Heart of the Country

"Heart of the Country" is the story of Shinichi Yasutomo, the extraordinary principal of a rural elementary school in Kanayama, central Hokkaido, Northern Japan. Yasutomo is a man driven by his vision for learning and his passion for educating the heart as well as the mind. The film follows Yasutomo, his teachers and staff, students and their families over the course of one entire school year. The film is also the story of the families of Kanayama. Parents and elders of this once impoverished town embrace Yasutomo's vision, but not without wary glances back to the past. This small community, bound together by love for its children, is also defined by its journey through the cultural upheavals of postwar Japan.

1997-05-11 | en

Kyoto Shiki Hyakkei The Four Season of Kyoto The Beautiful Ancient Capital

The documentary shows the types of the four seasons, when the story returns to the capital of Kyoto in 1200, where the traditions breathe beauty. Many historical sites and temples, various festivals taking place here, in an environment of good music walk in the most beautiful places of Kyoto.

2007-01-01 | en

The eloquence of blood

Short film made from photographs taken by anthropologist and photojournalist Rogério Ferrari in Palestinian territories in 2002.

2005-01-01 | xx

Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable

Freyer Artist. Iconoclast. Man of his time. All Things are Photographable is a revealing documentary portrait of the life and work of acclaimed photographer Garry Winogrand – the epic storyteller in pictures of America across three turbulent decades.

2018-09-18 | en

Professional Special: Director Miyazaki Hayao

2009-01-23 | ja

A letter to Nikola

As a letter to her son, the filmmaker testifies her experience as a photographer aboard the Aquarius, a ship that rescued 29,523 people in the Mediterranean between 2016 and 2018.

2021-10-28 | el

I'll Be Your Mirror

Considered the most intimate portrait of life & work of American photographer Nan Goldin. Collaborating with British documentary director Edmund Coulthard, the film also paints a sharp portrait of a generation, reconstructing disquiet from the extraordinary biographical account of the photographer.

1996-06-07 | en

No Packers, No Life

Suh, whose favorite Packer will always be Mason Crosby; Omi and Ayaka, whose infant daughter already sports a green and gold onesie, and Ryuta aka “fatdragon08” who briefly lived in Milwaukee in 1990, studying English, where he was teased for wearing a San Fancisco 49ers jacket, and subsequently converted to the Pack Life. Benzine’s film lets us spend quality time with these super fans, and then follows them as they make plans to cross the sea to see their beloved Packers in-person at Lambeau! As director Benzine says, “No Packers, No Life is a story about a sports team and their fans, but more than that it illustrates how people from all over the world can come together and unite over a common passion. Also, the Japanese fans arrive in Green Bay and get to ride the Zippin Pippin and party a lot. It’s a very good time.”

2025-10-16 | en

Click to Ransom

A small rural hospital in Japan battles an international cybercriminal gang that is holding them ransom with their stolen patient data.

2022-10-31 | en

In the Water, Behind the Lens

”In the Water, Behind the Lens" examines the world of surf photography. Shooting from the water, photographers face many dangers, ranging from being hit by a surfboard, drowning, or being attacked by sharks. This film tells the story of these passionate water photographers, located all over the world, and all in pursuit of the perfect shot.

2022-08-03 | en

Disfarmer: A Portrait of America

Mike Disfarmer, small town portrait photographer turned posthumous art star. This is the story of an eccentric curmudgeon and artistic icon whose powerful pictures of depression-era USA have left an unlikely mark on the modern Manhattan art world.

2010-05-31 | en

Dream Girls

This film is about Japanese women, escape, glamour and dreams. The Takarazuka Revue is an enormously successful spectacular where the all-women cast create fantasies of erotic love and sensitive men. It is also a world for young girls desperate to do something different with their lives. In return for living a highly disciplined and reclusive existence, they will be adored and envied by many thousands of Japanese women. They will look, act and behave like young men while having no real men in their lives. Dream Girls explores the nature of sexual identity and the contradictory tensions that face young women in Japan today.

1994-08-17 | en

The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief

Welcome to The Great Happiness Space: Rakkyo Café. The club's owner, Issei (22), has a staff of twenty boys all under his training to become the top escorts of Osaka's underground love scene. During their training, they learn how to dress, how to talk, how to walk, and most importantly, how to fake relationships with the girls who become their source of income. Join us as Osaka's number one host boy takes us on a journey through the complex and heartrenching world of love for sale in the Japanese underground.

2006-01-22 | en

ONE OK ROCK with Orchestra Japan Tour 2018

ONE OK ROCK with Orchestra Japan Tour 2018 features the final performance of the special concert held at Osaka-jo Hall in October 2018, where the band performed with a 53-member orchestra, alongside footage from the Saitama Super Arena show. The release also includes a 100-page booklet packed with newly shot member photos, commentary, live reports, and interviews with the production team, offering a deeply engaging read.

2019-08-21 | ja

Four Faces of the Moon

Follow the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. The oral and written history of her family reveals the story — we witness the impact and legacy of the railways, the slaughter of the buffalo and colonial land policies.

2016-10-20 | en

The Zen Mind

In the last fifty years the culture of Zen has spread far beyond Japan. Zen centers and zen retreats have sprung up throughout America and Europe. When Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen, brought Zen to Japan from China 800 years ago, it quickly took root and became an integral part of Japanese life. Yet what do we know about zen practice in Japan today? The Zen Mind is a fascinating journey across Japan to explore zen in its natural habitat.

2007-01-01 | en

Samurai sterben langsam - Japan auf dem Weg zur Demokratie

Documentary about Japan's road to democracy

1964-09-11 | de

Follow Me

Documentary about two boys and a girl who travel to surfing spots around the world.

1969-04-25 | en

The Great Wall of Japan

After the disaster of March 2011, the Japanese authorities decided to build a gigantic 15 meter high, 500 kilometer long, anti-tsunami wall, separating the land and the ocean. But what is the environmental and human impact of this wall? The population is divided on their opinion: should they cut the island off from the sea or stay vulnerable to tsunamis? Is there another way?

2018-01-01 | en

Nature's fairy - always connected

A poetic film about a young woman's life and dreams. A woman who had the courage to change her life and realize her dreams. A movie about Jonna Jinton. Blogger, photographer and artist and nature lover.

2017-09-14 | sv