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Arts and Culture (12)
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Angkor, the Lost CityRoger Blais & Morten Parker 1961 12 minA pictorial essay on the ruins of the ancient city of Angkor. The greatest assembly of sculpture the world has ever known--a whole metropolis of palaces and temples, recovered from the jungle. Six hundred monuments, picture-tapestries in stone, and Angkor-Vat, a mile-square temple of grey sandstone, reveal the glories of the Khmers, ancestors of today's Cambodians. -
Child of the Andes (Spanish Version)1985 58 minThis documentary presents the people of Andahuaylillas, Peru, a small village located high in the Andes. Ten-year-old Sébastiana recounts their history and legends and explains the local customs, which have persisted for over three centuries. Child of the Andes is a look at a simpler way of life still undisturbed by modern society's technology and materialism.
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Child of the AndesMarilú Mallet 1988 27 minThis documentary presents the people of Andahuaylillas, Peru, a small village located high in the Andes. Ten-year-old Sébastiana recounts their history and legends and explains the local customs, which have persisted for over three centuries. Child of the Andes is a look at a simpler way of life still undisturbed by modern society's technology and materialism.
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EarthwareRick Raxlen & Donald Winkler 1975 10 minThis short, impressionistic film takes us to Nigeria, Japan, Mexico and India, where craftsmen work clay to produce ritual vessels and everyday objects. Film without words.
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Five Centuries Later ...Germán Gutiérrez 1991 53 minFive centuries after the "discovery" of America by the Europeans, the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala and Bolivia affront difficult times. What is left of their culture? What will their future hold?
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In Praise of HandsDonald Winkler 1974 27 minThis short documentary pays tribute to the craftsmen everywhere whose work adds color and richness to life. Filmed in the Canadian Arctic, Finland, India, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, and Poland, it shows the special skills of artisans working at their crafts - stone sculpture, pottery, ceramics, weaving, dyeing, puppet making, embroidery. Each indigenous skill is a reflection of the culture of the country.
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Nollywood BabylonBen Addelman & Samir Mallal 2008 1 h 13 minA feature documentary on Nigeria’s successful movie industry. The creative duo of Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal – the same team who made Discordia – profile the Lagos-based dream machine. Operating on low budgets and tight schedules, “Nollywood” specializes in a unique form of African B-movie that draws upon both traditional voodoo stories and contemporary urban themes.
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Portrait of the ArtistGordon Burwash , Julian Biggs , … 1964 28 minGlimpses into the lives of three artists: Erhabor Amokpae of Lagos; Cid de Sosa Pinto of Sao Paulo; and Gord Smith of Montréal. Each artist provides his own commentary on how he lives, works, thinks and feels.
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Spirits of HavanaBay Weyman & Luis Osvaldo Garcia 2000 1 h 30 minThis feature documentary offers a glimpse of contemporary Cuba’s rich musical culture through the experiences of renowned Canadian soprano sax player and flautist Jane Bunnett. Jane and her husband, trumpeter Larry Cramer, are surrounded by the charm of Old Havana as they connect with some of the city's finest musicians—like singers Bobby Carcasses and Amado Dedeu —for a recording session. Bunnett and Cramer then venture to small towns like Cienfuegos and Camaguey, where they hook up with local musicians and visit music schools. Global music fans will be captivated by the performances of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, a celebrated Afro-Cuban rumba group, and Desandann, a 10-member a cappella choir that sings in Haitian Creole.
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SerenalNorman McLaren 1959 3 minA gay fantasia of patterned sound in which Norman McLaren salutes the West Indies, painting the spirit of fiesta on film to the lively beat of an island tune by Trinidad's Grand Curacaya Orchestra.
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United States of AfricaYanick Létourneau 2011 47 minAfrican hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi is on a quest to craft an album that pays tribute to the great black revolutionary leaders and their struggle to realize a dream: a united, independent Africa. In this epic musical and political journey, Awadi visits some 40 countries to collaborate with hip hop activist artists, including Smockey (Burkina Faso), M-1 of Dead Prez (United States) and ZuluBoy (South Africa).
Featuring a score by Ghislain Poirier, as well as Awadi’s own songs, United States of Africa draws the viewer into one artist’s profound meditation on the power of music and the impact of political engagement—both individual and collective. A hopeful and compelling portrait of a continent whose politically aware youth is refusing to accept the role of victim, the film is a call for Africans to rise up, take a stand and take control of their continent and their destiny. -
United States of AfricaYanick Létourneau 2011 1 h 15 minAfrican hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi is on a quest to craft an album that pays tribute to the great black revolutionary leaders and their struggle to realize a dream: a united, independent Africa. In this epic musical and political journey, Awadi visits some 40 countries to collaborate with hip hop activist artists, including Smockey (Burkina Faso), M-1 of Dead Prez (United States) and ZuluBoy (South Africa).
Featuring a score by Ghislain Poirier, as well as Awadi’s own songs, United States of Africa draws the viewer into one artist’s profound meditation on the power of music and the impact of political engagement—both individual and collective. A hopeful and compelling portrait of a continent whose politically aware youth is refusing to accept the role of victim, the film is a call for Africans to rise up, take a stand and take control of their continent and their destiny.
