Neil Breen 5 Feature Film Retrospective

The Way

The Way is an inspirational story of the adversity and challenge professional surfers go through while trying to make it. The film starts with the discovery of an old surfboard washed ashore in Nelson, New Zealand. The board is refurbished and it turns out it was shaped by legendary charger Peter Way, New Zealand’s first ever national champion in 1963. Peter was known for his antics in and out of the water, but it was his mark on surfboard shaping, competitive surfing and surf lifestyle that has influenced the lives of generations of surfers who have come after him. Current pros Paige Hareb, Billy Stairmand and Ricardo Christie weigh in on what has driven them to success and also hard times. Maz Quinn takes us through becoming the first ever Kiwi to make the world tour of surfing and we’re taken on a journey through the north island of New Zealand to return the old board to the man who made it, Peter Way.

Neon

In Neon, Bednarski recounts the history of Warsaw's neon signs from the pre-War period to modern times. He creates an overview of the neon signs which illuminated streets of Warsaw before the Second World War, depicts the use and role of neon signs in the times of social realism in the context of history and politics, and describes what has happened to them since 1989.

People of the Seal, Part 2: Eskimo Winter

The second of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada, People of the Seal, Part 2: Eskimo Winter is compiled from some of the most vivid footage ever filmed of the life of the Netsilik Inuit in the Pelly Bay region of the Canadian Arctic. Together, the two films provide insight and understanding of a culture now almost vanished, as they show the incredible resourcefulness of the Netsilik (People of the Seal) who have adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Part 2: Eskimo Winter shows how Inuit families gather in communities on the sea ice to harpoon seal as they come up through breating holes in the ice. Also seen is the mid-winter season, a time of intense socializing in the communal igloo, with games, contests and ceremonial activities.

Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series (Arthur Verocai)

Folk-jazz composer/arranger Arthur Verocai was born in Rio de Janeiro. He has created challenging arragements and compositions for Brazilian artists Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins, Leny Andrade and Gal Costa. In 1972 Verocai recorded a self-titled solo LP. It is a stunningly innovative effort. It puts Verocai into a rarified field with the heavy string oriented music of Charles Stepney, David Axelrod and Frank Zappa. Released in a period marked by the Brazilian military government, the album fared poorly. Following its re-issue in 2003, the album has become a highly influential oft sampled classic (see Ludacris, MF Doom and Little Brother). The performance of this seminal 1972 record in its entirety brought the capacity Luckmann crowd to a stand still. According to Verocai, 'he had never played the record, alive or dead!' His delight can be seen on the DVD. The music has been mixed by Verocai himself in Rio. History turned on its head and musical justice served.

Eclat

Eclat is a fascinating documentary about the work. We witness rehearsals by the Netherlands' Nieuw Ensemble, hear comments about the piece from the composer, conductor Ed Spanjaard and some of the musicians, and we see a full performance of the work. Eclat ("To burst out") is a beautiful example of the strangely lyrical pointillist style that Boulez had inherited from Anton von Webern. Aural pinwheels and shifting musical kaleidoscopes with stunning instrumental color is the only way to verbally describe what must be heard to be understood. This is definitely not for those who hate "modern" music. For those who respond to contemporary music, this piece is masterful and this film is a must-see!

Los hijos de Mama Wata

Mama Wata is a goddess that provides Sierra Leone with riches. The waters of Goderich Bay, in Freetown, have been blessed with an abundance of fish. Idrissa, a local fisherman, and his neighbors know that the goddess looks over them; however, they must still battle against international commercial fishing boats, illegal fishing and drug traffickers. Sierra Leone, ranked as one of the world's poorest countries by the UN, lacks an education system, health facilities and suffers from staggering unemployment. The Children of Mama Wata portrays the dignity and faith and the day-to-day lives of the inhabitants of Goderich.

Walt Disney Treasures - Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studios

Go behind the walls of The Walt Disney Studio as Walt invites you inside the world's most famous magic factory. It's not every day you'll learn tricks of the trade and satisfy your curiosity about what happens behind the scenes at the most creative bastion of family entertainment.

Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)

"Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)" examines the early DIY punk scene in the Nation's Capital. It was a decade when seminal bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Scream, Void, Faith, Rites of Spring, Marginal Man, Fugazi, and others released their own records and booked their own shows-without major record label constraints or mainstream media scrutiny. Contextually, it was a cultural watershed that predated the alternative music explosion of the 1990s (and the industry's subsequent implosion). Thirty years later, DC's original DIY punk spirit serves as a reminder of the hopefulness of youth, the power of community and the strength of conviction.

Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey

Nearly every major element of making the 1991 film Thelma & Louise is examined here from how the script was written to how Ridley Scott got involved, to how the big tanker explosion was pulled off. Some funny stories are shared and some great trivia as to what was improvised on set and actually left in the film.

Memory - les origines d'Alien

Feminists: What Were They Thinking?

In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.

The Village

An intimate study of Dunquin, County Kerry, Ireland, the westernmost village in Europe and one of the last Gaelic-speaking communities. Isolated from the rest of the country, depleted by emigration and devastated by a harsh climate, the society, traditions, and lives of Dunquin carry on.

Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema

Documentary on the life of legendary filmmaker Roger Corman, often referred to as the "Pope of Pop Cinema"

En Granada es posible

Renoir: Reviled and Revered

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is known and loved for his impressionist paintings of Paris. These paintings count among the world’s favourites. Renoir, however, grew tired of this style and changed course. This film, based on the collection of 181 Renoirs at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia,– examines the direction he then took and why it provokes such extreme reactions right up to today. Some claim they are repulsed by Renoir’s later works and some claim they are seduced. What may surprise many is that among the many artists who sought Renoir’s new works out and were clearly highly influenced by them were the two giants of the 20th century – Picasso and Matisse.

Rat Skates: Born in the Basement

I'm sure all the old time Overkill fans out there remember Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat, the band's original drummer. He's gone into indie film and video production over the years, and he's just released a DVD called "BORN IN THE BASEMENT" about the early days of not only Overkill but the east coast metal/thrash scenes in general.

Kiss: X-Treme Close Up

X-treme Close Up features the history, facts and stories of American hard rock band Kiss, up to the time of filming in 1992.[1] The video features vintage concert footage, interviews and videos from the early beginnings in the early 1970s to the early 1990s. It was released on August 18, 1992. The video has been praised for its informative nature, and gives the viewer an inside look at the iconic band. It was certified Platinum in the US