Andrei Konchalovsky

In WW2, twelve year old Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev works for the Soviet army as a scout behind the German lines and strikes a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers.

A bio-doc about Micheline Presle changes into a thrilling investigation of the long hidden truth about European cinema. This mockumentary thriller uncovers Hollywood's unsuspected plot against the European motion picture industry. Numerous directors and stars appear in the film, making it a choice morsel for all film lovers.

Documentary about the twin sister Jutta and Gisela Schmidt. In the late sixties the two women rebelled against middle class society as if they gave vent to a new kind of art. They became active in the underground communist party KPD and showed a heart-felt interest in the colour red, the aesthetics of the revolution. Soon, though, the twins quit their experiments in Germany. They left their husbands and went to Rome, where they met the fabulously wealthy Paul Getty III, and soon things got really out of hand.

Cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus relive the creation, rise and fall of their independent film company, Cannon Films. This documentary recounts their many successes and discusses their eventual downfall.

The film tells the story of an aspiring dancer who from Eastern Europe is reached in Italy with the mirage of realizing the dream of her life which instead turns into a nightmare. Against her will she will be forced into prostitution.

Documentary on the making of Gus Van Sant's "Psycho." Featured at the Berlin Film Festival, 2000.

Through the rehearsals and the tour of the show based on Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, Vinicio Marchioni takes us to the Italian province destroyed by the earthquake and the places of the Russian writer. The Vanja earthquake starts from the Chekhovian masterpiece to investigate Italian post-earthquake immobility through the tragicomic gaze of Chekhov, making the public aware of the extraordinary human strength of the writer. A journey into the Italian theatrical creation; a journey in the earthquake that destroyed central Italy; a journey into the words and soul of Anton Chekhov.

A video derived from footage Godard kept from his 1981 visit to Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios at the time he was making Passion.

A profile and history of film director Akira Kurosawa.

Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) is widely regarded as one of the worlds' top directors- throughout history. TWT explores Tarkovsky through his diary and his articulate assessments on love, art, and the struggles working within the Soviet political system. Of his 7 ambitious films, 5 were made under the heavy hand of censors in the Soviet Union. In 1984 he defected to Italy with help from screenwriter Tonino Guerra, and Director Michelangelo Antonioni. He directed 2 films in the West until his untimely death in Paris at age 54. Narrated by Oleg Vidov, combined with a collection of rare film excerpts and photos, and interviews from people who knew him best, we take you on a passionate journey into the life, love, and work of Andrei Tarkovsky.

Drawing on the collections of major Russian institutions, contributions from contemporary artists, curators and performers and personal testimony from the descendants of those involved, the film brings the artists of the Russian Avant-Garde to life. It tells the stories of artists like Chagall, Kandinsky and Malevich - pioneers who flourished in response to the challenge of building a new art for a new world, only to be broken by implacable authority after 15 short years and silenced by Stalin's Socialist Realism.

Germany, the 1930s. A young scientist, Professor Johannes Werner discovers rays of life-giving power. The scientist refuses to give up his invention for military use and, breaking the equipment, runs to the USA, where he hides for a long time under the name of Martini. One day, after being invited to a military industrial concern to see a new European invention, Werner meets his former pupil Huber. Huber, a traitor and fascist, has restored the professor's apparatus according to stolen plans and is demonstrating it as his own invention. Werner rejects the proposal for joint cooperation and, at a meeting in the hall of scientific associations, reveals his real name and resolutely reveals the criminal intentions of the revanchists.

Andrei Konchalovsky reflects on the making of Runaway Train.

The career of revered Russian filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov is explored in this documentary film comprised of rare behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with French director Claude Lelouch, and conversations with some of the biggest names in contemporary Russian cinema. Kalatozov's grandson Mikhail Kalatozishvili pays tribute to the director of such timeless classics as I Am Cuba, Salt for Svanetia, and The Cranes are Flying as such notable fans as Andrei Konchalovsky, Sergei Solovyov, and Alexei Batalov discuss the remarkable influence Kalatozov had on their own film careers.

A pretty, young girl from a coal-mining town comes to Moscow with dreams of becoming a supermodel in this satirical look at the fashion industry.

A Marine's presumed death leads his fiancée to marry another, only for him to return, leading to a tragic, symbolic end for him despite his physical survival.

Having returned from the army, 20-year-old Sergei settles down at the thermal power station and merges into ordinary life. Every day he meets and spends time with childhood friends — the young family man Slava and the merry fellow Nikolai, and once at first sight he falls in love with a stranger on the bus. A lyrical story about a generation of young people entering adulthood, a reappraisal of values, life principles, traditions in culture and art.

Assia lives in a small Russian village, populated by useless alcoholics. She sells eggs and alcohol to her neighbours, and everybody is happy. However, one day, her hen lays a golden egg, and Assia may have a golden opportunity.

A talk show presented by Michel Drucker

Marcello Mastroianni, Isabelle Adjani, Alain Delon, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen... the biggest stars in cinema were welcomed by Christian Defaye on his show Spécial cinéma. Between intimate confessions from actors and immersion in the world of the greatest filmmakers, Christian Defaye took viewers on a journey into the fascinating world of cinema for nearly thirty years.