Burkina Faso to return home. In the fight for rights and survival waged by this people, who for centuries had found their freedom in one of the world's most inhospitable regions, the Sahara, culture and arms have been in direct competition ever since.

Offshore: Elmer and the Swiss Bank Secrecy

While managers of Swiss banks in the USA ruefully apologize for their tax evasions practices and customer data is disclosed to the American authorities, Rudolf Elmer, former auditor at bank Julius Bär, is indicted for violating the Swiss banking secrecy law on the Cayman Islands. Rudolf Elmer: from insider to critic.

Wheel of Time

Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

David Wants to Fly

A documentary. David Sieveking takes the advice of his idol, David Lynch and tries out Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's transcendental meditation technique.

Magic Radio

Markus Jura Suisse

L'oasis des mendiants

Bear-Like

At the far end of the Alaskan peninsula, for filmmaker Roman Droux a childhood dream comes true. He discovers together with the bear researcher David Bittner the universe of wild grizzlies. The two adventurists face bears at smelling-distance, experience the struggle for survival of a bear family and witness dramatic fighting scenes. Driven by a desire to explore the unknown the film tells a personal story of wilderness, framed in breathtaking pictures of unique creatures.

Genesis 2.0

A well-preserved mammoth carcass is found in the remote New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean, opening up the possibility of a world-changing “Jurassic Park” moment in genetics.

Above and Below

Above and Below is a rough and rhythmic roller coaster ride seating five survivors in their daily hustle through an apocalyptic world. A journey of challenges and beauty in uncomfortable places: Rick & Cindy, Godfather Lalo in the flood channels deep down under the shiny strip of Sin City. Dave in the dry and lonesome Californian desert and April in simulation for a Mars mission in the Utah desert. Through the hustle, the pain and the laughs, we are whisked away to an unfamiliar world, yet quickly discover the souls we encounter are perhaps not that different from our own.

Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

CRAZY WISDOM explores the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism in America through the story of Chögyam Trungpa, who landed in the U.S. in 1970. Trungpa became renowned for translating ancient Buddhist concepts into language and ideas that Westerners could understand and shattered preconceived notions about how an enlightened teacher should behave. Initially rejected, his teachings are now recognized by western philosophers and spiritual leaders as authentic and profound.

Babylon 2

The first film about second-generation Swiss immigrants: A Turkish ice hockey player explains why, in Switzerland, he could only fall in love with an Italian. A young Italian woman explains why she prefers to rap in English. A hip-hop artist with Hispanic origins fights for his political rights and the director reminisces on how, despite his Arabic roots, he's been persecuted as a Jew. Babylon 2 reflects the rise of a new urban culture in Switzerland, which is instigated by the second generation of immigrants and the help of electronic media.

Sounds and Silence - Travels with Manfred Eicher

On the way through a world of sounds and noise – with Manfred Eicher, the oustanding discoverer and mediator of contemporary music and founder of the music label ECM. On this journey we are meeting musicians and composers, but also people and places which are connected with him and with each other. We are encountering stories, landscapes, cities, disputes and hugs, tranquillity, hectic pace, work, self-doubt, joy, passion.

Fire Under the Snow

Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent the next 33 years in prison for the "crimes" of peaceful demonstration and refusal to denounce his apolitical teacher as an Indian spy. He was tortured, starved and sentenced to hard labor. He watched his nation and culture destroyed, his teachers, friends and family displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese occupation. Fire Under the Snow reaches back to Palden's birth in 1933 and follows him through the Orwellian nightmare that began with the Chinese invasion. We cut back and forth between the past and Palden's present as an activist, living in exile. Our P.O.V. becomes a "third eye" hovering over Palden’s current life, haunted by his memories of the past. We explore the escalating cycle of interrogation and physical violation during his years in prison that ended decades later with Palden's escape from Tibet and a cathartic meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

Hunger in Waldenburg

Powerful semi-documentarian depiction of the miserable working and living conditions in the Silesian city of Waldenburg.

The Way Back Home

An atmospheric venture into slow cinema, following Rose, a down and out gay prostitute, trapped in the minutiae of his quiet and isolated life.

Spark in the Dark

The lives of a newly married couple and their mutual friend unravel after the wife becomes the victim of a gang rape during a honeymoon.

Le mystère Atlit Yam - 10 000 ans sous les mers

A Woman Full of Trouble

Evil. As her footfalls draw near so does your fate. When Candy stops for a cup of joe, the trouble she brews will haunt you for decades.

Casa Número Zero

Guru Chela

Guru Chela is a heartfelt short film celebrating the timeless bond between a teacher Guru and student Chela. The story revolves around a young Chela who invites his Guru to attend his Bratabandha ceremony, a significant event in Nepalese culture marking a boy's transition into adulthood and spiritual maturity. The ceremony takes place at the Southall Temple in the United Kingdom, bringing together tradition and diaspora life. The Bratabandha combines choodakarma tonsure and Upanayana samskara, symbolizing a promise vrata and a sacred bond bandhana. It is a moment of reflection on cultural identity and spiritual growth. As the Guru blesses the Chela during the rituals, the film delves into their profound relationship. The Guru, representing the source of wisdom and guidance, imparts teachings on life and spirituality, while the Chela demonstrates respect and gratitude for his mentor's influence.

Caps

Radu, 45, rich and single, manages his business with a strong, unwavering hand and no scruples. His competition is now leading a charge against him on the stock market, which prompts Radu to remember a childhood game of beer bottle caps, a game that required risk-taking, effort and skill. A heart attack and the news that he might need a heart transplant determines him to head to a remote place, where the Danube river meets the sea, a place of simple people and age-old customs.

Li Fet Met (Le passé est mort)

The SAS (Section Administrative Spécialisée) were created in 1956 by the French army during the Algerian war to pacify "the natives". During the day, the SAS were used as treatment centres and at night as torture centres, in order to crush the Algerian resistance. The SAS were inhabited by French soldiers and auxiliaries (harkis, goumiers) and their families. At independence in 1962, a few families of auxiliaries stayed on; the vacant buildings were occupied by families of martyrs awaiting the better days promised by the new Algeria. 46 years later, the SAS at Laperrine, in the Bouira region, still exists, a unique place inhabited by people who have taken refuge there. They have been joined by farmers fleeing the terrorism of the 90s. They all live as best they can in a place they did not choose, suffering the consequences of war.

Fight Club Rush 19: Gronvall vs. Sosa

Fight Club Rush 19 took place on February 23, 2024 at Quality Hotel Friends, Stockholm, Sweden.

Thermopylae

A distraught man in coat and tie grips the guardrail at a remote cliff overlooking the Pacific. At a boys' high school in toney Rancho Palos Verdes, Mr. Radford teaches classics. His best student is the earnest Andrew. Late one evening, Andrew stops by Mr. Radford's office; Andrew's been the only student to do well on a recent exam. They chat, and something happens that brings a sleepless night to Mr. Radford. The next day, Andrew misses Mr. Radford's class, and after, Mr. Radford is aghast to see Andrew and Andrew's father waiting outside the principal's office. What's the teacher's fear, and what will he do about it?

The Significant Death of Quentin Crisp

Quentin Crisp was a writer, raconteur, social rebel, and "professional being". He was nearly 91 when he died of heart failure in 1999, and his death powerfully affected those who loved him. In this portrait, Tim Fountain (Crisp's biographer, and author of the play RESIDENT ALIEN) interviews friends and family of Crisp, to learn something of the significance of his death, and the "enigma of his life".

distress

A short made as a result of a panicked state of mind.

Journey to My Boy

Deaf and dumb couple is sufficient for Neanderthals to communicate with their child a family story to go.

Irene Huss 8: Det lömska nätet

A bicycle messenger sees a girl being brutally assaulted and dragged into a van. She immediately calls the police, but unfortunately the girl is found too late. It turns out that the murdered girl has been the victim of a serious sexual crime. Detective Inspector Irene Huss and the rest of the team begin to look for the murderer, but have very few clues to go on. When another young girl is murdered in a similar way, the team realizes that they are dealing with a sexual predator. How does he get in touch with the girls? Why do they agree to meet him? Why are they wearing special underwear?

KARANDIKA

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