Echo Of The Past: The Terrence Tower

Mario Botta. Architecture and Memory

2020

The film arose from an encounter with Mario Botta during the 2013 Architecture and Memory exhibit held at the Charlotte, North Carolina Bechtler Museum of Modern Art which was designed by the architect. The exhibit gathered and then proposed to the public the Swiss architect’s most significant projects spanning the gamut from his first single-family homes, original expressions of the School of Ticino, to his large public buildings, libraries, theatres, museums, churches and synagogues which have been built across the globe and features more than 90 works. The film is a dialogue on the themes which characterize Mario Botta’s vision and practice: his relationship with history and the territory, the designing of collective spaces, encounters with the leading protagonists of the 20th century. The interview, conducted in Mario Botta’s studio in Mendrisio, is replete with photographic materials, designs and sketches which document his “spaces of memory”.

Glowing in the Dark

1997 · ★ 7

Set against a backdrop of spectacular neon footage of Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, the film is an illuminating exploration into the vibrant history and contemporary use of neon. The movement, power, and raw exuberance of neon is revealed through a fascinating demonstration of how neon is made, a montage of notable neon installations and commentary from a colorful array of neon experts.

AVA

Breaking a centuries-old taboo, Ava stands as the first woman in Iran to master the male-dominated craft of carpentry. Within the grit and clamor of the workshop, she confronts a society that deems her presence forbidden. This observational documentary captures her daily battle against physical hardships and social judgment.

Life Will Smile

2017

Zakynthos is a Greek island on the Ionian Sea famed for its beauty. It also has the unique distinction of having saved all 275 of its Jewish inhabitants during WWII. In this compelling story, Haim Konstantini, one of the survivors, narrates how the islanders united to ensure the survival of their Jewish population. Two key figures instrumental to the story were Mr. Loukas Kerreri, Mayor of Zakynthos’ capital, and Bishop Chrysostomos, who both refused to list the island’s Jews for the occupying Nazis. They have been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem for their bravery.

After Mein Kampf?

1961 · ★ 9

By combining actual footage with reenactments, this film offers both a documentary and fictional account of the life of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood in Vienna, through the rise of the Third Reich, to his final act of suicide in the waning days of WWII. The film also provides considerable, and often shocking, detail of the atrocities enacted by the Nazi regime under Hitler's command.

Charlotte

2022 · ★ 6.5

The true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she escapes to the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only an extraordinary act will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.

We Are Building New Villages

1946 · ★ 7

The document illustrates the reconstruction and modernization of Polish villages after the destruction during World War II.

Food Matters

2010 · ★ 6.8

With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what's wrong with our malnourished bodies, it's no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide sickness industry and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for curing disease naturally.

Etugen

2023 · ★ 10

What is the purpose of our existence ? What is the soul ? Which are the power of mind, of conscience ? What is our link to nature ? Pondering these existential questions, this movie invites us to find out an universal wisdom, meeting shamans, healers, yogis, but also philosophers and doctors. From Mongolia plains to the Amazonian forest, it leads us far than we expected at first.

Blackpool North Pier

1903

Edwardian holidaymakers throng to the attractions at Lancashire's premier seaside resort.

Why I Killed Gandhi

2022 · ★ 1

Indian freedom fighter Gandhiji was killed by Nathuram Godse. But what made Nathuram Godse to take this extreme step?

Song of Umm Dalaila, the Story of the Sahrawis

1993 · ★ 9

Takes place in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria against the historical backdrop of Spanish colonialism and the Moroccan invasion of the Western Sahara. The Saharawi women, who make up 80% of the adult refugee population, provide a powerful voice as they reveal how they came to assume primary responsibility for the survival of the remains of their families and in turn the entire refugee population.