By Rook Or By Left Hook

Street Games

Several days in the lives, and profiles of, the owners and players of the open air street chess tables in downtown San Francisco. An informative and insightful portrait of a freely public, yet effectively anonymous, subculture: a unique and colorful patch of eccentric americana in the urban quilt of an international city. —Anonymous

The Masters Game - Ingo vs. Floyd

1959 · ★ 10

A documentary about one of the most famous classic boxing match with the legendary swedish boxer Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson going to New York to face the then current champion, Floyd Patterson.

Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton

2016

Three-division champ and current world featherweight titleholder Leo "El Terremoto" Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) puts his belt on the line against one of the UK's toughest fighters: undefeated Irishman Carl "The Jackal" Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs). Plus, undefeated former two-division champ Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs) returns to the ring against Elio Rojas (24-2, 14 KOs) and junior middleweights Tony Harrison (23-1, 19 KOs) and Sergey Rabchenko (27-1, 20 KOs) face off in a 12-round eliminator. Live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Discovering Hamlet

1990 · ★ 5.9

IN 1988, rising star Kenneth Branagh tackled the role of Shakespeare’s prince of Denmark for the first time in his professional career under the guidance of celebrated actor Derek Jacobi. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, this hour-long film documents how Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, two intelligent and passionate men, found new depths in Shakespeare’s classic drama, Hamlet. Filmmakers Mark Olshaker and Larry Klein follow the company through four weeks of rehearsals, from the first read-throughs to opening night.

Pretend Not to See Me

2009

Life and art intersect on a spectacular Newfoundland farm where visual artist Colette Urban mounts thirteen art performances in the fields and barns of her property. Resilient, determined, self aware and funny, Colette embraces the transformative power of art as she restages the significant art performances of her thirty-year career. With the camera as her audience she transforms the quotidian into a playful world of the imagination with elaborate costumes and idiosyncratic self invented rituals.

This Is Not a Dream

2012

The video revolution of the 1970s offered unprecedented access to the moving image for artists and performers. This Is Not a Dream explores the legacies of this revolution and its continued impact on contemporary art and performance. Charting a path across four decades of avant-garde experiment and radical escapism, This Is Not a Dream traces the influences of Andy Warhol, John Waters and Jack Smith to the perverted frontiers of YouTube and Chatroulette, taking in subverted talk shows and soap operas, streetwalker fashions and glittery magic penises along the way.

Le steak

1992 · ★ 7

The documentary is a portrait of former Canadian boxing champion Gaétan Hart, profiling both the ups and downs of his career in the 1970s and 1980s and his attempt to return to the sport in a 1990 fight. The film's title was inspired by "A Piece of Steak", Jack London's 1909 short story about a retired boxer struggling with poverty.

Marcel Duchamp: The Art of the Possible

2020 · ★ 6

A remarkable walk through the life and work of the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), one of the most important creators of the 20th century, revolutionary of arts, aesthetics and pop culture.

Salvador Dalí at Work

1964 · ★ 5

Filmmaker Jonas Mekas follows the surrealist artist around the streets of New York documenting staged public art events.

Pussy Versus Putin

2013 · ★ 5.5

In 2012 two members of anarchistic female band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in a Mordovian labor camp for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". Russian film collective Gogol’s Wives follow each step of the feminist punk band’s battle against Putin including their first disruptive performances on a trolley bus, shooting a video about transparent elections, a controversial performance in a Red Square cathedral, and footage shot in a jail cell. Support comes from many corners including Madonna who painted the words "Pussy Riot" on her back and wore a balaclava during her Moscow show. The documentary portrays the grim state of present-day Russia, a country starkly divided between conservatism and anarchy. Pussy Riot believes that art has to be free and they're willing to take it to extremes. "Pussycat made a mess in the house," they say, and the house is Russia. The filmmakers do not seek to moralize, they simply edit events and leave viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Moving Together

2023

Moving Together is a celebratory love letter to music and dance that brims with kinetic life and energy. This documentary explores the intricate collaboration between dancers and musicians, moving seamlessly between Flamenco, Modern, and New Orleans Second Line.

King's Gambit

2025

The thrilling, inside story of the psychology of sporting winners. Filmed during the world's strongest open chess tournament ever, "King's Gambit" reveals the tension, jubilation and heartache of professional chess and top-level sports competitors.