Symphonic Sketches

A documentary that explores the challenges that a life in music can bring.

A 16 year old girl recalls the last moments of her summer vacation, spent with friends in the Laurentians north of Montreal. She reminisces about their talks on life, death, love, and God. Shot in direct cinema style, working from a script that left room for the teenagers to improvise and express their own thoughts, the film sought to capture the immediacy of the youths presence their bodies, their language, their environment.

Documentary on conductor Herbert van Karajan, focusing on his early adoption of audio and video recording technology and his impetus to make use of it to preserve his musical legacy for future generations.

A documentary film that delves into the life and cinematic career of one of Japan's most prolific directors: Ishiro Honda. The film will spotlight Honda's filmography from both a historical and personal perspective, exploring his contributions to the Japanese film industry and his firsthand experiences of war, from which he barely survived. It will also delve into his profound feelings regarding the atomic bomb, a subject that became an obsession for him and was frequently reflected in his films. The documentary will analyze Honda's body of work through interviews with individuals who had the privilege of collaborating with him, as well as experts on Honda's films from both Japan and the Western world. Furthermore, the film will uncover Honda's friendship and professional relationship with director Akira Kurosawa.

The best known, "Weegee's New York" (1948), presents a surprisingly lyrical view of the city without a hint of crime or murder. Already this film gives evidence, here very restrained, of Weegee's interest in technical tricks: blur, speeded up or slowed-down film, a lens that makes the city's streets curve as if cars are driving over a rainbow. - The New York Times

The sinking of the RMS Titanic remains one of the most enduring and mysterious tragedies of the 20th century. For decades, investigators and amateurs alike have floated theories for why it occurred and who was to blame for the extraordinary loss of life, but no one answer could fully explain what happened. Until now. To mark the 100th anniversary of the infamous disaster, Smithsonian Channel will premiere Titanic's Final Mystery. The two-hour special investigates a century of theories and uncovers astonishing new forensic evidence that proves the most likely theory for the case.

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

John Eliot Gardiner goes in search of Bach the man and the musician. The famous portrait of Bach portrays a grumpy 62-year-old man in a wig and formal coat, yet his greatest works were composed 20 years earlier in an almost unrivalled blaze of creativity. We reveal a complex and passionate artist; a warm and convivial family man at the same time a rebellious spirit struggling with the hierarchies of state and church who wrote timeless music that is today known world-wide. Gardiner undertakes a 'Bach Tour' of Germany, and sifts the relatively few clues we have - some newly-found. Most of all, he uses the music to reveal the real Bach.

An account of the journey that King Alfonso XIII of Spain made to the impoverished shire of Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in the region of Extremadura, in 1922.

A multimedia short created for the U.S. millennium celebrations, The Unfinished Journey reflects on America’s history and spirit through six chapters—immigration, war, culture, civil rights, and innovation. Commissioned by President Bill Clinton and premiered at the Lincoln Memorial on New Year’s Eve 1999, the film features an original orchestral score by John Williams titled American Journey.

Andrea and Krisztina Marics are 28-year-old identical twins with a teaching degree that have lived together since birth. They work together at a touring circus, doing joint artistic performances. After a long circus tour abroad, Andrea leaves the close relationship and ends their work together. She feels that she can succeed on her own. Krisztina still lives and works in the circus but struggles to find her place there without Andrea. After the winter tour, Krisztina has to decide if she stays at home with her sister or continues the life of a wanderer.

Brenda Way, founder and artistic director of ODC, is a recipient of the San Francisco Foundation Community Awards "for creating a community hub through dance. She built the largest, most comprehensive contemporary dance center in the nation, and through it she inspires dancers and audiences, cultivates artists, and engages the community. Brenda is a choreographer, writer, and community activist who strengthens our region's cultural connections." - San Francisco Foundation

Aim High is a recipient of the San Francisco Community Leadership Awards "for closing the achievement gap through programs that inspire a love of learning and a strong sense of community. Through its innovative, free summer school program, it supports the educational and developmental needs of middle-school-aged children, providing the tools for learning, a commitment to their community, and the hope for their future." - San Francisco Foundation

The San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards presents Ravenswood Family Health Center with the John R. May Award for providing high quality, cost-effective healthcare to southeast San Mateo County, and for advocating for the need to address health disparities and inequities. Through its innovative health education programs and Health Navigators outreach, Ravenswood serves as a model for tackling complex community health issues locally and nationally.

The San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards presents Bishop Yvette A. Flunder, founder and director of Ark of Refuge, with the Robert C. Kirkwood Award for courageously addressing the issues of HIV/AIDS prevention, response, and care within the African American faith community. As a pastor, scholar, teacher, and activist, she has united gospel and social ministries to create unique programs that improve the quality of life of some of the most marginalized in our community.

The San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards presents John Santos, musician and cultural activist, with the Helen Crocker Russell Award for making music that transcends cultural barriers and serves as a tool for social justice. As an educator, scholar, performer, and composer, he celebrates and promotes Latin music and understands that art has the power to inform and nurture.

The San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards presents Jordan Simmons, artistic director of the East Bay Center for Performing Arts, with the Helen Crocker Russell Award for building a better future for young adults through music and cultural programs. As a musician and arts administrator, he has changed the lives of thousands of people in Richmond's Iron Triangle through rigorous artistic training, school-based outreach, and performances of traditional and original work.

Proximity Designs is a sustainable development group that works to improve the lives of the rural poor in Myanmar. Proximity Designs boosts agricultural productivity by designing, producing, and distributing affordable products for people living on less than $2 a day.

Dolls, cunts and daddy issues – a personal portrait about being a woman.

Women around the world are often subject to harmful stereotypes depicting them as being weaker or inferior to men. The world of sports is no exception. This film tells the stories of girls who have broken through stereotypes and are participating in sports that are usually dominated by men. It wasn't easy for them to get there, but it was certainly worth it.