Short Films

La petite Jérusalem (2005) - Karin Albou

2009-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428965/

An orthodox Jewish teen living with her family in France attempts to balance her religious upbringing with her increasingly complex view of the outside world in director Karin Albou's incisive meditation on religion, philosophy, and the weight of romance on the mind of a growing girl. Eighteen-year-old student Laura (Fanny Valette) lives with her widowed mother (Sonia Tahar), her sister (Elsa Zylberstein), and her brother-in-law (Bruno Todeschini) in the suburban Paris neighborhood of Sarcelles. Though her exposure to the world thus far has been culturally limited due to the fact that her family resides in a neighborhood is often referred to as "Little Jerusalem" due to its large Jewish population, Laura's studies have told her that the world is full of interesting and diverse people. An overly serious and self-disciplined girl whose outward maturity defies her youthful age, Laura vows to avoid romance before finding that fate doesn't always play by the rules.

A Short Film on Selim Al Deen

2009-07-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

A Short Film on Selim Al Deen

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

2009-07-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

You should see it because: It tells a moving story of the holocaust as seen through the eyes of a child.
Based on John Boyne's novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a poignant story set during World War II and seen through the eyes of eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the sheltered son of a Nazi commandant (David Thewlis).
When his father is promoted, the family moves from their comfortable home in Berlin to a desolate area in the countryside where Bruno finds nothing to do and no-one to play with.
Ignoring his mother's strict instructions not to explore the back garden, he heads for the 'farm' he has seen in the distance. There he meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a boy of his own age who lives a parallel, alien existence on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. Bruno's encounter with the boy in the striped pyjamas leads him from innocence to a dawning awareness of the true nature of the adult world around him, and their friendship grows, leading to startling and unexpected consequences.

Watch it here:

The Blogger is not resposible for the video link. You can find this on google, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1055457498777894610

Homework (1989) - Abbas Kiarostami

2009-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

In 'Homework' Kiarostami, interviews children on their personal opinions to homework. It is a great documentary, funny, sweet, and so easy to watch. Kiarostami literally films the children and interviews them and that's it, but by doing this he captures the children in such a great way that you wonder that Truffaut, is not directing the kids from off camera! The children brim with the kind of charisma that we'd forgot children could do in a film let alone in real life, and seems to seek to remind us what being a child was all about. 'Homework' whilst being a fine film in it's own right also seems to serve as an important precursor for Nicolas Philibert's 2002 documentary on rural school life 'Être et avoir', and provokes the same positive feeling as that film and also of Truffaut's 'L'agent Poche'.
Nice documentary you should watch.

A Peck on Cheek - Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)

2009-01-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Movie Name: Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
Singer: Jayachadran P
Music Director: Rahman AR
Year: 2002
Producer: Mani Ratnam, Srinivasan G
Director: Mani Ratnam
Actors: Madhavan, Nandita Das, Simran
Language: Tamil, English

Story:
"A little girl's search for her biological mother who had abandoned her as a newborn baby is brought out poignantly in A Peck on the Cheek. Amudha, adopted by Thiru and Indira and growing up with the couple's two sons, is blissfully unaware of her parentage, until the couple decides to inform her of it on her ninth birthday. At first shocked into disbelief, Amudha then expresses her determination to seek out for her biological mother. The search takes the family to strife-torn Sri Lanka, where Amudha comes face-to-face with reality, and reconciles herself to it. With films like Mouna Ragam, Alaipayuthe and now A Peck on the Cheek, director Mani Ratnam proves once again that he is at his best when tackling human emotions and relationships."

Nenjil jil jil jil jil, kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil, kaNNathil muththamittaal
nee kaNNathil muththamittaal (2)
oru dheyivam thandha poovae, kaNNil thedal yeNNa thaayae (2)
vazhvu thodangum idam needanae ...
vazhvu thodangum idam needanae, vaanam mudiyumidam needanae
kaatrai poala nee vandhayae, swasamaga nee nindrayae
maarvil oorum uyirae ...
oru dheyivam thandha poovae, kaNNil thedal yeNNa thaayae (2)
Nenjil jil jil jil jil, kaadhil dhil dhil dhil dhil, kaNNathil muththamittaal
nee kaNNathil muththamittaal (2)

Khamosh Pani 2003 - Sabiha Sumar

2009-01-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Director: Sabiha Sumar

Writers: Paromita Vohra (writer), Sabiha Sumar (screenplay)

Cast: Kiron Kher, Aamir Ali Malik, Shilpa Shukla, Arshad Mahmod, Abid Ali, Salman Shahid, Sarfaraz Ansari

Year of Release: 2003

Set in 1979, Khamosh Pani is the story of a widow, Ayesha (played by Kirron Kher) who lives in a small village in Pakistan with her only son. She is the regular, God-fearing, simple woman of the 1950s who cleans, cooks, stitches…and goes to the nearby water pump to fill water as part of her daily chores. She is a devout Muslim and teaches the Quran to young children to earn a living. The movie unravels at a good pace and soon the village is swarmed by young militant groups who advocate violence in the name of Allah and hold public meetings to propagate their cause. Ayesha’s son too is influenced by them and he starts to have tiffs with his mother over the change. For Ayesha, this is a nightmare and there are glimpses from her past that still haunt her. Okay, let me spill it…she herself had been a victim of the Indo-Pak partition and harbors many wounds and scars deep inside her. Every now and then, there is an image of a girl running towards a well in her memory, and this girl is Ayesha herself in her childhood. Then Pakistan’s borders are opened for Sikhs from India to visit and with this development, there is worsening of tension even in this tiny village. There comes a Sikh man looking for Veero, his little sister who was lost during the partition. What follows is a heart-wrenching peek into Ayesha’s past and her on-going battle with life. Her crisis is manifold – on the one hand her own son turns against her and on the other, she is struggling with her identity. Also, there is a trunk that she keeps locked and only in the end of the movie do we come to know what it contains.

Thanks to the person who upload the documentary in youtube. Below is Part I

Dokhtari ba kafsh-haye-katani (The Girl in Sneakers) (1999) - Rasul Sadrameli

2008-12-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

The film 'the Girl in the Sneakers' is a very deep look into the role of women in Iranian society as well as into the human heart. In this film the director very intimately looks at life-changing events for one Iranian girl, showing a dramatic shift in her personal values and view of the world in the backdrop of Tehran.

The film finds great power in its' sometimes brutal portrayal of life on the streets, and its' very honest look into the roles of women. The film portrays a very existential view of the world -- which becomes especially powerful as we see an innocent, idealistic girl being manipulated and taken advantage of by those around her. The beginning moments of the film set the plot and pace very well, and show a portion of life that is often neglected in film (and all faculties of art).

In addition to the meaningful story there is cinematography that is powerful in its' simplicity, and an ambient soundtrack which does a good job of accompanying the film. Overall, a very interesting and well-done journey in the most pivotal days of a human life. In the end, we all relate to the main character's coming-of-age struggle for independence in a society that wishes her a life of dependence. - IMDB Comment. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233798/

Finding Bangladesh

2008-12-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MBH5VJIJ

It’s a documentary (yawn!) on selected historic spots of our country. Wait! Don’t stop reading already! Yes, documentaries do tend to have a notorious reputation for droning on and on about dull “stuff” that we can never relate to; but, we tried to change that a little bit - actually a lot, with splashes of humor, LIFE (very important) and quite a few jokes thrown here and there.

What we talk about is that we live in a place where the extraordinary is ordinary, and we can in fact take pride in WHO we are! If only we can wake up and admit to ourselves that we are of a race who killed giant river monsters, fought epic battles mixing magic and divine intervention, harbored the first university of monks in the region, had messiahs who rode around on the backs of fish and dug lakes that would never dry out… THAT WAS US, the people of BANGLADESH.

So buckle up and join us on an exciting journey on our almost nearly famous boat on wheels, and witness the lavish laziness of the Mughals, ponder on our government’s absurd obsession with the color pink, while zooming past the ruins of the once port city of Sonargaon, and tracing our history back to 700 BC. Finally peek into our magnificent yet ever eroding neglected temples and lost lands of the Buddha, and drop your jaw in awe while we reveal to you myths and legends that were not never told, but told only once upon a time.

Iraq For Sale!!!

2008-12-16T12:15:00.001-08:00

About the Film

"Regardless of the war, the administration, or the various sophistries for expending human lives as a matter of government policy, profiteering from it universally offends all citizens, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, other parties or no shows." Read more →

--Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war.

Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.

Brave New Films are both funded and distributed completely outside corporate America. Over 3000 people donated to make Iraq for Sale, and it is up to you to distribute it. Give copies to co-workers and organize a screening in your neighborhood. Get involved →

The film is 75 minutes long.

Buy it on DVD →
Screenings worldwide →

"RIVETING, POWERFUL" "BLEW MY MIND"

http://iraqforsale.org/

Born into Brothels

2008-12-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

"Born into Brothels, by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, is the winner of the 77th annual Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes.

The film, released by THINKFilm, premiered theatrically at the Film Forum in New York City in December 2004. It has since opened in over one hundred theatres nationwide. It premiered on HBO/Cinemax on Tuesday, August 16th, 2005.

The film is now available on DVD.

The photographs taken by the children in Born into Brothels are available for purchase in the Kids' Gallery, and as a signed limited-edition portfolio, or as a compilation in our companion book. 100% of proceeds from sales of the children's prints go directly to support their education and well-being."

http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/

Synopsis

"The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or for creating another type of life.

In Born into Brothels, directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman chronicle the amazing transformation of the children they come to know in the red light district. Briski, a professional photographer, gives them lessons and cameras, igniting latent sparks of artistic genius that reside in these children who live in the most sordid and seemingly hopeless world.
The photographs taken by the children are not merely examples of remarkable observation and talent; they reflect something much larger, morally encouraging, and even politically volatile: art as an immensely liberating and empowering force.
Devoid of sentimentality, Born into Brothels defies the typical tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spends years with these kids and becomes part of their lives. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities or primitive imagery, and a true testimony of the power of the indelible creative spirit."

Nandita Das' Firaaq wins award

2008-11-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

Nandita Das' directorial debut Firaaq won a special award at the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece, before its release in India.

Firaaq won a special prize conferred by the Minister of Culture and given by the Mayor of Macedonia and also won a cash prize.

Author Salman Rushdie introduced the film at all the screenings during the festival.

''I would not have thought of a better place to showcase the film. It is a festival for the movie-buffs and here I will know how the audience relate with it. Here the expectations are high and the competition is tough, as there are so many films from all over the world,'' Nandita said.

Salaam Bombay - Mira Nair

2008-11-23T07:42:00.001-08:00

The story of Krishna, Manju, Chillum and the other children on the streets of Bombay. Sometimes they can get a temporary job sellng tea, but mostly they have to beg for money and keep out of the way of the police.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096028/

We will upload the movie soon.

9 Months to Freedom

2008-11-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KGZX3CY8

Positive Short Movie By Farhan Akhtar

2008-11-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XTOC9F8M

Bangla Documentary Movie Sharot 71

2008-11-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

Download:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=77E8WZY8

Tajuddin Ahmed -- An Unsung Hero

2008-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Download:

Part 01
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E2KFLRLY

Part 02
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SL9JYXNU

Part 03
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZH7WIOIN

Jiboner Jolsa Ghore - A Docufilm on Manna Dey

2008-11-17T19:26:00.001-08:00

This video has been removed for copy right violation. - Thanks.

Kornofulir Kanna

2008-11-17T19:20:00.001-08:00

Short & Documentary Films

2008-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love watching short films & documentary. I will update this blog with the documentary and short films that I like and will recommend to watch it. Thanks!