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- RHYTHM IS IT! records the first big educational project of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. The orchestra ventured out of the ivory tower of high culture into boroughs of low life for the sake of 250 youngsters. They had been strangers to classical music, but after arduous but thrilling preparation they danced to Stravinsky's 'Le Sacre du Printemps' ('The Rite of Spring'). Recorded with a breathtaking fidelity of sound, this film from Thomas Grube and Enrique Sánchez Lansch documents the stages of the Sacre project and offers deep insights into the rehearsals of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Director Thomas Grube (RHYTHM IS IT!) and his accomplished film crew accompany the Berlin Philharmonic on a concert tour into six pulsating, dynamic Asian metropolises, juxtaposing centuries-old traditions against the breathtaking speed of Asian modernization. An inspired examination of the cultural clash between western traditions and far-eastern philosophy, between the modernity of Europe and Asia, this compelling new film takes audiences on a journey into the confidential and private inner life of one of the world's leading orchestras: a backstage pass into the complicated lives of the artists and diverse musical personalities within this distinguished community. TRIP TO ASIA tells the story of the struggle between individual and community, the timeless search for harmony within oneself and with one's neighbours: A unique musical excursion into the overlapping spheres of melancholy, enthusiasm, loneliness and yearning, an adventure told through fascinating cinematic imagery brought together with a dynamic sound and musical experience that creates this universal story of humankind and society into a breathtaking motion picture experience.
- In the (white) world of opera, George Gershwins alternately celebrated and controversial opera Porgy and Bess is one of the very few works that takes people of color as its subject. Susanna Boehm's stirring documentary follows the cast of the New York Harlem Theatre on their European tour of The Gershwins work. As the troupe travels from city to city, attracting stares from startled Austrians, the parallels between the opera and the real life experiences of individual singers are revealed in a series of deeply personal conversations. Growing up poor, with drugs and violence a common experience, the ambition to become an opera singer seemed an impossible dream for many cast members. A sentiment voiced by many is that black singers have to be twice as good as white singers. Terry Lee Cook has been performing Porgy for ten years. But in the black community, the common perception is that Porgy and Bess is a graveyard for singers of color. Despite the attendant complexities, the music overwhelms. Embedded throughout the film are show-stoppers such as It Ain't Necessarily So, and Summer Time. As timeless as anything penned by Verdi or Puccini, Porgy and Bess is a quintessentially American masterpiece that captures "the passionate battle of African-American artists for recognition, self realization and equality" in glorious song. (Vancouver International Film Festival 2009)
- A Fellini-Esq documentary that takes place in the West Bank city of Jenin and follows a local initiative to re-open the old and only cinema in the city. Cinema Jenin, founded in the 1960s, was once the largest cinema in the Palestinian territories. Today it stands as a hollow echo of its society. It is crumbling and seems just about to collapse; taking all the old stories it once contained crashing down with it. And yet, there are still hints of its glamor days for anyone to see. An extraordinary group of Palestinians hope to restore glory to the city and perhaps to themselves, embarking on an almost impossible mission to re-open the cinema.
