In the heart of Varanasi, moments dissolve into eternity. A micro film capturing the pulse of a city where every sunrise is a ritual and every sunset, a farewell.
Manikarnika
as Manikarnika
A travel film combining the sounds and essence of the city of death, Varanasi.
Arresting early film images of both northern India and central and south western China.
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by day, CIA assassin by night, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA at the height of his TV career and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.
The future Edward VIII enjoys receptions, playing polo and hunting tigers on his royal tour.
Varanasi is the Indian city where Hindus go to die. Stretching along the Ganges, Varanasi holds great spiritual significance because Hindu scriptutres say that anyone who dies there will attain moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Berlin-based director Dan Braga Ulvestad captures life and death in India’s heartland in this moving documentary filled with exquisite cinematic moments. By the River starts its narrative journey with the city’s “death hotels,” dedicated apartments where people wait to die, sometimes for decades, so they can be cremated on the banks of the Ganges.
In the holy city of Varanasi, 16-year-old Ali has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world – catching poisonous snakes. The boy balances life and death on a daily basis to support his family.
Journeying across Varanasi, Lucknow, and Muzzafarpur in India, this documentary film traces the lost traditions and the culture of tawaifs (courtesans of North India), particularly through a song sung by Rasoolan Bai, "Lagat karejwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar" and its lesser known, earlier version "Lagat jobanwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar" (recorded in a 1935 Gramophone recording). Weaving the past with the present, the film spans between personal stories as it interacts with historical events, ultimately leading to the decline of a great art form.
Hindu temples at Benares and Belur and the mythologies associated with them.
Max Plugin is a jaded but flamboyant relic of the 1960s. In his teens, Max ran away to California, where he met Teschlock, a charismatic ascetic and guru renowned among a small group of young followers. At that time, when Teschlock asked Max to join him and his disciples on an ashram in India, Max declined and returned home. Now, forty years later, at age 57, Max takes a journey to India to find Teschlock's grave-site, and also himself. His adventures in India, and his Castaneda-esque experiences back home, form the heart of this very unusual road movie.
A group of friends film their cookout, but something else lurks beneath the meal.
A young girl tries to overcome her fear of driving following a traumatic car accident.
A sole bird sits atop a spire, observing those around them.
The story is about life, love, and nirvana. Siddharth (42) is in the holy city of Banaras for the first time. One day at the ghat he sees and instantly gets hooked with the aura of Malvika (38). He is at a loss for words as this is the same girl whom he saw 17 years ago while crossing the road. Is destiny playing a game with him? Is it mere attraction? Graceful, Soulful, and Cheerful Malvika clear all his illusions as she believes in the flow of mystical energy. The undercurrents make them bond together to explore many hidden facets and at the same time, Malvika feels some interruptions. She is waiting eagerly for the sunset of 27th September. Will destiny would be kind enough to their coming together?
Amal raises her brother Nasr after the death of her father and husband in an Israeli raid on Suez in 1956. Nasr grows up and joins the Egyptian intelligence and travels to Greece to obtain an important microfilm, but he disappears after being kidnapped. However, he manages to hide the microfilm. Amal decides to travel to Greece to search for her brother. Both the Egyptian intelligence and the Israeli intelligence (Mossad) monitor Amal to obtain the microfilm, and the events of the film continue.
Escaping from China with a microfilm of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", Lord Southmere, a Queen's Messenger, is chased by a group of Chinese spies.
Josh and Ang quarrel about an unexpected addition to the family.
A scientist discovers a way to turn cow manure into energy. Two secret agents are dispatched to find out the formula but they devote more time to having sex with each other than they do going after the scientist. Pretty soon everyone in the area is after the scientist but they also wind up spending more time having sex with each other.