Film Snail

History

Le Corps Humain

Le Corps Humain

June 14, 2006

This film is an in-camera portrait of my niece, Mia Larose (who was six months old at the time) captured during a winter family reunion in Lac Saint-Charles, Québec. Shot on a single roll of super 8mm film and hand-processed.

Warrior Empire: The Mughals of India

Warrior Empire: The Mughals of India

June 10, 2006

WARRIOR EMPIRE: THE MUGHALS is a sweeping, in-depth portrait of India's most colorful, violent, and majestic era. From 1526 to 1858, this dynasty of nomadic warriors indulged their appetite for territorial expansion, spreading their rule throughout the Indian subcontinent. Though they conquered their kingdom with crushing brutality, the Mughals were also brilliant technological innovators and masters of art and architecture. This program offers lush, detailed images of Mughal accomplishments such as the glorious Taj Mahal, palaces, forts, water systems, elaborate gardens, and richly crafted artwork. Step-by-step scientific recreations of advanced Mughal metallurgy and weaponry show the meticulous production of chain mail armor for a battalion of elephants, lethally flexible composite bows, rocketry, and swordsmith techniques passed down through the generations, and still alive today.

Memórias da Chibata

Memórias da Chibata

June 9, 2006

Juca, a black kid, sees his friends and his mother being hit by his stepfather, without being able to do anything against it, but when he knows that he is the great-grandson of João Cândido, the leader of the sailors rebellion against the chibata hits adopted by Brazilian Navy till 1910, he takes an extreme attitude towards changing the course of his life.

Antonio, guerriero di Dio

Antonio, guerriero di Dio

June 9, 2006

Ghetto

Ghetto

June 8, 2006

In 1942, in Vilna, the Nazi annihilate 55,000 Jews and squeeze the 15,000 survivors in a seven blocks ghetto. The twenty-two year old sadistic commander Kittel is assigned to administrate the ghetto in the capital of Lithuania, becoming the master of life or death. When he finds the gorgeous Hayyah sneaking with one kilo of beam stolen from the German army, he sentences her to death; but when he is informed that she was a former successful singer, he decides to activate the old theater and promote shows in the ghetto. The Jew Chief of Police Gens uses the theater and a sewing factory to save as much lives as he can; in his ambiguous position, he kills Jews to save lives of others.

Советская Империя - Высотки

Советская Империя - Высотки

June 7, 2006

Robber of the Cruel Streets

Robber of the Cruel Streets

June 6, 2006

This program presents the life and ministry of George Muller, who cared for thousands of orphans in 19th century England. He never asked anyone for money. Instead he prayed, and his children never missed a meal.

Russian Money

Russian Money

June 6, 2006

The mistress of a once prosperous, but now frustrated estate, wants to improve her affairs at the expense of neighboring possessions belonging to the rich widow Evlampia Kupavina. The lady hatches an ingenious plan using forged documents in order to marry her wayward nephew Apollosha to the widow.

July Trip

June 4, 2006

"When this last war broke out, I was faraway in Paris. I had but one idea: to return to Beirut as quickly as possible and to begin shooting a film, for historical moments were taking place. This film became indispensible: to film so that history would cease repeating itself and to build up a picture library for future generations. I never understood why so few films were made during the Lebanese Civil War. Apart from the odd film, nothing remains from that time. The war surely merited more attention." (Waël Noureddine)

Hana

Hana

June 3, 2006

In a poor district of Edo lives a young samurai named Soza. He has been sent by his clan to avenge the death of his father. He isn't an accomplished swordsman however, and he prefers sharing the life of the residents, teaching the kids how to write etc. When he finally finds the man he is looking for, he will have to decide whether he follows the way of the samurai or chooses peace and reconciliation.

Blockade

Blockade

June 2, 2006

The images comprise only of material Sergei Loznitsa found in the Moscow film archives about the siege of Leningrad during the World War II. By providing the originally silent images with a meticulously reconstructed soundtrack, the scenes from everyday life under siege seem to be set in the present. By not intervening in the montage but giving the scenes room to tell a story, the scenes transcend the specific historic events and lead a new life. They do not evoke memories of the past, but become a breathtaking reanimation of reality.

Two Rivers

Two Rivers

June 1, 2006

Part history lesson, part deeply felt emotion, and part fascinating story of an unlikely solution to a dark time in American history, this award winning PBS documentary tells the true story of a Native American reconciliation group in North Central Washington State. Seeking to learn why there has never been any Indian presence or awareness in their community, a white couple begins a journey that starts as a small discussion group in their home. As the regions' (and later the Nations') history of cruelty, racism, and ignorance toward Native Americans is told, the whites are deeply affected. Word begins circulating around the reservations that something unusual is happening among a group of whites and Indians. Curious whites hear about Indians traveling to their community, and start attending. What follows is an amazing story of changed hearts, friendships between enemies, and ultimately, astonishing community renewal and transformation.

White Mountains

White Mountains

June 1, 2006

An old man is collecting the bodies of the dead in the fighting between the local parties and believes that everyone is the same and fighting for the same purpose.

Great Monuments of Washington DC

June 1, 2006

Take a privileged look inside the building that is part monument part command center and part luxury mansion - an executive residence that is the international icon of the American presidency. This program offers a remarkable historical tour of the White House from its burning at the hands of the British in the War of 1812 to a tour of Jackie Kennedy's White House redecorations with the First Lady in 1960. In this fascinating examination of the resplendent Washington landmarks that commemorate our most celebrated leaders learn the stories behind the structures including how Freemasons influenced the Washington Monument and why a man was ousted from the opening ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial. From the unforgettable vision of Arlington Cemetery to the controversy that nearly derailed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial this program examines the nation's legendary war monuments and the heroes who inspired them.

Washington the Warrior

Washington the Warrior

May 29, 2006

Before George Washington became America's first President and an enduring national symbol, he was a soldier. this chronicles Washington's little-known military life, from his first officer's commission in the Virginia militia to his emergence as the soul of the American revolution.

Hranice

May 28, 2006

King Leopold's Ghost

King Leopold's Ghost

May 28, 2006

The modern history of the Congo, the heart of Africa, is a terrifying tale of appalling brutality: how the greedy and incredibly ruthless King Leopold II of Belgium (1935-1909) turned a vast country into his private estate (1885-1908) and how he plundered the land and raped the bodies and souls of its defenceless inhabitants, causing countless victims; and what exactly is the true impact of this often forgotten story of crime and horror today.

Terry Jones' Barbarians

Terry Jones' Barbarians

May 26, 2006

Terry Jones' Barbarians is a 4-part TV documentary series first broadcast on BBC 2 in 2006. It was written and presented by Terry Jones, and it challenges the received Roman and Roman Catholic notion of the barbarian. Professor Barry Cunliffe of the University of Oxford acted as consultant for the series.

Days of Glory

Days of Glory

September 27, 2006

1943. They have never stepped foot on French soil but because France was at war, Said, Abdelkader, Messaoud and Yassir enlist in the French Army, along with 130,000 other “indigenous” soldiers, to liberate the “fatherland” from the Nazi enemy. Heroes that history has forgotten…

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette

May 24, 2006

The retelling of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and ultimately the fall of Versailles.