Under the Skins

A documentary about lamentation songs of Bulgarian funeral rites.

Every year in June, the small Bulgarian village of Balgari celebrates St Constantine with a special ritual. Initiated ‘nestinari’ go into a music-induced trance and dance on bonfires in a display of religious passion.

Part fictional documentary, part musical anthropology, scientific magic, and eco-anarchic utopian journey in a landscape of eight parts. You're Kaloyan, the sax player. Or Diana, the Gypsy dancer. You journey together through Bulgaria in search of the utopian village Dolphinovo. It's not Sofia, Paris or New York. That's why this story is rural, rustic and polyphonic. It's like a string of painted walls of village houses, folk songs and allegories. However, who is Ivo? And why does he lead you through these winter landscapes a year later?

This film documents the Kukeri rituals in Bulgaria, focusing on the mask makers and performers who keep this ancient tradition alive. Their dedication to this agrarian custom is a visual testament to the power of tradition to provide hope and community in a time of diaspora and urbanization.

The Balkans is home to an ancient pagan tradition where magic and mystery still have a sacred place in the cosmic order. The Kukeri festival has had a strong hold over Bulgarian cultural life since the fifth century, surviving the Ottomans, Christendom and communist rule. Every winter, hundreds of terrifying figures prowl snow-capped forests and village centers in search of evil spirits to dispel from their communities.

Graying Spaniard Daniel has a healthy budget for indulging in the finer things in life. Daniel's favorite luxury is playing sponsor to younger men amid the lights and sights of Madrid's gay club scene. After Daniel shares a night with handsome Bulgarian emigre Kyril, he finds himself consumed with an insatiable lust for the charismatic foreigner. But, as their relationship takes shape, Daniel's latest conquest reveals his own manipulative tendencies.

The association of Whitby with Bram Stoker’s Dracula is fairly well-known; the writer Leo Walmsley less so. Michael Clegg takes us on a journey around the places that inspired both authors, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay, just five miles apart on the Yorkshire coast. With the help of excerpts from two films based on their novels, ‘Turn of the Tide’ (1935), and ‘Scars of Dracula’ (1970), Clegg provides a guide to their work and the very different tales they have to tell.

An educational film intended for children from 6 to 8 years of age. ‘We Grew A Frog, 1970’ tells the story of two schoolchildren, Lynne and Martin, who collect frog spawn from the village pond, take it to school, and there, in a tank, watch the spawn grow into frogs. The film shows in close-up the developmental stages of the spawn-to-frog process. This educational film features the pupils of Whatfield School in Suffolk. Headteacher, Gwen Dunn wrote and told the story.

O child, I know it can be bad. O child, sometimes you're be sad. O child, it can be true. O child, sometimes it can be all new. Here comes the sun.

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Afghanistan, 1980: more than two million Afghans escape the war to Iran. One family crosses over for a different reason: to find a lost child. Dream of Grape Gardens is all about family and womanhood, about loss and gain, a story as timeless as it is timely, set against the turbulent history of conflict in the region.

A lo-fi documentary about the life of urban college youths

Jakob returns to his white whale in an attempt to rectify his past failures, ultimately realizing the powerful depths of what human beings are capable of.

The members of the Ballet Rambert seen through their daily activities, including backstage, during rehearsals and performances, as well as in class and home settings.

An 18-minute long single-channel video which uses CNN footage cut so that each word is spoken by a different newsperson. The pieces literally asks the viewers questions about media authenticity and give CNN a distinct voice

The Angelmakers is a 2005 documentary that provides insight into the epidemic of arsenic murders by women, known as The Angel Makers of Nagyrév, in 1929. The film is shot on location in the rural Hungarian village of Nagyrév, alternating between portraits of the surrounding landscape and first-hand narrations by the elderly inhabitants.

This BAFTA nominated documentary tells the story of some of the brightest mathematical brains of a generation. Each year, exceptionally gifted teenagers from over 90 countries compete for medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad. The film follows a group of brilliant teenagers as they battle it out to become the chosen six selected to represent the UK.

"Filmed in Cairo, in Al-Azhar Park, sunset during Isha'a praying time. The city becomes a Chorus. Dedicated to the people of Cairo. With love and hope." Part of the Azan series & the Cairo fieldworks.

Our homeland, which we think we know so well, looks completely different from the air: the colors are reminiscent of the Caribbean and the South Seas, and every image is like a painting. From Flensburg to Usedom, the flight route follows the entire German Baltic Sea coast.

The story of R&B singer Al Green, who gave up a successful singing career to become a gospel minister.