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- Documentary profile of singer-actress Eartha Kitt.
- Architect Peter Zumthor lives and works in the remote village of Haldenstein in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden where he can keep the politics of architecture at a comfortable distance as he enjoys status and praise for his unique modernist buildings. In "The Practice of Architecture", critic Kenneth Frampton visits Zumthor at his studio where the two are surrounded by models, designs and plans for current and future projects throughout Europe and the United States. Frampton questions the renowned architecture on the motives and methods behind some of his most famous works, including his Zinc-Mine-Museum in Norway and the highly acclaimed Therme Vals, a stunning hotel and spa built over the thermal springs in Graubünden. While walking us through his career, Zumthor discusses his penchant for minimalism, the importance of landscape, light and material, and the architectural theory behind his stunningly precise style.
- Documentary examining the life and career of producer/director Roger Corman. Clips from his films and interviews with actors and crew members who have worked with him are featured.
- Japanese architect, Tadao Ando, roots himself in cultural visions of space, landscape, and juxtaposition. Inspired deeply by his home and heritage, Ando proposes an international architecture that he believes can only be conceived by someone Japanese. Believing in the importance of carpentry and craftsmanship, Ando pays tribute to his culture and the way in which architecture is approached through the body. Showcasing his individuality through urban complexes, residences and chapels, Ando presents the work of his formative years, before embarking on projects in Europe and the United States.
- "Christo: Works in Progress" takes us around the world on a showcase of the artist's grand environmental installations. With both critique and praise from members of the communities that have hosted Christo and his works, the film takes a deep look into the process and outcome of pieces such as Wrapped Coast, Running Fence, and Wrapped Walkways. While discussing his inspirations and motives, Christo states, "The work of art is not the fabric, steel poles and cable, the work of art is the hills and the ocean, the sky, the gates, the rocks, the people, the light- this is the work of art." (Christo Vladimirov Javacheff) Though his work may appear to be visually distracting from the landscapes he creates in, Christo's aim is to bring attention to the land itself and encourage people to take note of their surroundings.
- In 1968, we had the opportunity to spend time with Thelonious Monk and his musicians, following him in New York, Atlanta, and in various European cities. In New York his quartet plays at the Village Vanguard and at recording sessions for Columbia Records; in Atlanta they appear at a Jazz Festival organized by George Wein. The members of the quartet were Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley. The group was joined on the European tour by Ray Copeland, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and Johnny Griffin, traveling as part of George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival road company.
- James Stirling takes us from Germany, to London, to Boston, guiding us through three of his widely famed museums. Though the buildings designed and created by the established architect contain some of the world's most notable works of art, Stirling reminds us that architecture serves as its very own long standing piece. Influenced greatly by both the European avant-garde and classic Victorian structures, Stirling is bold and daring in his designs. Both his colleagues and critics reject the classification of Stirling as a Postmodernist, believing the term "rogue architect" to fit him better. In reference to his design process Stirling states, "I do not believe that no matter how complex a building is, it should be consistent in its expression, consistent in its scale, consistent in its materials. I think the building can be inconsistent in its materials, varied in its scale, and different in its expression." (James Stirling) With no desire to abide by the rules of a specific and timely movement, Stirling creates with a free and explorative hand.
- Narrated by critic Donald Kuspit, A New Spirit in Painting: 6 Painters of the 1980's explores the creative paths being forged by a collection of modern artists. Through observations of their pieces and intimate discussions ignited by the meaning behind the work, we gain a rare insight into the minds behind the rousing new wave of painting. Often times dark and daring in their aesthetic, the artists have recovered myth, history, symbols and eroticism to use as subject matter, recharging the gestures of previous generations with new intensity and inspiration.
- Since the 1960s, other disciplines, cultures, and artists previously excluded from modernism's privileged canons have become absorbed into an ever expanding field of activity and influence. Younger artists are a new breed of cultural scavengers, anything or anyone is fair game for appropriation or reinterpretation. Fascinated by notions of space, time and the human body, artists such as David Hammons, Laurie Simmons and Richard Wentworth have carved their own path through conceptual art.
- "Sol LeWitt: 4 Decades" presents an opportunity to accompany one of the great artists of our time on a tour of his work, from his formative years to the present. Joined by curator Gary Garrels, LeWitt offers context and motive behind his 2000 retrospective exhibition at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. A heavy emphasis is placed on LeWitt's spectacularly large scale wall drawings, for which he is best known. Garrels, who with LeWitt, spent three years on the creation of the exhibition, leads the artist through his breakthroughs of four decades, from the 1960s to the present.
- Beginning with their small wrapped objects of 1958, this portrait examines the continuously bold and ambitious artistic ventures of the enigmatic duo, Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Though their large scale environmental projects, such as Running Fence and Wrapped Coast, are often met with distress and concern from the surrounding community, perceptions of the project are likely to shift when it comes time to interact with the grand, finished piece. Neither permanent nor purchasable, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's works exude the essence of freedom and exists only for the sake of existing.
- Philip Guston is a powerful staple of the abstract expressionist movement, though he would prefer it be referred to as the New York School. Along with composers, choreographers and his fellow visual artists, Guston found his place in the avant garde. Often times finding modern art almost too accessible, Guston strives to create pieces that encourage audiences to engage, but not without deep consideration. His paintings rely heavily on motif and repetition, emphasizing the importance of his often political subjects. Perhaps his own worst critic, Guston had a habit of destroying the work he did not find himself connecting with. Guston had no interest in simply presenting an image that he was not fully absorbed in. His passion for his work comes through in heavy brush strokes which turn and travel expressively across the canvas. In reference to his own process and the diversity within his work Guston tell us "Nothing is ever solved in painting. It's a continuous chain that sometimes doesn't go in one line, but goes in a serpentine line or in crooked paths, detours, which have to be investigated." (Philip Guston) In both his paintings and career Guston did not fear exploration but welcomed it, eagerly following the winding path of his ever evolving art.
- While guiding us through her retrospective exhibition "Zaha Hadid Has Arrived", the renowned architect recalls her career from its beginning, discussing her education, inspiration and technique. The exhibition, located at The MAK in Vienna, features a new sculpture from Hadid entitled "Ice Storm" that serves as the centerpiece of the show and captures her sleek signature. From her famed Bergisel Ski Jump to Rome's Museum of Contemporary Art, Hadid's architectural resume shines in its diversity and exploration. A Day with Zaha Hadid reviews Hadid's work of the last decade and celebrates her perpetually modern and daring designs.
- The band of American artists known as the New York School toyed with tradition and rebelled against the Renaissance. In the early throes of Abstract Expressionism artists such as Jack Tworkov and Robert Motherwell were intent on working from the unconscious, eager to stray from the structured composition of the European work they had studied throughout school. Feeling as though free association yielded their best results, the painters, poets and performers of the New York School took a surrealist approach that was concerned less with aesthetic and more with expression. Those associated with the School were unified by their desire to create from within. While walking through the studios of Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Guston, and Lee Krasner, writer and narrator Barbara Rose notes, "Many were immigrants to America, but slowly they turned their eyes from Europe, looking into themselves and into their own subjective conflicts and experiences. As a result, they created a monumental, dramatic art that remains a singular expression of the crucial modern quest for individuality and personal freedom." Never knowing exactly how their pieces would turn out, the artists of the New York School embraced their own complex humanity and worked from a place of bold, sporadic realness.
- Katja Mann, wife of German novelist Thomas Mann, recalls their fifty years of marriage and their history both as a couple and independent intellectuals. Born in Germany, the Manns were exiled to the United States during WWII, and returned to Europe after the war, settling in Kilchberg near Zurich. Katja (née Pringsheim) was a witness to all her husband's writing and guarded him from interruptions throughout the years. Thomas Mann's well known literary accomplishments include "Buddenbrooks", "The Magic Mountain", "Death in Venice", "Joseph and His Brothers", and "Doctor Faustus". In this conversation with Elisabeth Plessen, Katja and her son Golo describes their life in vivid detail and reveal the background to many of Mann's important writings. Filmed in Katja's home in Kilchberg in 1969.
- No understanding of the modern movement in architecture is possible without knowledge of its master builder, Mies van der Rohe. Together with documentation of his life, this film shows all his major buildings, as well as rare film footage of Mies explaining his philosophy. Phyllis Lambert relates her choice of Mies as the architect for the Seagram building. Mies's achievements and continuing influence are debated by architects Robert A.M. Stern, Robert Venturi, and Philip Johnson, by former students and by architectural historians. Mies is seen in rare documentary footage.
- Driven by their mutual admiration of classical architecture, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown have worked together to create a space of unique post-Modernist construction. Filmed during the design and realization of the Sainsbury extension to the National Gallery in London, the husband and wife team discuss their past work and the shared principles that led to their precise, historically inspired approach to modern architecture.
- In 1968, we had the opportunity to spend time with Thelonious Monk and his musicians, following him in New York, Atlanta, and in various European cities. In New York his quartet plays at the Village Vanguard and at recording sessions for Columbia Records; in Atlanta they appear at a Jazz Festival organized by George Wein. The members of the quartet were Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley. The group was joined on the European tour by Ray Copeland, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and Johnny Griffin, traveling as part of George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival road company.
- A light-hearted, toe-tapping portrait of the well-known 8 Oscar winning Hollywood costume designer filmed in her opulent house and garden. Edith Head presents some of her famous designs using glamorous models to impersonate Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck, Dorothy Lamour, Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. They move to the music of the films for which she was the designer as Head recalls the times and places that served as inspiration for the famed looks.
- Pairing his collection of figurative paintings with an astute conversation surrounding mortality and humanity, "Francis Bacon and the Brutality of Fact" offers personal insight into the mind of an artist. In an interview led by friend and art critic, David Sylvester, Bacon opens up about his work and the, often times, grotesque and macabre tone of his paintings. His representations of the human figure in portraits and triptychs link him, in his view, to the distorted realism of Van Gogh and Picasso. With his unique take on life and death, Bacon explains to us the dichotomy of his art through an unexpectedly optimistic thesis which he dubbed the "brutality of fact". As Bacon's striking art conveys, with the acceptance of death comes a passionate vitality for life.
- Known for his bold, abstract and stark white buildings, American architect Richard Meier now takes on the challenge of building the Jubilee Church in Rome. Holding the location in high regard, Meier praises the vibrant visual layout of the city and tells us, "Rome is a city of architecture; it's a city of walls and columns and spaces and places and defined places and wherever you look there's architecture" (Richard Meier). Staying true to his signature design style, Meier has created a structure resembling grand soaring sails which appear steady and peaceful as they stand in striking opposition to the city's landscape. Three curved walls separate three distinct spaces: the main sanctuary, the weekday chapel and the baptistry, each with its own entrance. As a contrast he shows us his favorite churches in Rome by his famous colleagues from earlier times.
- An intimate and intellectual lecture given by Hannah Arendt about the work and fate of her friend and colleague in the philosophical field, Walter Benjamin. Delivered in January 1968 at the Goethe House in New York, Arendt's speech paid tribute to Benjamin's ideologies surrounding linguistic philosophy, history and literature. Arendt notes the importance of German-Jewish literature in Benjamin's work, insisting that "without being a poet, he thought poetically. For him the metaphor was the greatest gift of language, because it transforms the invisible into the sensual." (Hannah Ardent) Through his passion for writers such as Kafka, Goethe and Proust, Benjamin honed his own sort of theology revolving around classic texts, preservation, and the collecting of wisdom.
- The Sensual Nature of Sound portrays four New York based composers and performers in terms of their musical lives and artistic passion. Though Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk and Pauline Oliveros are all pioneers in American music, each composer pursues a distinct direction of her own. Their rehearsals and performances show a common pursuit of lyrical storytelling through which a new set of contemporary narratives has been forged. Through body, sound, movement and composition, these women have forged their own path through the wild world of modern music.
- "Frank Gehry: An Architecture of Joy" illustrates the unique intertwining of art and architecture throughout Gehry's spectacularly eclectic career. In this portrait, Gehry explores his work of the 1990's including The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, as well as his first European commission, the EMR Communication and Technology Center in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. Seeing himself as an artist first, Gehry discusses his early relationships in the art world and how sculpture, painting and small scale work has influenced his architectural style. Like Rauschenberg, Johns, and Warhol, he has introduced "bad taste" into his concepts, while keeping himself outside of the contemporary dialogue between modernism and post-modernism. He has translated the vocabulary of contemporary art into an architectural language of his own, disobeying the rules of his profession and questioning its historic conventions.
- The Cremaster Cycle: A Conversation with Matthew Barney follows the artist and New York Times art critic, Michael Kimmelman as they discuss his mythic display at the Guggenheim Museum. While guiding the camera through his sculptures and films, Barney tells Kimmelman about his process, vision and intentions when creating the "Cremaster Cycle". The sculptures, constructed from the artist's signature materials, including plastic, metal, and Vaseline, are three-dimensional incarnations of characters and settings seen in Barney's films. They exist independently but embody the same content, now expressed in space rather than time.
- Reclaiming the Body: Feminist Art in America features a collection of passionate, determined artists who have taken creation, performance and visual storytelling into their own hands. Loosely based on the two-part BAD GIRLS exhibition at The New Museum of Contemporary Art in Manhattan, Reclaiming the Body goes beyond the scope of the exhibition to include other significant contributors to feminist art. From sculpture to photography, the featured work challenges society's notion of the female form, femininity and gender identity. The film spans three generations of artists, from Louise Bourgeois to Janine Antoni, in order to give an overview of the history of this important movement from the 1960s to the present day.
- A poet among architects and an innovator among educators, John Hejduk converses with poet David Shapiro at The Cooper Union about the mystery and spirit of architecture. His own sketches and structures are shown.
- Serving as a detailed portrait of the acclaimed Japanese architect, this film engages with Kisho Kurokawa, who employs Buddhist ideas in a symbiosis of traditional forms and western modernism to achieve an intercultural architecture. In a merging of philosophy, culture, space and narrative, Kurokawa has created a body of work that he defines as symbiotic, which he specifies as "the simultaneous expression of conflicting things in a symbiotic manner" (Kisho Kurokawa). Kisho Kurokawa: From Metabolism to Symbiosis follows him to many of his major accomplishments in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nara, Osaka, Berlin, Paris, Chicago and New York.
- As Isamu Noguchi walks us through his grand sculptures and gardens, the artist offers a unique insight into the way we, as individuals and as a collective society exist in time. Guided by his fascination with one's own reaction to time, Noguchi works to create pieces that emulate the non-linear narrative of life. Convinced that trapping oneself in a single time can be isolating in both existence and art, Noguchi stated, "If you are caught in time, immediate present time, then your choice is very limited, you can only do certain things correctly belonging to that time. But if you want to escape from that time constraint, than the whole world- I mean not just the most industrialized world - but the whole world is someplace where you belong." (Isamu Noguchi) Noguchi relates this interpretation of time to both his art and his experiences with the nature that tied into his work. While explaining how Michelangelo was told to collect his marble from Monte Altissimo di Nago, Noguchi dwells on the importance of recognizing the relationship between nature, art and technology. Much like his resistance to conform in the constructs of time, Noguchi is also persistent in his artistic freedom, rejecting the notion of a set genre or movement. He relies on intuition and passion to dictate his presence, and therefore his work's presence, in time and space. Reluctant to lock himself or his work into any preconceived notion, Noguchi stated the following, "I consider conceptual things as a base--that's where you start from. But the discovery is in the accidents and also the things that happen which make you change your mind. I'm never absolutely fixed about anything." (Isamu Noguchi) The fluidity of Noguchi's work led to a collection of stunning and diverse pieces that are, as he intended, timeless.
- Guided by seasoned New Yorkers, political figures, and cultural connoisseurs, "Empire City" examines Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs in order to paint a portrait of the ever-evolving metropolis. Appearing to be both adaptable and stubbornly stagnant, New York is a city of juxtapositions. As our narrator notes, "The city is too big, too diverse, and too complex for anyone to comprehend. New York is many cities interlaced with one another, each in constant independent motion." In "Empire City" we see proof of this dynamic through both footage and discussion of extreme wealth, economic success and increasingly expensive real estate versus the hardships faced by the city's minorities such as people of color, immigrants, and the lower class. Leaders and residents such as David Rockefeller, Edward Koch, Norman Mailer, Jane Jacobs, and Herman Badillo offer their insight into the best and worst of New York while tenderly noting the pride and loyalty it's inhabitants hold onto.
- Renowned architect, Arata Isozaki creates with a rare and specific hand, blending his Japanese culture and education with classic Western aesthetics. Inspired deeply by the architecture he saw in Europe, Isozaki's buildings appear both grand and delicate, entirely aware of the space they occupy. Of his particular style Isozaki tells us, "Even though my buildings look very Western and not Japanese, conceptually and fundamentally, I feel that I have been very influenced by Japanese traditions, both in architecture and in traditional concepts of time and space." (Arata Isozaki) Arata Isozaki: Early Work in Japan takes a detailed look at the architect's pieces, exploring applauded projects such as the EXPO '70 Osaka Festival Plaza, Gunma Prefectural Museum of Modern Art and Kitakyushu Municipal Library. The extraordinary series of architectural breakthroughs made during this time contributed significantly to the evolution of contemporary architecture worldwide, and eventually gained him his first foreign commission: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
- A cinema verité account of Eliot Feld's early choreography and the founding of his first ensemble, The American Ballet Company. Its first performance took place in Italy at the 1968 Spoleto Festival.
- By the end of the 1980's a new architectural sensibility challenged the prevailing post-Modern attitude and brought forth new and daring designs. Driven by the philosophy and theory of Jacques Derrida, the architects of Deconstructivism are rooted in a movement that urges us to examine the space we move through. Deconstructivist Architects documents explosive and seemingly chaotic structures from Vienna to L.A., and interviews those who pursue its aesthetic issues. Filmed on location with the architects and at the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition Deconstructivist Architecture, which was curated by Philip Johnson.
- Larry Rivers addresses his art with a sense of primal urgency. He allows himself to find inspiration in whatever he is drawn to, driven by his non conforming notions surrounding focus and subject. Like the other pop artists of his time, Rivers found it vital to hone into one space or object and study it until it gained new meaning. Whether it be a body part or a piece of furniture, Rivers explores details so vividly that the subject itself becomes a separate entity, free entirely from the way it is viewed in day to day life. Rivers emphasizes his desire to "destroy the sort of reality of subject matter" (Larry Rivers), using his piece Double Portrait of Berdie to illustrate this concept. By showing the "subject" twice, Rivers is able to make his viewers question the true subject of the painting, and if there is one at all. Rivers seems to enjoy destroying narrative and playing with the mind's reaction to art. Through his art films such as "Tits", Rivers explores the boundaries between artist and audience as well as society's reaction to his intimate and unfamiliar exposure of the human body. Rivers applied his same method of isolating a subject to the naked body, stating that he is interested in "separating one detail from an environment and going at it relentlessly" (Larry Rivers). It is with this intensity that Rivers produces his work, whether his medium be canvas, sculpture or screen.
- In 1971, in association with West German Television, we produced a documentation on New York's musical avant-garde that was broadcast only in Germany at the time of its release. In 2010, nearly 40 years after the film's original production, it felt desirable to recycle the performances and interviews with the featured composers in order to create a revealing look back to those years for an English-speaking audience. Featuring notable contributors to the musical avant-garde such as John Cage, Philip Glass and Ben Patterson, this portrait explores experimental sound and the rise of electronic composition. "New Music: Sounds and Voices from the Avant-Garde, New York 1971" offers valuable insights into the nature and issues of advanced composition at the beginning of the 1970s.
- Watching Robert Rauschenberg interact with his own work, from its early stages to a finished product, is to understand how much of himself he places into his art. Noting that in his first attempts at painting, he used his own hands as opposed to a brush, Rauschenberg expresses to us his need create and be present within his work. Rauschenberg explains how he strays from specific images or items that may isolate his audience and focuses on commonly seen content. Much like his relationship with the materials he finds himself working with, Rauschenberg wants those viewing his pieces to create a spur of the moment connection. He feels as though anything preconceived, whether it be materials or interpretations, throws off the authenticity of art. Rauschenberg states that he "would substitute anything for preconception or deliberateness" and goes on to say "if that moment can't be as fresh and as strange as what's going on all around you then it's false". (Robert Rauschenberg) Strange, indeed, is what a viewer may feel when looking at one of Rauschenberg's notable Combines, in which his art defies all former notions of composition and plays boldly with texture, sculpture and genre. Rauschenberg's desire to interact with his art is palpable and it is that passion that drives us, as viewers, to seek a similar connection when face to face with his creations. Robert Rauschenberg: Retrospective includes important examples of the artist's diverse and extraordinary accomplishments, tracing his development from his student years and his earliest experiments to a retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. From explorative early pieces like Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953) to his famed collage works such as Buffalo II (1964) and Autobiography (1968) Rauschenberg's work stands out with a daring boldness.
- "Sam Fuller: Writings with a Camera" takes us behind the scenes of the much discussed and highly controversial film, "White Dog". Directed by Sam Fuller in 1981, the film is based on the novel by Romain Gary which is centered around the theme of racism in American and conditionalized hatred. The central figure in the film is a white German shepherd, adopted by a young actress played by Kristy McNichol, who has been trained by previous abusive owners to attack any black person it sees. The actress enlists the help of Keys, a devoted animal trainer, to re-educate the dog and attempt to correct the conditioned racism taught to him from a young age. Due to its theme and subject matter, the film was not widely circulated at the time of its completion but was finally released on DVD in December, 2008. Director, Christian Blackwood visits Sam Fuller on set of "White Dog", observing him at work with the animals and actors as he explains his approach to filmmaking and his unique desire to "write with the camera."
- Joan Jonas, a pioneer of video and performance art, started exploring new media in the mid-1960s and quickly became a highly influential and entirely unique visual artist. In 2012 we followed her work on her latest installation and performance, "Reanimation" which she created for the dOCUMENTA(13) art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. Inspired by the novel "Under the Glacier" by the Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness, Jonas created a video installation piece, mixing footage of a trip to Norway, text, drawings, props, and reanimated videos from her previous work. Pairing her imagery with the music of Jazz pianist, Jason Moran, who Jonas has collaborated with on past projects, the artist creates a unique space of sound and scenery. Throughout the film, the artist also offers insights into her inspirations and her early work including "Wind", "Organic Honey", "Volcano Saga" and "The Shape, The Scent, The Feel of Things".
- In an effort to work without the distractions of the city, artist Carroll Dunham moved his studio from Manhattan to a small village in Connecticut, not far from where he grew up. Finding himself to be more at peace in the calm, rural setting, Dunham feels the freedom to create wildly bold and visually stimulating work, painting his way through expression and sexuality. Continuously holding a mirror up to society, Dunham aims to examine the ways in which we interpret images and ideas surrounding the physical human form and our contrived notions of appropriate depictions of it through art and media. Dunham's large canvas works are flooded with vivid color and striking imagery that grabs the attention of its audience and encourages a reconsideration of form and gaze. "The Artist's Studio: Carroll Dunham" documents a visit with critic Roberta Smith as she observes his new captivating work: a series entitled "In the Flowers" and a large canvas "The Beach".
- In 1968 German Television agreed to co-produce a film with us in which the distinguished German writer, Uwe Johnson, would introduce and question the various characters with whom he exchanges news and opinions during his wanderings on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Uwe, who lived in the area for several years, spent a majority of his free time getting to know his neighborhood very well, observing the goings on in the streets, cafeterias, and parks. We proposed to him that he participate in the documentary but being essentially introverted, Uwe was not interested in appearing on-camera, but was willing to make a list of places and situations that he felt should be included in the film. Christian Blackwood took charge of the project while Johnson wrote the narration which was added in once the film was edited. "Summer" in the City was broadcast in Germany at the time of its release.
- Narrated by the architect himself, Frank Gehry: The Formative Years explores his long standing career and unique eye. The film looks at a number of Gehry's projects from private homes to complex public institutions, all of which echo his experimental style and vision. Works such as The Norton House, The Aerospace Museum and Loyola Law School demonstrate Gehry's eccentric and distinctive touch. The Formative Years is a survey of his beginnings when Gehry experimented with his own house in Santa Monica, giving him notoriety in the architecture scene.
- With the participation of famed architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman: Making Architecture Move provides an intimate look into the work of the daring and controversial creator. Filmed in the U.S. and Germany, Eisenman takes the viewer through several of his buildings, including the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, while explaining his upcoming projects such as the Rebstockpark community in Frankfurt and the Max Reinhardt monument in Berlin. His predecessors and contemporaries offer praise and commentary on Eisenman's complex body of work including their own thoughts and theories surrounding his unique style.
- Known for his Pop imagery, avant-garde films, and enigmatic muses, Andy Warhol was a vital figure in the New York City art scene. Making a name for himself throughout the 1960's with his eccentric portrayal of commercialism and pop culture, Warhol soon became a much sought after artist, attracting the attention of both Manhattan's elite and those marginalized in society. In reference to Warhol's ability to draw a crowd, art critic David Bourdon observes, "I think Andy is quite conscious of everything that he's doing. He's a little but of a provocateur in that he always foresees what the reaction will be to a work before he starts it." (David Bourdon). Warhol predicted cultural and artistic trends while simultaneously holding a mirror up to those who perpetrated them. His iconic muses such as Candy Darling and Brigid Polk fueled his desire for artistic voyeurism and represented Warhol's aesthetic extremes. Through his Superstars Warhol both flirted with and mocked the idea of fame and what it meant to be "known" in a city like New York.
- Directed by writer and critic, Hans Helms, "African American Musicians and Composers" investigates the social, political and economical factors within the world of modern music where racial discrimination is still very much present. In an exploration of culture, tradition and democracy, musicians and singers such as Margaret Harris, George Turner and Martina Arroyo discuss their own experiences with racism in their industry and the ways in which they've persevered throughout their careers. Capturing both interviews and live performances, this film provides a glimpse into a variety of genres including opera, musical theatre, jazz and rock. African American Musicians and Composers serves as a compelling think piece on racial bias within the musical world while showcasing the vast array of talent among the featured performers.
- Art historians and critics talk with Philip Guston about his ideas and new work of the 1970's. Filmed during the making of "Philip Guston: A Life Lived".
- Documentary portrait of the Philippine filmmaker Lino Brocka.
- "Hans Bethe: Prophet of Energy" is a portrait of the eminent Nobel Prize winning physicist who greatly advanced our knowledge of the atom. Bethe discusses the milestones of his career: his student work in Germany, his flight from the Nazis, his work on the Los Alamos Atomic Bomb project under Robert Oppenheimer, and his research on the energy production in stars. In working to help solve the energy crisis of the 1970's, Bethe established himself as one of the country's leading spokesmen for a safe way to use nuclear energy. Speaking in support of a sensible use, he represents a side of this controversial issue that deserves more attention. The film provides crucial insight into this complex issue by one of the world's authorities.
- Encouraging visitors to engage and connect with on site artist's, Artpark provides a unique environment for those craving culture away from the whirring city. Located in Lewiston, New York the outdoor venue opens itself to artists, musicians and performers seeking a spot to reflect and create. During the summer seasons Artpark serves as an immersive experience, inviting the public to observe the artists as they work. Artpark People observes the vibrant scene and captures candid interactions between artist and onlookers. With a heavy emphasis on outdoor space and environmental influence, Artpark asserts itself as a cultural and communal haven for creatives.
- A visit in 1971 to the classrooms of the Juilliard School, New York's prominent music academy, introducing some of the talented students and many of the brilliant faculty. Through interviews and observations this film explores the history of the school and showcases the musical curriculum, which the students throw themselves into with rigor and passion. Encouraged by their professors the budding musicians learn to study, analyze and approach a piece with curiosity and determination. "Juilliard" serves as a meaningful documentation of the school that was founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art before becoming The Juilliard School of Music in 1962.
- 4 Artists: Robert Ryman, Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman, Susan Rothenberg acts as a collective portrait of creators linked only by their stated intention of expressing ideas through art. Unconnected to traditional concepts of beauty, storytelling or pictorial representation, the artists discuss the context of their art and how their work and the public's perception of it have changed over time. This film offers the rare opportunity to see a large body of work in their studios.