A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later
- Documentary
September 16, 2011 (US)
•0h 26m
George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back at The Empire Strikes Back 30 years later.
September 16, 2011 (US)
•0h 26m
George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back at The Empire Strikes Back 30 years later.
The Last Repair Shop
The Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
A Bunch of Amateurs
A Bunch of Amateurs (2022)
A bunch of British working class amateur filmmakers with nothing left to lose tackle one of Hollywood's greatest musicals in order to save their beloved Club. Britain’s oldest amateur filmmaking club struggles to survive, as its members grow old amid flickering memories and hardships. In the northern industrial town of Bradford, England, a handful of diehard amateur filmmakers desperately cling to their dreams, and to each other, in this warm and funny look at shared artistic folly that speaks to the delusional dreamer in us all.
Des Amandiers aux Amandiers
Des Amandiers aux Amandiers (2022)
A free and intimate portrait behind the scenes of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's creation. In front of the camera, she transmits to today’s young actors the memory of the 1980s.
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust ()
Each of the stories celebrates pioneers of a national movement to engage encore workers, adults age 50+, in solving problems, meeting important social needs, and improving life for people and communities
Artist Unknown
Artist Unknown (2017)
A short documentary on how people view art and its value in today's society.
Boundless
Boundless (2013)
As Hong Kong's foremost filmmaker, Johnnie To himself becomes the protagonist of this painstaking documentary exploring him and his Boundless world of film. A film student from Beijing and avid Johnnie To fan, Ferris Lin boldly approached To with a proposal to document the master director for his graduation thesis. To agreed immediately and Lin's camera closely followed him for over two years, capturing the man behind the movies and the myths. The result is Boundless, a candid profile of one of Hong Kong's greatest directors and a heartfelt love letter to Hong Kong cinema.
Burden of Dreams
Burden of Dreams (1982)
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (2009)
In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's production of L'Enfer came to a halt. Despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed. This documentary presents Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of unfilmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes.
The Song
The Song (1991)
A documentary that follows the recording process over three days and nights of "(I'll Love You) Till the End of the World" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. A new version of the documentary appeared in 2005, and on the 2019 Criterion release of Wim Wenders' film UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.
The Big Chill: A Reunion
The Big Chill: A Reunion (1999)
A look back at the making of the film "The Big Chill" (1983) with cast and crew.
Portrait: Jane Campion and The Portrait of a Lady
Portrait: Jane Campion and The Portrait of a Lady (1997)
A documentary about the making of Jane Campion's 'The Portrait of a Lady'.
Memory of the Camps
Memory of the Camps (1985)
In 1945, Allied troops invaded Germany and liberated Nazi death camps. They found unspeakable horrors which still haunt the world’s conscience. A film was made by British and American film crews who were with the troops liberating the camps. It was directed in part by Alfred Hitchcock and was broadcast for the first time in its entirety on PBS FRONTLINE in 1985.
Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini
Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini (2015)
Tom Savini is one of the greatest special effects legends in the history of cinema, but little is known about his personal life until now. For the first time ever a feature length film has covered not only Tom's amazing career spanning over four decades, but his personal life as well.
Perspectives on Othello: Joseph McBride on Orson Welles
Perspectives on Othello: Joseph McBride on Orson Welles (2014)
Welles scholar Joseph McBride discusses the 1952 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. (A 32-minute edit of this documentary was presented by the Criterion Collection in their edition of Othello.)
Visions of Light
Visions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion
Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion (1992)
A documentary detailing the making of the cult favorite "Plan 9 from Outer Space," featuring interviews with cast members and prominent filmmakers about the film, its lasting legacy, and its creator, Edward D. Wood Jr.
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2018)
A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," "It's Alive," "God Told Me To," "Q," "The Stuff," and many more.
Who Is Bill Rebane?
Who Is Bill Rebane? (2021)
A feature-length documentary on the life and work of Wisconsin grindhouse cinema auteur Bill Rebane, featuring historians, critics, and filmmakers, plus cast and crew members who worked with Rebane himself.
Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental
Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental (2023)
Pixar director Peter Sohn takes viewers on a humorous personal journey through the inspiration behind Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Elemental.” “Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental” traces his parents’ voyage from Korea to New York, explores his dad’s former grocery shop in the heart of the Bronx, and delves into his choice of a career in animation, rather than the family business.
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout (2024)
The story of one of the great environmental disasters to befall the United States, and the terrible movie that helped bring the catastrophe to light.