Feature Docs
A clash of egos
In 1982, the newly elected French president Francois Mitterrand decided that an ultra-modern opera house would be built on the Bastille Place, a symbol of the Revolution.
In a blind competition, 750 hopeful firms send designs. Word leaks out that the winner will be prominent American architect Richard Meier.
During the formal announcement, the Minister of Culture stutters an unexpected name: Carlos Ott from Canada. No one has heard of him; he certainly is not Richard Meier. What happened?
François Mitterrand looks thrilled, but not so much his sworn enemy and Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, who did everything to stop the construction of the Bastille Opera.
KROOS 115’
The heart and mind of Real Madrid
Toni Kroos is a phenomenon.
Even though he is the most successful and expensive German football player of all times, you barely notice him on the field or in public. He’s modest, introverted and reserved. Yet, he is the heart and mind of Real Madrid, the biggest football club in the world, where show and spectacle are as important as victory.
From Greifswald to Madrid, this film provides unseen images of the life of this atypical athlete and goes behind the scenes of professional football.
KROOS, THE FAMILY AND FOOTBALL 71’
An intimate portrait of the media shy star athlete
For over a year, a camera followed famed soccer player Toni Kroos and his closest acquaintances, resulting in an intimate portrait second to none with unparalleled insights into the life of the media shy star.
ANGELA MERKEL, A LEGACY THROUGH TIME 90’
16 years at the helm of Germany
Angela Merkel embodied Germany for almost two decades carrying an image of stability and rationality. What are the secrets of her longevity?
Born in East Germany, she started as a biologist and, eventually, became the most powerful woman on the planet. In this film, Angela Merkel herself gives a unique insight into her career.
Barack Obama, Theresa May, Christine Lagarde, and many other world leaders who have worked with her shed new light on one extraordinary woman.
ANGELA MERKEL, THE UNEXPECTED 52’ or 90’
The world's most powerful woman
Angela Merkel is often described as the new Iron Lady and referred to as “mother”. But who is this woman? What are the facts behind her story?
Interviews with childhood friends, long time companions, business executives and global political leaders reveal how the East German daughter of a protestant pastor worked her way up to become the most powerful woman on the planet.
Her modesty combined with strong will and strategic approach left many to underestimate Angela Merkel and thus paving the way for her rise to power.
Also available as a 90'
BLACK CODE 90’
When states play Big Brother
This is a gripping account of how governments control and manipulate the internet to censor and monitor their citizens.
With stories from exiled Tibetan monks trying to circumvent China’s surveillance apparatus, Syrian citizens tortured for Facebook posts, Brazilian activists using social media to distribute alternative news, and Pakistani showing online violence against women, this film shows firsthand the high-stakes consequences that our unprecedented level of digital communication can produce.
As this battle for control of cyberspace is waged, our ideas of citizenship, privacy, and democracy are being challenged to the very core.
BREATH OF FREEDOM 90’
A paradoxical chapter in American history
At the end of World War II, African-American GIs were stationed in Germany as part of a policy to help rid the country of racism and oppression.
That was pretty ironic since strict segregation prevailed in their own country, even in the US army.
Seen by the German people as representatives of a victorious power, these African-American GIs found themselves in a foreign country experiencing for the first time what it feels like to be treated as equals.
CARNAC, THE NEOLITHIC LOST KINGDOM 52’
The mystery of the standing stones
In Brittany, France, the multitude of menhirs continues to confound archaeologists.
In the Neolithic period, why did men erect these gigantic funerary monuments to the glory of dignitaries who might have been as powerful as the Pharaohs?
Experts try to reveal the mysteries that still shroud these sites and this unique society that shone and disappeared suddenly.
COVID CENTURY 90’
Preparing for the next pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every country and will continue to shape global politics and our daily lives for the foreseeable future.
Scientists even speculate that this could be the first in a series of new viral pandemics for which humanity must prepare.
This film looks at how to strengthen international coordination to better cope with the next such scourge.
DIVINE DIVAS 110’
The first generation of Brazilian transvestite performers
In the 1960s, the Divine Divas were the first generation of Brazilian transvestite performers.
One of the first venues that gave shelter to men dressed as women was the Rival Theatre, directed by Américo Leal.
In this film, his granddaughter recounts the stories of a generation that revolutionized sexual behavior and challenged the country’s staid morality.
KRESTY 90’
One of the oldest and largest prisons in Russia
Kresty is one of the oldest and largest prisons in Russia. Located in the center of Saint Petersburg, its history reflects the history of the country.
Throughout its 130-year, thousands of people have passed through these walls: revolutionaries, engineers, generals, writers, poets, scientists, thieves, serial killers.
The Kresty prison is society in a nutshell, where human vices as well as fortitude, freedom and dignity reveal themselves to the fullest.
MEXICO'S SECRET TREASURES 110’
The heritage of the Mayas, Toltecs, Incas and Aztecs
From pre-Columbian times until the Spanish conquest in 1521, Mexico was the cradle of civilizations ahead of their time.
Architecture combined with extraordinary artistic diversity characterizes the legacy of the Mayas, Toltecs, Incas, or Aztecs, as evidenced by the imposing ruins of palaces and temples scattered throughout the jungle.
These civilizations are also known to have developed impressive scientific knowledge.
NOWITZKI : THE PERFECT SHOT 105’
The path to NBA glory
This film follows the career of Dirk Nowitzki, his relationship with his coach and mentor, Holger Geschwinder, and their path to NBA glory.
OUT 64’
The moment their world teetered
Through a montage of compelling videos posted on the Internet by young gays, bis, lesbians, or transsexuals, this film makes us experience from within the groundbreaking moment of their coming out – after which their intimate and social life shall be forever changed.
THE BLACK EAGLES 90’
The colors of the German national football team
The German national football team now includes black players.
How far have they come before stepping onto the pitch, what obstacles have they overcome, what prejudices and hostility have they faced? What was it like in the past and what is it like today?
These players also shed light on how spectators, the media and society in general deal with the issue of racism. Slowly, insidiously, something has changed over the past decades.
THE COLOR OF JUSTICE 52’ or 70’
A deadly choke hold
In July 2014, Eric Garner, a black American, died in the street after being violently arrested by an NYC Police officer who is seen pulling him to the ground and choke holding him. His death was recorded in an amateur video that shows him telling repeatedly “I can’t breathe”.
Five months later, a grand jury declined to indict the policeman because of insufficient proof and the case was dismissed.
A few years later, a legal team conducted a mock trial to rectify this denial of justice.
Also available as a 70'
THE LAST TABOO 90’
Football and homosexuality
In the world of football, gay men face a real struggle, and for the few who have dared to come out, passion for the sport meets hostility and exclusion.
This poignant film encounters these courageous individuals, revealing the universal ambivalence between concealing one's identity and the liberation of telling one's truth.
More than a narrative about combating homophobia in football, this film confronts our prejudices and urges us to embrace a future where love and identity are celebrated in all areas.
THE WALL OF DEATH 75’
Defying the laws of gravity
The motordrome, nicknamed the Wall of Death, is a large circular merry-go-round. Vintage motorbikes ride on its vertical walls, defying the laws of gravity with lightness.
German stuntman Donald Ganlsmeier has been revamping this funfair attraction from the last century.
This film tells the story of how Donald and his team revive this practice and how they embark on a new challenge of mechanical acrobatics with the creation of a special number with 4 bikes.
WAYNE 95’
An improbable and triumphant story
This is the incredible but true story of Wayne Gardner, a kid from Wollongong, a little town of less than 300,000 inhabitants, that no one believed in and who grew up to be the hero who would define an era for Australians. He practiced one of the most dangerous and visually arresting sport on the planet: Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing.
This classic hero’s journey reminds us what it feels like to be the underdog, and yet climb a mountain, win a race or achieve our own individual dreams.
WHO OWNS NATURE? 96’
A dramatic alpine play
Who owns nature? Are we, as humans, its protectors or destructors?
Mountain goats, bellowing stags, a pack of wolves, forest rangers, farmers, wildlife biologists, hunting opponents, and hunters are all protagonists in a dramatic alpine play.
How should humans deal with nature and wild animals today?
WOLF WALK 90’
Leaving the pack
What happens to the wolves that leave the pack and how do they survive?
For months, we followed Jean-Michel Bertrand as he conducts a real investigation to understand why young wolves leave the territory where they were born and how these adventurers explore new horizons.
This journey is like a road movie through the most remote regions of the Alps.
YAB YUM 75’
The rise and fall of the world's most legendary brothel
Yab Yum, Amsterdam's most legendary brothel, was forced to close its doors more than 10 years ago after the exclusive and vibrant club turned into a dodgy criminal hub.
Director Anna Maria van't Hek found those who once worked there; they share with her their turbulent past. They tell their extravagant and painful stories about Yab Yum's glory days and how it all went tragically wrong.