Film Snail

History

The Two Thousand Year Old Computer

The Two Thousand Year Old Computer

August 5, 2012

In 1901, a group of divers excavating an ancient Roman shipwreck near the island of Antikythera, off the southern coast of Greece, found a mysterious object - a lump of calcified stone that contained within it several gearwheels welded together after years under the sea. The 2,000-year-old object, no bigger than a modern laptop, is now regarded as the world's oldest computer, devised to predict solar eclipses and, according to recent findings, calculate the timing of the ancient Olympics. Following the efforts of an international team of scientists, the mysteries of the Antikythera Mechanism are uncovered, revealing surprising and awe-inspiring details of the object that continues to mystify.

Tongan Ark

Tongan Ark

August 4, 2012

Ancient philosophy, opera and Tongan culture come together in this intimate portrait of a teacher, his school and his people as they navigate a sea of repression and doubt in a small but troubled Pacific island kingdom.

Confessions of a Self-Hating Jew

Confessions of a Self-Hating Jew

August 4, 2012

A gay Naked Yoga teacher examines how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects the lives of American Jews.

God Loves Caviar

God Loves Caviar

August 4, 2012

The true-life, stranger-than-fiction tale of eighteenth-century Greek pirate turned merchant Ioannis Varvakis, who rose from humble beginnings to become the head of one of the largest mercantile empires in Europe.

Balkan Melody

Balkan Melody

August 3, 2012

What Swiss director Stefan Schweitert did for accordion music and for yodeling (Accordion Tribe, Cinequest, 2005; Echoes of Home, Cinequest 2008) he now does for traditional Balkan music. This wonderful film is also a love story – and a door into a world of musical wonders.

Defiant Requiem

August 3, 2012

A memorial concert reawakens the story of an artistic uprising in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin, where a chorus of 150 inmates confronts the Nazis face-to-face - and sings to them what they dare not say.

Il Muro

Il Muro

August 1, 2012

Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald

Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald

July 28, 2012

Kinderblock 66 is the story of four men who, as young boys, were imprisoned by the Nazis in the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp and who, sixty-five years later, return to commemorate the sixty-fifth anniversary of their liberation. The film tells the story of the effort undertaken by the camp's Communist-led underground to protect ad save Jewish children who were arriving in Buchenwald toward the end of the Holocaust. Kinderblock 66 also tells the story of Antonin Kalina, the head of the block who was personally responsible for saving 904 boys in Buchenwald.

Ivan Megharoopan

Ivan Megharoopan

July 27, 2012

The film is based on the life of Malayalam poet P. Kunhiraman Nair and is particularly based on his autobiography, Kaviyude Kalpadukal.

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

July 26, 2012

Bert & Dickie

Bert & Dickie

July 25, 2012

Thrown together just five weeks before the final of the 1948 London Olympics, Bert Bushnell (Doctor Who's Matt Smith) and Dickie Burnell (Sam Hoare) defied all the odds and made history in the double sculls. This is the story of how they did it - not only by pushing physical and emotional limits, but also by overcoming their vast professional and personal differences.

Salman the Persian

Salman the Persian

July 24, 2012

From Badr International comes the long-awaited series, Animated Stories of Islam, relating some of the great stories that took place before, during and after the Prophet Muhammad. Salman the Persian, the third and final part of the 3-part series, tells the story of the life of Prophet Salman. Included in this film are his wise tales of justice, his ability to control jinn and speak to animals, as well as his rise to Kingship.

Before the Light

Before the Light

July 24, 2012

From Badr International comes the long-awaited series, Animated Stories of Islam, relating some of the great stories that took place before, during and after the Prophet Muhammad. Before the Light, the first film in the 3-part series, relates significant events that took place before the birth of Prophet Muhammad. It is a story of miracles - the miraculous discovery of the well of zamzam, and then, centuries later, the miracle of its rediscovery by the Prophet's grandfather Abdulmuttaleb; the miracle of his father Abdullah's life; and finally, the miracle during the Year of the Elephant, the year the Prophet was born. There miraculous stories - all works of God - prepared the way for the message of Islam to shine bright during Muhammad's Prophethood, and for centuries to come.

Gaggee

July 24, 2012

A period drama set in the city of Varanasi. The raja of Varansi is unable to satisfy his younger wife’s sexual needs so she has an affair with one of the king’s generals.

Pureza: The Story of Negros Sugar

Pureza: The Story of Negros Sugar

July 22, 2012

At the start of the twentieth century, a small province-island earned the moniker 'Sugar Bowl' when it became the sugar capital of the Philippines- the Island of Negros.

The Medieval Trip

The Medieval Trip

July 16, 2012

The Happy Lands

The Happy Lands

July 14, 2012

The Happy Lands tracks the lives of the Brogan, Guthrie and Baxter families as they overcome the economic challenges brought about by the 1926 General Strike.

Armada

Armada

July 12, 2012

Armada is a Brazilian short movie about the dictatorship times that laid its iron fist over the country. When a journalist is taken to the basement where the torture claim its victims, the truth is no more than a detail.

Royal Babylon: The Criminal Record of the British Monarchy

July 12, 2012

A video polemic, based on Heathcote Williams' investigative poem 'Royal Babylon: The Criminal Record of the British Monarchy' - every film a crime. The collective at Handsome Dog have used the best of new media to present a video polemic based on Heathcote William's investigative poem "Royal Babylon: The Criminal Record of the British Monarchy". Sixteen short films have been made the chronicle the crimes of the Royal Family and their ancestors: RB intro, Killing an Ibis, Mad Monarchs, Michael X, Harry Trouble, I Danced with a Man, Foot in Mouth, Folk on the Hill, Knight Hoods, Milton Gas, Swift Justice, Raj Doubt, Gaunt etc., Koh i Noor, Paine and Thoth, Blake Acres Zappa, Glitter Freeze. Written by Margaret Cox

The Gatekeepers

The Gatekeepers

July 9, 2012

In an unprecedented and candid series of interviews, six former heads of the Shin Bet — Israel's intelligence and security agency — speak about their role in Israel's decades-long counterterrorism campaign, discussing their controversial methods and whether the ends ultimately justify the means.