I Am Street Fighter
★ 6 · 2012 · 72m · Documentary
For one of the longest-running game franchises in history, Street Fighter creators Capcom needed something exceedingly special to accompany the release of their 25th anniversary edition of the game. AREA 5 produced, shot, edited, and finished a documentary that spans three countries, more than two decades, and tells the story of how a game not only birthed an entire genre, but changed the lives of a generation.
More Like This
This is Not a Game
2021
Angela Su’s fictional artist Rosie Leavers is the last remaining person to upload her consciousness to a video game. Contemplating during a pandemic year which also saw people’s resistance movements in many parts of the world, the work pinpoints the uncanny affinities between gaming and warfare strategies. They have mutually informed the infrastructure of both worlds since time immemorial when diplomatic conflicts played out on the battlefield of the 64 squares of a chess board to flight simulation technologies which were adapted to shape gaming experiences as we know it now. When the conflict is between the state and its people, she speculates that gaming strategies empower civilians in resistance movements to counter imperialism through its own operative logic. But once we upload our consciousness, are we able to return to the sensibilities and political motivation that inspired the revolution to begin with?
More info →
A Tribo
2024
The story was written in one of the biggest eSports championships in the world, which witnessed the resilience and unity of a group of people who found their greatest strength in their differences. The only tribe that welcomes all tribes to make the impossible happen.
More info →
Playing Columbine
2008 · ★ 6.7
Chronicles the history of the game "Super Columbine Massacre RPG!." The film traces back the 16-bit role-playing game to its inception, through the 2006 shooting at Dawson College in which the game was singled out by the media as a "murder simulator" that "trained" the shooter, and finally the game's removal from the list of finalists at the Slamdance 2007 Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition - prompting half the entries and a sponsor to pull out of the festival in protest. Written by tolka
More info →
Becoming Jessica Nigri
2018 · ★ 6.5
A portrait of cosplayer Jessica Nigri, from a magical childhood growing up with quirky parents in New Zealand, to entering middle school in the U.S. where she was mercilessly teased for her "nerdy" interests.
More info →
Idol Hotline: Miho Nakayama's Tokimeki High School
1988
Hello, my name is Miho Nakayama. Thank you very much for participating in the Famicom event "Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School." And congratulations on winning a prize! I send you an autographed videotape. Please be careful with it. I will remember the drama (game) we starred together in forever as a precious memory, and I’m going to do my best in songs and dramas in the future. I’ll be happy if you also remembered this as a precious memory. And please watch over me from now on forever. Well then, I’m looking forward to the day we’ll meet again. For those who beat Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School and registered their "Best Ending" victory via the Disk Fax network, this tape was given out as a special prize to 8000 winners. This tape showcases behind the scenes footage of Nakayama Miho and her involvement in the game.
More info →
The Bits of Yesterday
2018 · ★ 6.5
In this panoptic documentary on the niche culture of the retro video game collector, follow gaming enthusiasts and fans as they relive their childhood memories, make new ones and champion to keep an antiquated media format alive.
More info →
Once Upon Atari
2003 · ★ 6.1
In the late 70s and early 80s, ET phoned home on Atari 2600 and became the video game that New Media magazine later described as having toppled a billion dollar industry. We know the industry rose again as a pale, commercial version of its old self, but… did you ever wonder what it was like back in the wild days when the titans of gaming clashed, not on Wall Street, but inside the minds of designers? Want to learn first hand how the barren valley south of The Bay gave birth to cult celebrity that died as quickly as it was born? Take the ride with the folks who made it happen. Walk on walls, smoke the evil weed, and plunge head first into the uncharted (undocumented) world that was game production back in the bad old days.
More info →
GTFO: Get The F% Out
2015 · ★ 5.1
Sparked by a public display of sexual harassment in 2012, GTFO pries open the video game world to explore a 20 billion dollar industry riddled with discrimination and misogyny. Every year, the gaming community grows increasingly diverse. This has led to a clash of values and women are receiving the brunt of the consequences every day, with acts of harassment ranging from name calling to death threats. Through interviews with video game creators, journalists, and academics, GTFO paints a complex picture of the video game industry, while revealing the systemic and human motivations behind acts of harassment. GTFO begins the conversation that will shape the future of the video game world.
More info →
Naughty Dog: 30th Anniversary Video
2014 · ★ 8
Naughty Dog was founded in 1984. This in-depth documentary takes us on a journey from the beginning of the company to the household name we now know today.
More info →
KILL ZONE 2:EPIC DEVELOPPMENT
2018
While Killzone 2 (and 3s) servers will officially shut down at the end of March 2018; its legend as a technological achievement in console FPS games will live on forever. As a bit of a retrospect, here we dive in DEEP into the nostalgia and break down Killzone 2 from its inception.
More info →