The first documentary to present an unabashed critique of the impact of the Syrian government’s agricultural and land reforms, Everyday Life in a Syrian Village delivers a powerful jab at the state’s conceit of redressing social and economic inequities.
1974-01-02
7.3
The film describes the microcosmos of the small village Wacken and shows the clash of the cultures, before and during the biggest heavy metal festival in Europe.
"With the barrel bombs falling on Ghouta, civilians sought shelter in the basements of their homes. I was one of them, holding on to my camera, I tried to film what I couldn’t express in words."
The inside story of Mohammed Emwazi's journey from being an ordinary London boy to becoming terrorist 'Jihadi John', and the intelligence operatives' attempts to catch him.
When filmmaker Wael Kadlo picks up his mother from the airport in Beirut, it seems like a rather warm family visit. But Kadlo, who was born in Damascus in 1980, has some questions he needs to ask her.
This intimate documentary follows a group of Syrian children refugees who narrowly escape a life of torment and integrate into a foreign land.
As the United States and Iran are locked in a battle for power and influence across the Middle East—with the fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon looming in the background—FRONTLINE gains unprecedented access to Iranian hard-liners shaping government policy, including parliament leader Hamid Reza Hajibabaei, National Security Council member Mohammad Jafari and state newspaper editor Hossein Shariatmadari. In this report, FRONTLINE examines how U.S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran's position as an emerging power in the Middle East.
This highly kinetic tableaux of uprooted sights and sounds works most earnestly to expose the racial biases concealed in familiar images. Relying on valuable snippets from feature films such as "Exodus", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Black Sunday", "Little Drummer Girl", and network news shows, the filmmakers have constructed an oddly wry narrative, mimicking the history of Mid East politics.
An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.
The Israeli filmmaker Shai Corneli Polak records the building of the 'security wall' through Palestinian territory at the village of Bil'in. The villagers protest mostly peacefully, while the Israeli army doesn't react peacefully. By now the Israeli High Court has ruled that the building of the wall was illegal.
Winner of the Grand Jury Documentary prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad’s breathtaking work — a searing example of boots-on-the-ground reportage — follows the efforts of the internationally recognized White Helmets, an organization consisting of ordinary citizens who are the first to rush towards military strikes and attacks in the hope of saving lives. Incorporating moments of both heart-pounding suspense and improbable beauty, the documentary draws us into the lives of three of its founders — Khaled, Subhi, and Mahmoud — as they grapple with the chaos around them and struggle with an ever-present dilemma: do they flee or stay and fight for their country?
In this documentary film, Malas explores the life and music of the classical Aleppan singer and composer Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006). "Maqam" is the melodic system of traditional Arabic music.
The apocalyptic blast in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, exacerbates anger at those in power: protests cross religious boundaries as the Lebanese people curse corruption, nepotism, gross economic mismanagement and squandering of resources. How did the Land of Cedars, a country with so much to offer, allow itself to get into such a dire situation? And will it be able to bounce back?
In war-torn northern Syria, WHO LOVES THE SUN delves into the world of makeshift oil refineries and the stark realities of life within this post-apocalyptic landscape. Mahmood is a prominent figure in these operations, navigating harsh working conditions and complex local dynamics.
An attempt to re-contextualize the European migrant crisis and ongoing hostilities in Syria, through eyewitness and participant testimony. Children and parents recount the revolution, civil war, air strikes, atrocities and ongoing humanitarian aid crises, in a portrait of recent history and the consequences of violence.
The film is a reportage showing the help of workers from the GDR in the industrial reconstruction of Syria. We witness the friendly relationship between workers from both countries, who are jointly involved in the construction of the cotton spinning mill in Homs. In impressive pictures the exoticism of the environment and the mentality of the Syrian hosts is shown. At the same time it becomes clear that the workers from the GDR become 'ambassadors of the GDR' through their collegial behaviour and good work.
A song is heard in the distance. It comes from the Hekeng village, famous for its ancient earthen buildings, also called tulou. It is where the last original Hakka families live amidst the exodus of those looking for a more modern environment. Among them there is Zhang Zhouyin, an elderly man concerned about the state of the village's temple; or her daughter-in-law, Wei Yi, who spends her entire day guiding tourists through these awe-inspiring houses. And then there’s young Zhang Weibo, her son, who manages to find joy even in the simplest of things... Hekeng: a place frozen in time whose songs have endured for centuries.
In the summer of 2007, Gan Xiaoer led an independent film projection team, using projectors and self-made screens, to tour villages in Henan province to show his feature film "Raised from dust" for 8 times, and recorded the process. The 81-minute version of Church Cinema records only one stop, the Qiliying Church, where "Raised from dust" was shot.
Chunauti is an action-packed romantic comedy that tells a story of love, struggle, and justice. Ajaya and his wife Prabha move to Kathmandu, where Ajaya starts working as a teacher. Later, his sister Gita joins them and enrolls in the same college. There, she meets a kind and charming student, but trouble arises when Madhav, a troublesome student, also starts liking her. One day, a fight breaks out in the college, and when Gita tries to stop it, an inspector arrives and brings the situation under control. Angered by this, Madhav and his group cause harm to Prabha and Gita. They also try to escape punishment through legal means. With no strong evidence, Ajaya takes a stand and challenges the court. In the end, he decides to take justice into his own hands, leading to a tragic ending where the inspector, fulfilling his duty, stops Ajaya. Chunauti is a story of love, courage, and sacrifice in the face of injustice.
As a young filmmaker who suffers from OCD, Lucas struggles with finishing his synopsis for a film that he had always dreamt of making. Despite his ambitions, Lucas can't seem to gather his thoughts and he worries that his work will not be the perfection that he undoubtedly desires. With overwhelming emotions and a lack of self-confidence, Lucas finds himself trapped in his own mind where he desires everything to go as planned but is instead faced with his fears and an altered reality that his mind presents to him.
A regiment of soldiers demonstrate their skills.
Angelo Debarre meets his friends for a tribute to the culture of Travellers. Since Django Reinhardt, which is celebrated 100 years, until today, this rich music that thrilled several generations. His strength is always reinventing itself. This beautiful tribute takes place around the “fire” in a caravan decor (set created for the show). He is talking about the past and future by remembering the fabulous legacy of Django: spiritual father of gypsy jazz.
At 14, Tajamul fled from Afghanistan to Amiens, France. Now that he is 20, he wants to make the journey backwards with his adoptive father, and tell his story for all the refugees who cannot speak anymore.
Olga is a young woman who decides to change her life after an unexpected event. She wants to see if new technologies can help her makes her dreams true. Nothing better than letting the algorithms manage yours holidays for you.
Daniela and Fouad live in Gubbio, and they both come from the sea: she is from Bari, he is from Casablanca. Their bodies have suffered hardships and alcoholism. They met by chance and a deep and healing friendship was born, which led them to live together. Now that Fouad needs a permit to stay, marriage seems to be the easiest solution. Daniela agrees to it, but as the wedding approaches, the ambiguity of Fouad’s feelings begins to worry her. Can you fake- marry someone who really loves you?
A little boy troubled by a paper bird - Quote : "I am alone in my gondola, I am trapped in the sky, My name's Nathan, I don't like the real"
Sam is a 27-year-old music-teaching, sovereign ring-wearing, chanting Buddhist. He is the lead singer of an up-and-coming punk band - but he’s also mute ... at least for most of the time. After two unsuccessful vocal chord operations, Sam spends most of his time in pain and on voice rest. Yet, by communicating silently through writing notes, mouthing words and blowing kisses (one for yes and two for no), he still somehow manages to be the chattiest person in the room. As he sacrifices speaking on a daily basis in order to battle through the excruciating pain of singing, Sam finds himself and his voice at a crossroads - give up on his dreams of music or continue singing and risk remaining silent forever? Silence takes its mental toll and his sense of isolation deepens. Whilst exploring new treatment for his voice, navigating work at a door factory and maintaining his loving relationship with girlfriend Tilly, Sam’s journey leads him to have a radical revelation.
The story of two rival gangs in Munich, one composed of German teens and the other of Turkish ones. The German version of "West Side Story".
Four best friends from boarding school decide to attend a massive blow-out High School graduation party on Block Island. After missing the last ferry they decide to hire a fishing boat to take them on what should be a simple journey. What they get is the trip from hell, with a captain and his first mate that have no intention of taking the kids to Block Island, putting them into a fight to survive and to simply make it back to land... any land.
Gerd, considered a woman of dubious morals, falls in love with a boy whose family does not accept their relationship, so both run away and settle in a cabin in the woods where they meet a sullen man who tests their love.