A fragment of the Berlin Wall in the centre of Riga.
Social & External
After the end of the Cold War, the Baltic was viewed almost as a quiet backwater. A nice place to visit to see charming Hanseatic cities and sandy beaches. But since the war in Ukraine the Baltic sea, bordered by eight European Union countries as well as Russia, has become a hot spot of world geopolitics. And tensions are high.
Between 1930 and 1945, Eastern Europe experienced mass violence on an unprecedented scale. Hitler and Stalin exploited the vast region for their respective expansionist plans. It is estimated that around 14 million civilians were murdered—primarily Jews, Poles, Balts, Belarusians, and Ukrainians.
Tashkent: The End of an Era reconstructs the complex history of Tashkent by means of archive footage which has never been shown before and the testimonies of its inhabitants.
DocuDrama about 13th century pre-Christian culture. Danish spy Lars enters the tribal lands of the Baltic peoples, where he takes part in religious rites, cruel forays, gets high during the Summer Solstice, becomes slave to the Couronians and even fights the crusaders. Who were the last pagans of Europe and how did they live? It is a unique trip into the textures of the past and into the unknown lands of the Baltic Tribes.
In 1989, thirteen GDR scientists and technicians set off from East Berlin to the Georg Forster research station in the Antarctic. During their expedition the Berlin Wall fell on November 9th. Cut off from the images that go around the world, the men can only experience the historical events passively. When they returned in the spring of 1991, their homeland was a foreign country. The documentary reconstructs the thoughts and feelings of the East German researchers on the basis of eyewitness accounts, diary excerpts, letters, film material, grandiose landscape shots from the location of the action and unique photos to make the consequences of the events tens of thousands of kilometers away on the small GDR expedition in the middle of the eternal ice tangible.
A high-school folk dancing group heads to Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival, an event that takes place every five years and is part of the Latvian national identity – this is the culmination point of five years of work. Away from their homes and parents, they spend seven days and nights together. They are 18 and have just graduated, and this seems to be the last idle summer of their lives. Dreams mix with boredom, silly jokes with serious conversations. Taking care of one another creates affection and grows into a collective power. There are thousands like them at the festival. Every individual sensation turns into a common celebration that becomes more than just a tradition.
Located on the shores of the Baltic Sea, between Poland and Lithuania, Kaliningrad is a piece of Russia in the heart of Europe. A curious territory, isolated from Moscow after the fall of the USSR, today transformed into a military fortress facing NATO. In Kaliningrad, headquarters of the Russian Baltic fleet, there are 30,000 soldiers, hypersonic missiles and nuclear capability.
Does Europe also have its own animistic heritage, like Pachamama in South America and Shinto in Japan? If so, which one? In the Misty Lands, i.e. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, a sacred fire is lit on the winter solstice to celebrate the return of the sun and ancient beliefs that have been forgotten in the rest of Europe for thousands of years. Sophie Planque and Jérémy Vaugeois decided to take a journey on bicycles to experience the Baltic winter and meet the people who keep their ancestral culture alive. A unique heritage that reinforces a deep relationship with nature.
This lost classic, shot on 16mm in a wintry Berlin in 1993, explores the origins of the German trance scene. Featuring interviews with fresh-faced selectors including Laurent Garnier and MFS Records founder Mark Reeder, the documentary also feature footage from the city's iconic Love Parades in 1991 and 1993.
The War Diary is a contemporary road movie that confronts history with the current reality of Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia. An extraordinary document leads Hakob Melkonyan to undertake the journey of a lifetime:
Unustatud rahvad (1970 - 1989) by Estonian composer Veljo Tormas is based upon six Balto-Finnic peoples traditions. Collegium Musicale choir brought the songs to different sides of Baltic coasts to liven current citizens connections for fleeting past and strengthen their identity.
Some of the most iconic images in Latvian visual history were taken 30 years ago, when the so-called Singing Revolution took place. This documentary that includes well-known and previously unseen 35 mm footage, is about those who took these shots, told in their own voices, their own emotions and memories.
Three years before the end of the Soviet occupation, a new juvenile inspector arrives in a small, quiet Estonian town. With each step, the town's secrets and hidden tensions begin to unravel, and it's clear that this place holds more than meets the eye.
On the verge of retirement, Commissioner Gintas must undertake the investigation of a series of heinous murders, a dangerous task that could expose the many dirty secrets of several prominent members of the social elite of a small Lithuanian town.
Berlin, 1989. Helena and Louise are happy in their relationship if it wasn't for this huge wall separating them. The only solution is writing letters. But what the two of them don't know is that Stasi officer Bernd who works for the surveillance department, is enjoying their constant letter exchanges as his daily bed time story. While Bernd has yet to figure out how to read between the lines, his assistant Eberhardt grows suspicious and desperately tries to open Bernd's eyes. But maybe Bernd isn't as oblivious as Eberhardt thinks he is. While the officers are playing hide and seek with Louise's and Helena's letters, the women are already in the midst of escaping. Nothing can stop them now. Except for maybe...the Fall of the Wall?
Set in Milan in the summer of 1989 against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the film follows four frustrated individuals whose lives intertwine because of the loss of a planner.
The film tells the story of the events during the night of January 19 to 20, 1990, when the Soviet Army invaded Baku and its surroundings and killed many civilians.
Maybe you've seen or heard these phrases on Instagram, in a coffee shop, at an event, from friends, maybe you even use the app and already provide your grandparents with food baskets every month. Just six months ago, no one knew about "Help" and how easy it really is to help. But thanks to a group of people who have decided that they will talk about helping others in the language of technology and modern media, we are increasingly seeing a circle held by two brackets in different cities of the country. This film contains a brief history of "Help" for those who do not know anything about it, an introduction to the team that is mad in its bravery, as well as the cycle of events that is happening with "Help" now. A trip to Sasha Gudkov's hometown, a trip and a performance of the team at the Avaz festival in Kazan, where they work in a car, on a boat, walking around the city, coming to concerts and talk a lot about "Help".
More goals, more trophies, more followers; for Cristiano Ronaldo life is about being number one, about standing alone. New documentary explores how Ronaldo has overcome adversity to reach unparalleled heights and examines his journey to become the most followed person on the planet. Has he redefined what it means to be an icon in the 21st Century? And at 36, will he rest on this legacy?
Lauren Bacall discusses her life and career with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne.
