Filmed on location at La Plata, Castro’s former guerrilla headquarters- the first time any foreign film crew had been permitted there – the documentary examines the origins of Castro’s revolution, and its ultimate successes and failures. It places U.S.-Cuban relations within the context of history, dating back to the Spanish-American War in 1898. The documentary goes on to paint a canvas of everyday Cuban life. It contrasts the successes of Cuba – medical care, education and housing – with the often repressive political measures implemented by the Castro government. We hear from Cuban artists, State Department officials, exiled writers, and Fidel Castro himself.
Year: 2023
Demontage IX shows a body dangling between two metal walls. A human being as a clapper? The viewer’s anxiety increases with the length of the scene. A film about violence without moralizing. Romuald Karmakar sets the scene – the audience has to think about the images further.
When Kirk, a top roller-blader, discovers that he has bone cancer in his leg, his pleasant affluent life is shattered. Even though amputation provides the best chance for survival; to him, losing skating means the end of life. His friends cannot cope with his condition, but his hospital isolation is relieved by Marty – a street kid survivor who was found dying of leukemia. Marty bullies, taunts, and challenges Kirk, until he begins to climb out of his depression. Marty seems afraid of nothing and, knowing she will die, wants to experience everything.
Two cosmonauts arrive on a barren world and begin a clean-up operation. In the course of their duties, they revive the planet’s civilisation and discover the real reason for its devastation- thermonuclear war. Produced after the peak of tensions in the late Cold War, this animated short from Armenfilm reflects a muted optimism that humanity might- just- avoid total destruction. It also demonstrates the strength of animation under the Soviet system, where even the smaller state studios were capable of inventive but technically polished work.
Extended Play chronicles the misadventures of a teenage youth out for a summer afternoon of leisure fun, in a large suburban shopping mall. Failing numerous attempts to make points with the fairer sex, the young man directs his attention to the nearby amusement arcade where vicarious, but more accessible, thrills abound. Electric sounds of mock battles intermingled with laughter emanate from the mysterious depths. Like a moth attracted to a candle flame, our hero is irresistably drawn inside… and there, the adventure begins.
Trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood, instead, the aspiring actor, Norman, learns firsthand that this is easier said than done. Then, accidentally, Norman stumbles upon a jar of very special butterscotch, and just like that, he becomes invisible. Now, with his newly acquired powers, Norman can turn the tables on all those who treated him like garbage, and what’s even more exciting, he finds out that he can get any woman he wants. However, Norman is not the only one who’s invisible. Could this unseen rival spell bad news for Norman?
Helen finds herself having intimacy problems with men. Her private parts are devouring all lovers and leaving her with an insatiable thirst for blood. In order to satisfy her cravings she becomes a prostitute which leads to a death filled tale of murder, madness, and sex.
Based on a Francoise Sagan play, the film involves a group of eccentric jet-setters who gambole around a huge French chateau dressed in 1750s costumes. A young man on the run takes refuge in this curious household, and is gradually sucked into the soft-core sensual practices of its offbeat denizens.