film

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history. A renowned conductor and composer, a music educator and author, a humanitarian activist.

The dark shadow of the mystery behind a shocking suicide looms over Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Morgan Neville's documentary about the world-renowned chef and TV celeb. On June 8, 2018, the body of the beloved author and host was found in his hotel – he had taken his own life during the shoot of a new episode of his TV show.

Queen of trash? Feminist writer? Powerful emissary of women’s secret sexual desires? Gay icon? Insightful, affectionate, none too critical, Laura Fairrie's new documentary about the life of novelist Jackie Collins, aptly titled Lady Boss, aims to reveal the “real” woman behind and beyond the exterior veneer. Over a period of four decades, Jackie Collins, who was born in London in 1937, produced 32 novels, all of which appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives debuted in 1977 as the first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identities and lifestyles, made by openly gay filmmakers. The Mariposa Film Group, comprising Peter Adair, Nancy Adair, Andrew Brown, Rob Epstein, Lucy Massie Phenix (Winter Soldier) and Veronica Selver, sought to create a film that would be free of political didactics, one that would simply tell the stories of what it means to grow up gay in America.

When it comes to choosing the official foreign-language submission to enter the Oscar race, each country carefully looks through many entries submitted by the best filmmakers. The horror genre is a rare pick for considerations.

Experiential in both subject and form, Viktor Kossakovsky‘s intimate documentary Gunda, chronicles the lives of a mother pig, a flock of chickens (one of which is one-legged), and a herd of cows. Born in the Soviet Union in 1961, Kossakovsky has been making original documentaries for the past three decades.

There are over 12 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. Films that center around the lives of OFW are usually tear-jerking dramas, such as Anak (2000), Ilo Ilo (2013) and Caregiver (2008), depicting the hardship and injustice OFW face while working abroad.

It has taken almost 40 years for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to reach the screen, too late for the original Ma Rainey to recreate her unforgettable performance, but now we have Golden Globe winner Viola Davis in that role. The idea of Hollywood casting Theresa Merritt at the time would have been unthinkable.

On November 21 the 2020 edition of our Annual Foreign Language Film Series concluded. The final Q&A featured directors of four films qualifying for Golden Globe Andrei Konchalovsky (Dear Comrades! - Russia), Dea Kulumbegashvili (Beginning - Georgia), Gabriele Muccino (The Best Years - Italy), Michel Franco (New Order - Mexico).

One of the most intelligent and exciting historical epics to have come out of Hollywood, Spartacus, inspired by the true story of the slave rebellion and the third servile war in ancient Rome, features Kirk Douglas in one of his most iconic parts. Well cast, Douglas brings his customary muscular physicality and emotional intensity to the titular role.