The Mad Magician

Don Gallico is an inventor of stage magic effects who aspires to become a star in his own right. Just before his first performance his act is shut down by capricious manager Ross Ormond who wants Gallico's brilliant buzz saw effect for the act of The Great Rinaldi, an established star. With this defeat, and the humiliation of having already lost his wife Claire to Ormond, Gallico decides it is time to take matters into his own hands.

1954-05-19 | en

Tower of London

In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.

1939-11-17 | en

The Limited Bird

John's first independent work from 1989. Won Best of Fest Shorts at the Cinequest Film Festival, CA. The film is comprised of highly rendered drawings with very little moving parts to tell a complex story of relationships "gone to the birds".

1989-01-01 | en

The Lost Weekend

Don Birnam, a long-time alcoholic, has been sober for ten days and appears to be over the worst... but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother and girlfriend, he begins a four-day bender that just might be his last - one way or another.

1945-11-29 | en

Drifting

A lost and lonely artist drowns in a collection of her dreams in search of her estranged sister.

2024-12-14 | en

Coffee Break

2023-06-06 | pl

Children of the Damned

Six children are found spread through out the world that not only have enormous intelligence, but identical intelligence and have a strange bond to each other.

1964-01-10 | en

The Tramp

The Little Fellow finds the girl of his dreams and work on a family farm. He helps defend the farm against criminals, and all seems well, until he discovers the girl of his dreams already has someone in her life. Unwilling to be a problem in their lives, he takes to the road, though he is seen skipping and swinging his cane as if happy to be back on the road where he knows he belongs.

1915-04-12 | en

Vanity Fair

A silent short film telling the classic story of Becky Sharp.

1911-01-02 | en

This is Not a Film

A man trapped in an aimless routine becomes the spectator of his own life as he wanders through the urban landscapes of his city in search of something that gives him meaning. Between memories and ghosts, he faces his doubts and longings, questioning what is real and what is just a projection of his loneliness.

2025-06-18 | ca

Seven Heavens

With enough force, will, and determination, rivers can flow in reverse. But the truth of the water is revealed where it meets the sky. This trance-inducing film was produced in a collaboration with Chicago’s Fifth House Ensemble; a modular feature film designed to be in conversation with seven works by some of America’s greatest living composers.

2020-03-01 | en

Giri Chit

GIRI CHIT tells a tale of the subtle trace of irreconcilable worlds. A worker driving a mobile sweeper in hypnotic circles across an already immaculate surface. The high drama of cosplay aficionados clamoring to be seen. A cast of thousands toiling hundreds of feet above the street. Giri translates as ‘duty’ in Japanese, but the concept is in fact far more complicated. Giri is a sort of interpersonal political capital that informs careers, family relations, and much more. Its presence and flow is palpable in Japan, where this film was shot. A “giri chit” then may be a hypothetical voucher for this intangible flow (with a tip of the cap to Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland”). Selected Screenings and Awards: DaVinci Film Festival (Best Experimental Film), Chicago Underground Film Festival, Athens International Film and Video Festival, Dallas Videofest, ICDOCS Film Festival, NewFilmmakers at Anthology Film Archives, Oxford Film Festival, Director’s Lounge Berlin

2009-12-01 | en

Wedad

Baher is a merchant in love with his serf Wedad who goes bankrupt because his merchandises are stolen. In order to pay his debts Wedad sacrifices herself and decides to sell herself as serf to another wealthy master.

1936-02-10 | ar

LACHESIS

Our “true” life path decisions are heavily influenced by many external factors (known as the imposed choice) such as our environment, our friends/families, and spiritual inclinations. However, this internal compass (known as our independent choice) such as personal passions and feelings that help guide us to our mind’s “true” path.

2021-09-17 | en

Monsieur Verdoux

The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off. To make money for his wife and child, he marries wealthy widows and then murders them. His crime spree eventually works against him when two particular widows break his normal routine.

1947-09-26 | en

Flesh Flows

“[T]he sense of moving forward [in space or time] alternates with a sense of expansion and contraction, as the finished cycle [of movement] returns to itself and rushes to catch up with its successor.” (Gadassik) Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with iotaCenter and National Film Preservation Foundation in 2007.

1974-09-01 | en

Alchemization

In a world where everyone's faces are painted, hers gets complicated with an experience. This leads her to a long and heavy journey with those of the same biological species. But is this sufficient for humanity's individuals to be similar?

2022-09-29 | en

Black Kettle

A student moves into their accomodation, only to find their room already decorated, a strange, inhuman flatmate, and a kettle that won't stop boiling.

2024-12-05 | en

The Killing Flag (Part 1)

The master of the Soul-Snatching Banner has re-emerged in jiang hu to cause chaos and disruption. He leaves his mark - the killing flag - to show where he will strike next. The younger generation of swordsmen and women seek him out to end his rampage but each end up badly injured and dispirited. Part one of two.

1963-05-08 | cn

Book Without Words

Book Without Words is a 1965 Cantonese martial arts film directed by Chan Lit-Ban and starring Cheung Ching.

1965-12-29 | en