Facets Multimedia
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago IL 60614
Sales hours: 9am-6pm, Mon.-Fri.
Rental hours: 10am-10pm, Mon.-Sat.,
12pm-10pm, Sun. & holidays
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago IL 60614
Sales hours: 9am-6pm, Mon.-Fri.
Rental hours: 10am-10pm, Mon.-Sat.,
12pm-10pm, Sun. & holidays
FACETS EXCLUSIVES
Important works by seminal filmmakers are our passion. Over the years, we've released films from legendary directors such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Andrei Tarkovsky, Jacques Rivette, Lars von Trier, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Jean-Luc Godard, Ken Loach, Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Marco Bellocchio, Andrezj Wajda, Tahmineh Milani, Bela Tarr, Alexander Sokurov, Georges Melies, Philip Kaufman, Amos Gitai, Bertrand Tavernier, Vera Chytilova, Milos Forman, Miklos Jancso, Jill Godmilow, Harun Farocki, Aki Kaurismaki, Raul Ruiz, James Broughton, and many, many more.
For all Facets Exclusives inquiries, please call 773.281.9075
Facets Exclusives Catalog (10 MB PDF)
Facets Top 50 Catalog (3 MB PDF)
Facets Theatrical Exclusives
New Releases
DIALOGUES OF THE EXILED
Directed by Raul Ruiz, 1975
Chilean-born director Raul Ruiz may be cinema’s most famous exile, with his most important work produced in France. In this semi-documentary film, patterned after Bertolt Brecht's Refugee Conversations, Ruiz explores what it means to live in exile. Shot in 1974, Dialogues of the Exiled chronicles the conversations of Chileans in Paris who resolutely hang onto their cultural identity while navigating life in another country. Ruiz offers a provocative portrait of immigrants who struggle for jobs and a decent living but don't blend into the fabric of their new country, still living as though they were in Chile. In Spanish and French with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Raul Ruiz, 1975
Chilean-born director Raul Ruiz may be cinema’s most famous exile, with his most important work produced in France. In this semi-documentary film, patterned after Bertolt Brecht's Refugee Conversations, Ruiz explores what it means to live in exile. Shot in 1974, Dialogues of the Exiled chronicles the conversations of Chileans in Paris who resolutely hang onto their cultural identity while navigating life in another country. Ruiz offers a provocative portrait of immigrants who struggle for jobs and a decent living but don't blend into the fabric of their new country, still living as though they were in Chile. In Spanish and French with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
THE UNQUIET DEATH OF
JULIUS AND ETHEL ROSENBERG
Directed by Alan Moorman, 1974
On June 19, 1953, during the height of McCarthyism, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing Prison. Produced in 1974, this comprehensive documentary was the first to examine the Rosenberg’s case. Though almost sixty years have passed since the Rosenbergs were likely rushed to judgment and then executed during a climate of political hysteria, the event resonates in today’s highly charged atmosphere of rabid media coverage and partisan politics.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Alan Moorman, 1974
On June 19, 1953, during the height of McCarthyism, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing Prison. Produced in 1974, this comprehensive documentary was the first to examine the Rosenberg’s case. Though almost sixty years have passed since the Rosenbergs were likely rushed to judgment and then executed during a climate of political hysteria, the event resonates in today’s highly charged atmosphere of rabid media coverage and partisan politics.
View clip Order DVD
ROY COHN/JACK SMITH
Directed by Jill Godmilow, 1995
In Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, actor Ron Vawter's legendary, tour de force performance as two public figures who were both gay is captured by director Jill Godmilow. Vawter (Sex, Lies and Videotape; Silence of the Lambs) dazzles in a dual role as the rabid, conservative lawyer Roy Cohn and the flamboyant experimental filmmaker Jack Smith. Representing two extremes of the political spectrum, Cohn and Smith nonetheless shared something in common -- they both died of AIDS.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Jill Godmilow, 1995
In Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, actor Ron Vawter's legendary, tour de force performance as two public figures who were both gay is captured by director Jill Godmilow. Vawter (Sex, Lies and Videotape; Silence of the Lambs) dazzles in a dual role as the rabid, conservative lawyer Roy Cohn and the flamboyant experimental filmmaker Jack Smith. Representing two extremes of the political spectrum, Cohn and Smith nonetheless shared something in common -- they both died of AIDS.
View clip Order DVD
HOW TO LIVE IN THE
GERMAN FEDERAL REPUBLIC
Directed by Harun Farocki, 1990
Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall reunified Germany, the country was divided politically and culturally. Most westerners demonized East Germany because of its communist ideology, but in How to Live in the German Federal Republic, avant-garde filmmaker Harun Farocki sharply dissected life in West Germany with his camera and his rapier wit. Composed entirely of 32 short scenes take from instructional and training classes, Farocki's film revealed West Germany as a country where nothing happened without rehearsal, training, or preparation. In the film, women are shown training for childbirth, policemen learn how to make an arrest, strippers get tips on taking off their clothes, and bank employees learn how to calm angry customers. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Harun Farocki, 1990
Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall reunified Germany, the country was divided politically and culturally. Most westerners demonized East Germany because of its communist ideology, but in How to Live in the German Federal Republic, avant-garde filmmaker Harun Farocki sharply dissected life in West Germany with his camera and his rapier wit. Composed entirely of 32 short scenes take from instructional and training classes, Farocki's film revealed West Germany as a country where nothing happened without rehearsal, training, or preparation. In the film, women are shown training for childbirth, policemen learn how to make an arrest, strippers get tips on taking off their clothes, and bank employees learn how to calm angry customers. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
RED ROWAN
Directed by Ewa & Czeslaw Petelski, 1969
The husband-and-wife directorial team of Ewa and Czeslaw Petelski, who were known for historical and biographical dramas, offer an epic retelling of the Battle of Kolberg near the end of WWII in which the Polish allies and the Soviet army joined forces to take the Polish city from the Nazis in March 1945. The story of the battle is seen through the experiences of Victor, who is a young officer newly promoted to Commander, Podarzyn, a corporal who hails from Lenino, and Krecki, who is Podarzyn's superior. The hopes and dreams of each character are revealed as the big battle approaches. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Ewa & Czeslaw Petelski, 1969
The husband-and-wife directorial team of Ewa and Czeslaw Petelski, who were known for historical and biographical dramas, offer an epic retelling of the Battle of Kolberg near the end of WWII in which the Polish allies and the Soviet army joined forces to take the Polish city from the Nazis in March 1945. The story of the battle is seen through the experiences of Victor, who is a young officer newly promoted to Commander, Podarzyn, a corporal who hails from Lenino, and Krecki, who is Podarzyn's superior. The hopes and dreams of each character are revealed as the big battle approaches. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Available May 25, 2010
YESTERDAY GIRL
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1966
Yesterday Girl, the stunning feature debut by Alexander Kluge, launched the movement known as the New German Cinema after the film’s triumph at the Venice International Film Festival when the press hailed it as the rebirth of German film. Alexandra Kluge, the director's sister, stars as a young East German woman named Anita G. Carrying all of her belongings in a flimsy suitcase, Anita passes through the Berlin Wall looking for a better life in the promised land of West Germany. But, that dream eludes her because she can't let go of the childhood and past experiences that have determined her unfortunate path. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1966
Yesterday Girl, the stunning feature debut by Alexander Kluge, launched the movement known as the New German Cinema after the film’s triumph at the Venice International Film Festival when the press hailed it as the rebirth of German film. Alexandra Kluge, the director's sister, stars as a young East German woman named Anita G. Carrying all of her belongings in a flimsy suitcase, Anita passes through the Berlin Wall looking for a better life in the promised land of West Germany. But, that dream eludes her because she can't let go of the childhood and past experiences that have determined her unfortunate path. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
BOTTOM LAND
Directed by Edward Radtke, 1991
Three generations of males from one family -- a grandfather, father, and son—are in emotional turmoil after the tragic death of the young son's mother. Stephen Sommers returns home to the family farm in southern Ohio six months after the accident that killed his wife and sent him to a mental hospital. He notices that his elderly father and his young son have bonded in his absence, creating a rift among them during a time when they should be healing.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Edward Radtke, 1991
Three generations of males from one family -- a grandfather, father, and son—are in emotional turmoil after the tragic death of the young son's mother. Stephen Sommers returns home to the family farm in southern Ohio six months after the accident that killed his wife and sent him to a mental hospital. He notices that his elderly father and his young son have bonded in his absence, creating a rift among them during a time when they should be healing.
View clip Order DVD
KAMIKAZE HEARTS
Directed by Juliet Bashore, 1986
Kamikaze Hearts combines narrative fiction with documentary techniques to tell the tumultuous tale of Sharon "Mitch" Mitchell and Tina "Tigr" Mennett, two real-life lovers and junkies. Mitch is an actress, and Tigr is a producer -- it's a match made in hell. Uncompromisingly underground and fashionably feminist, Kamikaze Hearts will "drag you to a certain place," according to the L.A. Weekly, and that place is "the world of lesbian-junkie porn stars. If you’re excited by that place... you'll like this film because it's so resolutely inside the world of naked bodies, make-believe, addiction, despair, two-bit sleaze, and two-bit dreams."
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Juliet Bashore, 1986
Kamikaze Hearts combines narrative fiction with documentary techniques to tell the tumultuous tale of Sharon "Mitch" Mitchell and Tina "Tigr" Mennett, two real-life lovers and junkies. Mitch is an actress, and Tigr is a producer -- it's a match made in hell. Uncompromisingly underground and fashionably feminist, Kamikaze Hearts will "drag you to a certain place," according to the L.A. Weekly, and that place is "the world of lesbian-junkie porn stars. If you’re excited by that place... you'll like this film because it's so resolutely inside the world of naked bodies, make-believe, addiction, despair, two-bit sleaze, and two-bit dreams."
View clip Order DVD
WHAT'S UNDERGROUND
ABOUT MARSHMALLOWS?
Directed by Jill Godmilow, 1996
What's Underground About Marshmallows? was the second part of Ron Vawter’s highly acclaimed theater piece Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, first staged in 1989 in New York City and then performed nationally until Vawter's death from AIDS in 1994. Jack Smith was a vanguard underground filmmaker, who was sometimes hailed as the father of performance art. In his later films and performances, such as the one re-imagined here, Smith explored a deceptively frivolous camp aesthetic that transformed bits of Hollywood "B" movies into socio-political critique and high art.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Jill Godmilow, 1996
What's Underground About Marshmallows? was the second part of Ron Vawter’s highly acclaimed theater piece Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, first staged in 1989 in New York City and then performed nationally until Vawter's death from AIDS in 1994. Jack Smith was a vanguard underground filmmaker, who was sometimes hailed as the father of performance art. In his later films and performances, such as the one re-imagined here, Smith explored a deceptively frivolous camp aesthetic that transformed bits of Hollywood "B" movies into socio-political critique and high art.
View clip Order DVD
DANY LAFERRIÈRE:
FILMS FROM A POET'S IMAGINATION
2004
The mystery and wonder of modern-day Haiti come alive in this two-film, two-disc set based on the work of writer-director Dany Laferrière. In How to Conquer America in One Night, handsome Gégé, a Haitian in his thirties, arrives in Montreal at the doorstep of his Uncle Fanfan determined to be successful by charming blondehaired women. During the course of one night out on the town, Gégé and Fanfan discover fun, friendship, and fantasies—with the help of twins Andree and Denise. On the Verge of a Fever is set in 1971, against the backdrop of Haiti's brutal dictatorship and features younger incarnations of Fanfan and Gégé. Fanfan finds himself in deep trouble after an incident with the Tonton-Macoute, Haiti's bloodthirsty military police force. He holes up with a beautiful neighbor in her house, where his life will drastically change. In French with English subtitles.
View How to Conquer America clip View On the Verge of a Fever clip
Order DVD
FILMS FROM A POET'S IMAGINATION
2004
The mystery and wonder of modern-day Haiti come alive in this two-film, two-disc set based on the work of writer-director Dany Laferrière. In How to Conquer America in One Night, handsome Gégé, a Haitian in his thirties, arrives in Montreal at the doorstep of his Uncle Fanfan determined to be successful by charming blondehaired women. During the course of one night out on the town, Gégé and Fanfan discover fun, friendship, and fantasies—with the help of twins Andree and Denise. On the Verge of a Fever is set in 1971, against the backdrop of Haiti's brutal dictatorship and features younger incarnations of Fanfan and Gégé. Fanfan finds himself in deep trouble after an incident with the Tonton-Macoute, Haiti's bloodthirsty military police force. He holes up with a beautiful neighbor in her house, where his life will drastically change. In French with English subtitles.
View How to Conquer America clip View On the Verge of a Fever clip
Order DVD
REAL END OF THE GREAT WAR
Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1957
Master director Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Quo Vadis; Mother Joan of the Angels), who along with Andrzej Wajda helped define the legendary Polish School of the 1950s and 1960s, offers a melancholy meditation on the impact of WWII and the Holocaust. Roza and Juliusz, a talented young architect, marry just before the outbreak of war. When Juliusz is deported to a concentration camp, Roza fears the worst. Convinced he will never return, she falls in love with another man and starts a new life. After the war, Juliusz returns from the camp physically drained and emotionally disturbed by the torments he has suffered. Reluctantly, Roza tries to care for him, but her life has changed, and his scars are too deep. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1957
Master director Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Quo Vadis; Mother Joan of the Angels), who along with Andrzej Wajda helped define the legendary Polish School of the 1950s and 1960s, offers a melancholy meditation on the impact of WWII and the Holocaust. Roza and Juliusz, a talented young architect, marry just before the outbreak of war. When Juliusz is deported to a concentration camp, Roza fears the worst. Convinced he will never return, she falls in love with another man and starts a new life. After the war, Juliusz returns from the camp physically drained and emotionally disturbed by the torments he has suffered. Reluctantly, Roza tries to care for him, but her life has changed, and his scars are too deep. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS
Directed by Gavin Hood, 2001
Before guiding X-Men: Wolverine to blockbuster glory, and steering Tsotsi to award-winning success, Gavin Hood directed this charming story based on a novel by Poland's premier writer, Henryk Sienkiewicz. While traveling with their parents who are engineers on the Suez Canal, two youngsters are kidnapped and taken into the heart of the African desert. They manage to escape the clutches of their kidnappers, along with two African children, to embark on the long journey home. Lost deep inside the continent, the kids experience a perilous adventure fraught with excitement and danger as they find their way back to civilization. Along the way, they learn the meaning of friendship and family. In Polish with English subtitles, or in English dubbed.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Gavin Hood, 2001
Before guiding X-Men: Wolverine to blockbuster glory, and steering Tsotsi to award-winning success, Gavin Hood directed this charming story based on a novel by Poland's premier writer, Henryk Sienkiewicz. While traveling with their parents who are engineers on the Suez Canal, two youngsters are kidnapped and taken into the heart of the African desert. They manage to escape the clutches of their kidnappers, along with two African children, to embark on the long journey home. Lost deep inside the continent, the kids experience a perilous adventure fraught with excitement and danger as they find their way back to civilization. Along the way, they learn the meaning of friendship and family. In Polish with English subtitles, or in English dubbed.
View clip Order DVD
Available June 22, 2010
PART-TIME WORK OF
A DOMESTIC SLAVE
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1973
The most significant work by Alexander Kluge, architect of the New German Cinema, features his sister Alexandra as Rosewitha Bronski, a woman trying to make her way in a hostile society. Rosewitha is a wife and mother, a local abortionist, and a factory worker turned labor activist.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1973
The most significant work by Alexander Kluge, architect of the New German Cinema, features his sister Alexandra as Rosewitha Bronski, a woman trying to make her way in a hostile society. Rosewitha is a wife and mother, a local abortionist, and a factory worker turned labor activist.
View clip Order DVD
INVISIBLE ADVERSARIES
Directed by Valie Export, 1977
Anna, a photographer living in Vienna, is losing her grip on her sanity just as her lover loses interest in her—or perhaps because of this. Her profound sense of loss and alienation manifests itself in her belief that space aliens are colonizing the minds of her fellow citizens, especially men, which raises the aggression level. The outside world seems and looks disjointed as her inner world falls apart in this experimental narrative in which the lines between outward reality and inner fantasy are blurred.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Valie Export, 1977
Anna, a photographer living in Vienna, is losing her grip on her sanity just as her lover loses interest in her—or perhaps because of this. Her profound sense of loss and alienation manifests itself in her belief that space aliens are colonizing the minds of her fellow citizens, especially men, which raises the aggression level. The outside world seems and looks disjointed as her inner world falls apart in this experimental narrative in which the lines between outward reality and inner fantasy are blurred.
View clip Order DVD
KRIK? KRAK! TALES OF A NIGHTMARE
Directed by Jac Avila & Vanyoska Gee, 1987
Krik? Krak! pushes the political documentary into the realm of fantasy as the story of Haiti’s misery under two generations of Duvaliers is told impressionistically by filmmakers Jac Avila and Vanyoska Gee. Documents of daily life, including an interview with Papa Doc Duvalier himself, combine with scenes from fiction films to depict what a conventional documentary cannot—the shifts between levels of reality in Haitian life.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Jac Avila & Vanyoska Gee, 1987
Krik? Krak! pushes the political documentary into the realm of fantasy as the story of Haiti’s misery under two generations of Duvaliers is told impressionistically by filmmakers Jac Avila and Vanyoska Gee. Documents of daily life, including an interview with Papa Doc Duvalier himself, combine with scenes from fiction films to depict what a conventional documentary cannot—the shifts between levels of reality in Haitian life.
View clip Order DVD
STALL ON SALVADOR
Directed by Pawel Komorowski, 1966
In Stall on Salvador, a key member of the Polish resistance is arrested by the Gestapo and tortured by his captors. His girlfriend is also captured when it is revealed she is protecting a Jewish girl from the Germans. The resistance fighter does his best to give misleading information to the enemy in order to save his cohorts from a similar fate. A young Nazi soldier is ordered to execute the resistance leader, but he is torn between following orders and his conscience.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Pawel Komorowski, 1966
In Stall on Salvador, a key member of the Polish resistance is arrested by the Gestapo and tortured by his captors. His girlfriend is also captured when it is revealed she is protecting a Jewish girl from the Germans. The resistance fighter does his best to give misleading information to the enemy in order to save his cohorts from a similar fate. A young Nazi soldier is ordered to execute the resistance leader, but he is torn between following orders and his conscience.
View clip Order DVD
REICH
Directed by Wladyslaw Pasikowski, 2001
Boguslaw Linda -- Poland's answer to Bruce Willis -- plays Alex, an aging member of the Foreign Legion, who grows weary of his meaningless life and longs to return to his native Poland. With his buddy Andre, he sets out on the long journey home. But, before the welcome mat is even cold, the pair tangle with mafia lord Sopot. And, to complicate an already volatile situation, Alex falls for Sopot's beautiful girlfriend.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Wladyslaw Pasikowski, 2001
Boguslaw Linda -- Poland's answer to Bruce Willis -- plays Alex, an aging member of the Foreign Legion, who grows weary of his meaningless life and longs to return to his native Poland. With his buddy Andre, he sets out on the long journey home. But, before the welcome mat is even cold, the pair tangle with mafia lord Sopot. And, to complicate an already volatile situation, Alex falls for Sopot's beautiful girlfriend.
View clip Order DVD
COMMUNISM WAS NO PARTY
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
The Joke directed by Jaromil Jires, 1968
The Shoe directed by Laila Pakalnina, 1998
Facets pairs two stunning dramas in this exclusive two-pack to expose life under Stalin's Communism. Czech New Wave director Jaromil Jires offers a wicked adaptation of Milan Kundera's The Joke, about a man sentenced to six years of hard labor for sending a jokey postcard to a woman. In The Shoe, three Soviet patrolmen stationed in Latvia discover a woman’s shoe on the beach and launch a search for the "subversive”" who has infiltrated the village.
View The Joke clip View The Shoe clip Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
The Joke directed by Jaromil Jires, 1968
The Shoe directed by Laila Pakalnina, 1998
Facets pairs two stunning dramas in this exclusive two-pack to expose life under Stalin's Communism. Czech New Wave director Jaromil Jires offers a wicked adaptation of Milan Kundera's The Joke, about a man sentenced to six years of hard labor for sending a jokey postcard to a woman. In The Shoe, three Soviet patrolmen stationed in Latvia discover a woman’s shoe on the beach and launch a search for the "subversive”" who has infiltrated the village.
View The Joke clip View The Shoe clip Order DVD
Available July 27, 2010
ARTISTS UNDER THE BIG TOP: PERPLEXED
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1968
Leni inherits the family circus after her father is killed while practicing a difficult act. Feeling that small-time carnivals are on their way out, she updates the show by turning it into a "reform circus," which consists of socially relevant entertainment. Unfortunately, it fails to attract customers, and her circus goes bankrupt—twice. The story of Leni and her woes is slight but the strength of Kluge’s film is the complex imagery, with its masterful montages, filmic references, and layers of meaning. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1968
Leni inherits the family circus after her father is killed while practicing a difficult act. Feeling that small-time carnivals are on their way out, she updates the show by turning it into a "reform circus," which consists of socially relevant entertainment. Unfortunately, it fails to attract customers, and her circus goes bankrupt—twice. The story of Leni and her woes is slight but the strength of Kluge’s film is the complex imagery, with its masterful montages, filmic references, and layers of meaning. In German with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
MEMORY OF WATER
Directed by Hector Faver, 1994
Holocaust survivor Joseph Gruferman reflects back on his life as he lay dying. His memories go as far back as his childhood in Russia, where his mother dominated the family. He also recollects his adulthood in France, where his wife had died 30 years earlier, and where his daughter now searches for a sense of identity. Inspired by Lombardian legends, director Hector Faver fuses his own memory of what happened at the Jewish Cemetery of Carpentras with documentary fragments of concentration camps and with the fictional account of Gruferman’s life. The result is a meditative work that celebrates the power of the memory of emotion.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Hector Faver, 1994
Holocaust survivor Joseph Gruferman reflects back on his life as he lay dying. His memories go as far back as his childhood in Russia, where his mother dominated the family. He also recollects his adulthood in France, where his wife had died 30 years earlier, and where his daughter now searches for a sense of identity. Inspired by Lombardian legends, director Hector Faver fuses his own memory of what happened at the Jewish Cemetery of Carpentras with documentary fragments of concentration camps and with the fictional account of Gruferman’s life. The result is a meditative work that celebrates the power of the memory of emotion.
View clip Order DVD
VIVA CASTRO!
Directed by Boris Frumin, 1993
Director Boris Frumin returned to his native Russia after 16 years in exile to make this drama set in a small Russian town in 1965 -- an era when hard-line communism made a profound impact on the daily lives of ordinary people. The story chronicles the coming of age of young Kolya, whose life is filled with romance, hardship, good times, and unexpected tragedy. Kolya is in love with his singing teacher, while one of his classmates harbors a crush on him. Complications ensue when his father skips town after stealing coins from a museum, and his mother is imprisoned for the crime.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Boris Frumin, 1993
Director Boris Frumin returned to his native Russia after 16 years in exile to make this drama set in a small Russian town in 1965 -- an era when hard-line communism made a profound impact on the daily lives of ordinary people. The story chronicles the coming of age of young Kolya, whose life is filled with romance, hardship, good times, and unexpected tragedy. Kolya is in love with his singing teacher, while one of his classmates harbors a crush on him. Complications ensue when his father skips town after stealing coins from a museum, and his mother is imprisoned for the crime.
View clip Order DVD
YOUTH OF CHOPIN
Directed by Aleksander Ford, 1952
Aleksander Ford, Poland’s postwar poet of the big screen, directed this re-discovered biopic of Frederic Chopin. Focusing on the great composer’s youth, the film chronicles the years 1825 to 1831, a time of social unrest throughout Europe. Ford depicts Chopin as not only an outstanding talent in music but also a young man inflamed with the revolutionary spirit of his native Poland. While on tour in Vienna, he gets word of the November Uprising in Warsaw and tries to return home only to fall ill.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Aleksander Ford, 1952
Aleksander Ford, Poland’s postwar poet of the big screen, directed this re-discovered biopic of Frederic Chopin. Focusing on the great composer’s youth, the film chronicles the years 1825 to 1831, a time of social unrest throughout Europe. Ford depicts Chopin as not only an outstanding talent in music but also a young man inflamed with the revolutionary spirit of his native Poland. While on tour in Vienna, he gets word of the November Uprising in Warsaw and tries to return home only to fall ill.
View clip Order DVD
THE COLORS OF CURAÇAO -
AVA & GABRIEL: A LOVE STORY/PAPA'S SONG
Ava & Gabriel directed by Felix de Rooy, 1990
Papa's Song directed by Sander Franken, 1999
This two-DVD set serves as a window into the charming world of Curaçao, part of the Dutch-owned Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Writer Norman DePalm offers two romantic dramas that bring to light the culture and character of the island. In Ava & Gabriel: A Love Story, Surinam artist Gabriel Goedbloed arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in St. Anna's Church, which surprises the people of the Curaçaon village who did not realize he was black. Papa's Song is a similar tale of culture clash but in reverse: Nico and Shirley live a quiet life in Holland with their two nephews, but their household is turned upside down when the boys' colorful mother arrives from Curaçao.
View Ava & Gabriel clip View Papa's Song clip Order DVD
AVA & GABRIEL: A LOVE STORY/PAPA'S SONG
Ava & Gabriel directed by Felix de Rooy, 1990
Papa's Song directed by Sander Franken, 1999
This two-DVD set serves as a window into the charming world of Curaçao, part of the Dutch-owned Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Writer Norman DePalm offers two romantic dramas that bring to light the culture and character of the island. In Ava & Gabriel: A Love Story, Surinam artist Gabriel Goedbloed arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in St. Anna's Church, which surprises the people of the Curaçaon village who did not realize he was black. Papa's Song is a similar tale of culture clash but in reverse: Nico and Shirley live a quiet life in Holland with their two nephews, but their household is turned upside down when the boys' colorful mother arrives from Curaçao.
View Ava & Gabriel clip View Papa's Song clip Order DVD
LOOS ORNAMENTAL
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 2008
One of the pioneers of the European Modernism in architecture, Adolf Loos turned against building ornamentation, triggering a controversy in architectural theory. His development of a “spatial plan” launched a new approach to thinking about building spaces. His houses, furniture, facades, and monuments were constructed between 1899 and 1931 and represent a refreshing approach to modern architecture.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 2008
One of the pioneers of the European Modernism in architecture, Adolf Loos turned against building ornamentation, triggering a controversy in architectural theory. His development of a “spatial plan” launched a new approach to thinking about building spaces. His houses, furniture, facades, and monuments were constructed between 1899 and 1931 and represent a refreshing approach to modern architecture.
View clip Order DVD
BEST OF THE FEST
2003-2005
Best of the Fest features a dynamic collection of the ten best short films from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. This unique collection of recent, culturally diverse, and non-violent films are fun to watch and will inspire lively discussions, especially with children ages 5 to 9 (K-3).
View Mantis Parable clip View Domo-Kun and the Egg clip
View Luka clip Order DVD
2003-2005
Best of the Fest features a dynamic collection of the ten best short films from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. This unique collection of recent, culturally diverse, and non-violent films are fun to watch and will inspire lively discussions, especially with children ages 5 to 9 (K-3).
View Mantis Parable clip View Domo-Kun and the Egg clip
View Luka clip Order DVD
Recent Releases
April 27, 2010
FIVE FROM BARSKA STREET
Directed by Aleksander Ford, 1954
A forgotten classic of the Polish cinema, Five From Barska Street is a startling tale of young boys who have been corrupted by war. Five adolescents from the same neighborhood come of age during WWII. They grow accustomed to stealing, smuggling, and the other brutalities of wartime. Never knowing any other life, they cannot adapt to normal conditions after the war is over and find themselves in serious legal and moral trouble. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Aleksander Ford, 1954
A forgotten classic of the Polish cinema, Five From Barska Street is a startling tale of young boys who have been corrupted by war. Five adolescents from the same neighborhood come of age during WWII. They grow accustomed to stealing, smuggling, and the other brutalities of wartime. Never knowing any other life, they cannot adapt to normal conditions after the war is over and find themselves in serious legal and moral trouble. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
IN HEAVEN AS IT IS ON EARTH
Directed by Jacek Bromski, 1998
Life drifts along pleasantly in a quaint, little village on the eastern border of Poland, thanks mostly to a local priest who keeps his parish on a tight leash. Then Tania, a beautiful young Russian girl, breezes into town, hoping to cash in on black market goods. Her presence shakes up the village, which will never be the same. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Jacek Bromski, 1998
Life drifts along pleasantly in a quaint, little village on the eastern border of Poland, thanks mostly to a local priest who keeps his parish on a tight leash. Then Tania, a beautiful young Russian girl, breezes into town, hoping to cash in on black market goods. Her presence shakes up the village, which will never be the same. In Polish with English subtitles.
View clip Order DVD
THE CUBAN REVOLUTION:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Guaguasi directed by Jorge Ulla (1979)
Nobody Listened directed by Jorge Ulla & Nestor Almendros, 1988
Fidel Castro may have stepped down, but his brutal legacy will not be forgotten. Expatriate Cuban director Jorge Ulla chronicles the effects of Castro's Revolution from the outside in these two compelling films. The quirky romantic drama Guaguasi, which features Andy Garcia in an early role, follows a naïve peasant falls as he falls in love with a Havana chorus girl against the backdrop of the Revolution. Ulla’s documentary Nobody Listened, codirected by master cinematographer Nestor Almendros, exposes the brutal methods employed by Castro's government to maintain a stronghold on the Cuban population. Both in Spanish with English subtitles.
View Guaguasi clip View Nobody Listened clip Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Guaguasi directed by Jorge Ulla (1979)
Nobody Listened directed by Jorge Ulla & Nestor Almendros, 1988
Fidel Castro may have stepped down, but his brutal legacy will not be forgotten. Expatriate Cuban director Jorge Ulla chronicles the effects of Castro's Revolution from the outside in these two compelling films. The quirky romantic drama Guaguasi, which features Andy Garcia in an early role, follows a naïve peasant falls as he falls in love with a Havana chorus girl against the backdrop of the Revolution. Ulla’s documentary Nobody Listened, codirected by master cinematographer Nestor Almendros, exposes the brutal methods employed by Castro's government to maintain a stronghold on the Cuban population. Both in Spanish with English subtitles.
View Guaguasi clip View Nobody Listened clip Order DVD
LEGACY OF THE HOLOCAUST:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Distant Journey directed by Alfred Radok, 1949
The Fifth Horseman in Fear directed by Zbynek Brynych, 1964
These two Holocaust-related dramas from behind the Iron Curtain represent some of the first depictions of this historic event and its legacy of horror and oppression. Shot just three years after WWII ended, Distant Journey follows the struggles of Dr. Hannah Kaufmann and her family from the Nazi Occupation of Prague through her experiences in the transit camp of Theresienstadt (modern Terezin). The Fifth Horseman in Fear, an aging Jewish doctor is forbidden to practice medicine in Prague during the Nazi Occupation. When a partisan is wounded, the doctor treats and then hides him in his run-down apartment building. He sneaks through the black-market underworld of Prague in search of morphine, ever fearful of neighbors who are informants and authorities who are vigilant. Both in Czech with English subtitles.
View Distant Journey clip (1) View Distant Journey clip (2)
View Fifth Horseman clip (1) View Fifth Horseman clip (2)
Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Distant Journey directed by Alfred Radok, 1949
The Fifth Horseman in Fear directed by Zbynek Brynych, 1964
These two Holocaust-related dramas from behind the Iron Curtain represent some of the first depictions of this historic event and its legacy of horror and oppression. Shot just three years after WWII ended, Distant Journey follows the struggles of Dr. Hannah Kaufmann and her family from the Nazi Occupation of Prague through her experiences in the transit camp of Theresienstadt (modern Terezin). The Fifth Horseman in Fear, an aging Jewish doctor is forbidden to practice medicine in Prague during the Nazi Occupation. When a partisan is wounded, the doctor treats and then hides him in his run-down apartment building. He sneaks through the black-market underworld of Prague in search of morphine, ever fearful of neighbors who are informants and authorities who are vigilant. Both in Czech with English subtitles.
View Distant Journey clip (1) View Distant Journey clip (2)
View Fifth Horseman clip (1) View Fifth Horseman clip (2)
Order DVD
WOMEN IN THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Waiting for the Moon directed by Jill Godmilow, 1987
Daisies directed by Vera Chytilova, 1966
In this provocative pair of films, women directors push the envelope of narrative storytelling to stimulate your brain and arouse your senses. Waiting for the Moon is based on the relationship between literary maven Gertrude Stein and her companion Alice B. Toklas, but it derives from impressions gathered from Stein's writing by filmmaker Jill Godmilow, who ingeniously weaves fact with fiction to create a fascinating bio-drama. Daisies follows two uninhibited young women (both named Marie) as they turn against the mind-numbing state of society in a madcap flurry of pranks and material destruction. The film so unsettled Czech government officials (and a great many other men) that its release was held up for a year.
View Daisies clip (1) View Daisies clip (2) View Wating for the Moon clip
Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Waiting for the Moon directed by Jill Godmilow, 1987
Daisies directed by Vera Chytilova, 1966
In this provocative pair of films, women directors push the envelope of narrative storytelling to stimulate your brain and arouse your senses. Waiting for the Moon is based on the relationship between literary maven Gertrude Stein and her companion Alice B. Toklas, but it derives from impressions gathered from Stein's writing by filmmaker Jill Godmilow, who ingeniously weaves fact with fiction to create a fascinating bio-drama. Daisies follows two uninhibited young women (both named Marie) as they turn against the mind-numbing state of society in a madcap flurry of pranks and material destruction. The film so unsettled Czech government officials (and a great many other men) that its release was held up for a year.
View Daisies clip (1) View Daisies clip (2) View Wating for the Moon clip
Order DVD
February 23, 2010
PALERMO OR WOLFSBURG
Directed by Werner Schroeter, 1980
Young Nicola leaves his hometown of Palermo, Sicily, with its bad economy and high unemployment, for a better life in Wolfsburg, Germany. He lands a good job at the VW plant, but without the support of his family and community, he struggles to integrate into German society. Nicola falls for a pretty local girl, but happiness eludes him as he becomes entangled in a situation that quickly spins out of control. In German with English subtitles.
Order DVD
Directed by Werner Schroeter, 1980
Young Nicola leaves his hometown of Palermo, Sicily, with its bad economy and high unemployment, for a better life in Wolfsburg, Germany. He lands a good job at the VW plant, but without the support of his family and community, he struggles to integrate into German society. Nicola falls for a pretty local girl, but happiness eludes him as he becomes entangled in a situation that quickly spins out of control. In German with English subtitles.
Order DVD
SEGMENT '76
Directed by Oskar Kaszynski, 2003
Set during the communist era of 1976, this delightful comedy takes a light-hearted look at some of the problems and hardships of “the old days.” Maciej Konopinski stars as a man in love and a man on a mission as he searches high and low for decent furniture for his new apartment. He wants to impress his new beautiful girlfriend with a comfortable living space—something hard to come by in 1970s Poland—but acquiring furniture is more complicated than he realized. In Polish with English subtitles.
Order DVD
Directed by Oskar Kaszynski, 2003
Set during the communist era of 1976, this delightful comedy takes a light-hearted look at some of the problems and hardships of “the old days.” Maciej Konopinski stars as a man in love and a man on a mission as he searches high and low for decent furniture for his new apartment. He wants to impress his new beautiful girlfriend with a comfortable living space—something hard to come by in 1970s Poland—but acquiring furniture is more complicated than he realized. In Polish with English subtitles.
Order DVD
SALTO
Directed by Tadeusz Konwicki, 1965
A handsome stranger jumps off a train and finds his way into town. He claims to have lived in the tiny village during the German occupation, yet no one remembers him. His presence begins to have a strange and permanent effect on the community; he seduces the innocent daughter of his host, and he miraculously cures two sick children. His sway over the villagers seems absolute as he teaches them an entrancing dance called the Salto... until his wife and children show up in town. In Polish with English subtitles.
Order DVD
Directed by Tadeusz Konwicki, 1965
A handsome stranger jumps off a train and finds his way into town. He claims to have lived in the tiny village during the German occupation, yet no one remembers him. His presence begins to have a strange and permanent effect on the community; he seduces the innocent daughter of his host, and he miraculously cures two sick children. His sway over the villagers seems absolute as he teaches them an entrancing dance called the Salto... until his wife and children show up in town. In Polish with English subtitles.
Order DVD
UNCOMMON WOMEN:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
My Name Was Sabina Spielrein directed by Elisabeth Márton, 2002
The Anna Akhmatova File directed by Semyon Aranovich, 1990
Two courageous women fell victim to one of the 20th century's biggest tyrants—Joseph Stalin—and they should not be forgotten. A student of both Jung and Freud, Sabina Spielrein found that her contributions to psychoanalysis were lost to history after she married and moved to her native Russia, where Stalin condemned her discipline. Anna Akhmatova was a beloved Russian poet whose art suffered under the iron hand of Stalin. Her poem "Requiem" became the underground anthem for the millions who were victimized during his regime.
View clip (Sabina Spielrein) View clip (Anna Akhmatova) Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
My Name Was Sabina Spielrein directed by Elisabeth Márton, 2002
The Anna Akhmatova File directed by Semyon Aranovich, 1990
Two courageous women fell victim to one of the 20th century's biggest tyrants—Joseph Stalin—and they should not be forgotten. A student of both Jung and Freud, Sabina Spielrein found that her contributions to psychoanalysis were lost to history after she married and moved to her native Russia, where Stalin condemned her discipline. Anna Akhmatova was a beloved Russian poet whose art suffered under the iron hand of Stalin. Her poem "Requiem" became the underground anthem for the millions who were victimized during his regime.
View clip (Sabina Spielrein) View clip (Anna Akhmatova) Order DVD
BREAK THE VABANK:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Directed by Juliusz Machulski, 1981/1984
This enormously popular Vabank/Vabank II series stars veteran Polish actor Jan Machulski, who is directed here by his son, Julius. Set in Lodz during the 1930s, this pair of caper comedies follows the exploits of Kwinto, a safecracker and thief from the old school who takes pride in his work and remains loyal to his crew. Kwinto is always after one more big job... but something always goes awry. In Polish with English subtitles.
View Vabank clip View Vabank II clip Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Directed by Juliusz Machulski, 1981/1984
This enormously popular Vabank/Vabank II series stars veteran Polish actor Jan Machulski, who is directed here by his son, Julius. Set in Lodz during the 1930s, this pair of caper comedies follows the exploits of Kwinto, a safecracker and thief from the old school who takes pride in his work and remains loyal to his crew. Kwinto is always after one more big job... but something always goes awry. In Polish with English subtitles.
View Vabank clip View Vabank II clip Order DVD
FOR FUN
Directed by Ning Ying, 1993
Forced to retire from his job as a utility man at the Peking Opera, Old Han finds himself at loose ends, wandering the backstreets of Beijing looking for something to fix. When he comes upon a group of amateur opera musicians in a public park, the old meddler finds an outlet for his autocratic tendencies. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
View clip (1) View clip (2) Order DVD
Directed by Ning Ying, 1993
Forced to retire from his job as a utility man at the Peking Opera, Old Han finds himself at loose ends, wandering the backstreets of Beijing looking for something to fix. When he comes upon a group of amateur opera musicians in a public park, the old meddler finds an outlet for his autocratic tendencies. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
View clip (1) View clip (2) Order DVD
REMBETIKO
Directed by Costas Ferris, 1983
Greek actress Sotiria Leonardou, who also co-scripted, stars as Marika, a rembetika singer whose family immigrated to Greece from Smyrna after the Turks pillaged the city in 1922. The family's hard life in the slums of Piraeas provides a colorful backdrop to explain the origins and meaning of rembetiko. Marika's rise as a singer parallels the political history of Greece, connecting the times to the music. In Greek with English subtitles.
View clip (1) View clip (2) Order DVD
Directed by Costas Ferris, 1983
Greek actress Sotiria Leonardou, who also co-scripted, stars as Marika, a rembetika singer whose family immigrated to Greece from Smyrna after the Turks pillaged the city in 1922. The family's hard life in the slums of Piraeas provides a colorful backdrop to explain the origins and meaning of rembetiko. Marika's rise as a singer parallels the political history of Greece, connecting the times to the music. In Greek with English subtitles.
View clip (1) View clip (2) Order DVD
Available August 24, 2010
THE BIG MESS
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1970
The futuristic vision of New German Cinema founder Alexander Kluge, The Big Mess offers a unique and provocative interpretation of sci-fi. In the year 2034, the Kruger star system is dominated by a powerful corporate giant called the Suez Canal Company. Those unable to obtain business licenses of their own eke out a living as rebels or pirates.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1970
The futuristic vision of New German Cinema founder Alexander Kluge, The Big Mess offers a unique and provocative interpretation of sci-fi. In the year 2034, the Kruger star system is dominated by a powerful corporate giant called the Suez Canal Company. Those unable to obtain business licenses of their own eke out a living as rebels or pirates.
View clip Order DVD
AFTER THE REVOLUTION
Directed by Andras Szirtes, 1990
In this highly experimental interpretation of life in post-communist Hungary, a writer lives a meager existence with his cat as he struggles to complete a novel. The world is understood through the eyes and brain of this cat, which is illustrated via clips from old Soviet propaganda films, point-of-view "cat cam" footage, and crude visual effects.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Andras Szirtes, 1990
In this highly experimental interpretation of life in post-communist Hungary, a writer lives a meager existence with his cat as he struggles to complete a novel. The world is understood through the eyes and brain of this cat, which is illustrated via clips from old Soviet propaganda films, point-of-view "cat cam" footage, and crude visual effects.
View clip Order DVD
THE PRACTICE OF LOVE
Directed by Valie Export, 1984
Judith, an investigative journalist, begins to unravel a murder mystery that implicates one of her current lovers. When she checks out a peep-show business on the seedy side of Hamburg as part of the investigation, she runs into a former boyfriend who used to be a psychiatrist but is now an arms dealer. Judith is lured back into his fold, cheating on her current lovers, one of whom is also a shrink. Despite her profession, or perhaps because of it, Judith tends to blend fantasy and reality, so small wonder she is attracted to psychiatrists.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Valie Export, 1984
Judith, an investigative journalist, begins to unravel a murder mystery that implicates one of her current lovers. When she checks out a peep-show business on the seedy side of Hamburg as part of the investigation, she runs into a former boyfriend who used to be a psychiatrist but is now an arms dealer. Judith is lured back into his fold, cheating on her current lovers, one of whom is also a shrink. Despite her profession, or perhaps because of it, Judith tends to blend fantasy and reality, so small wonder she is attracted to psychiatrists.
View clip Order DVD
THE BASIS OF MAKE-UP I-III
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 2005
Explore the mindset and artistic vision of iconoclastic filmmaker Heinz Emigholz, who is the originator of "Architecture as Autobiography," a series of documentaries on unique or unusual architects consisting of still images of the subject’s buildings. The meticulousness of Emigholz’s style of filmmaking is spotlighted in The Basis of Make-Up I-III, a three-part DVD that showcases his illustrated notebooks and sketchbooks.
View clip Order DVD
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 2005
Explore the mindset and artistic vision of iconoclastic filmmaker Heinz Emigholz, who is the originator of "Architecture as Autobiography," a series of documentaries on unique or unusual architects consisting of still images of the subject’s buildings. The meticulousness of Emigholz’s style of filmmaking is spotlighted in The Basis of Make-Up I-III, a three-part DVD that showcases his illustrated notebooks and sketchbooks.
View clip Order DVD
THE IRANIAN NEW WAVE:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Letters in the Wind directed by Ali-Reza Amini, 2002
Our Times directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, 2002
Get inside the real Iran through the films of these cutting-edge Iranian filmmakers, who risk censorship and worse to expose and reveal life inside their country. Letters in the Wind tells the fictional story of Taghi, a naïve young soldier from a small village who carries the recorded messages of his fellow recruits to their loved ones -- a mission fraught with unforeseen obstacles. In the documentary Our Times, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad -- one of Iran's courageous female directors -- offers a privileged look inside a recent presidential election, in which 712 candidates ran for the office. Among them was a 25-year-old mother, whose identity as a divorced woman made her prospects dim.
View Letters clip View Our Times clip View Our Times clip (2)
Order DVD
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Letters in the Wind directed by Ali-Reza Amini, 2002
Our Times directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, 2002
Get inside the real Iran through the films of these cutting-edge Iranian filmmakers, who risk censorship and worse to expose and reveal life inside their country. Letters in the Wind tells the fictional story of Taghi, a naïve young soldier from a small village who carries the recorded messages of his fellow recruits to their loved ones -- a mission fraught with unforeseen obstacles. In the documentary Our Times, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad -- one of Iran's courageous female directors -- offers a privileged look inside a recent presidential election, in which 712 candidates ran for the office. Among them was a 25-year-old mother, whose identity as a divorced woman made her prospects dim.
View Letters clip View Our Times clip View Our Times clip (2)
Order DVD
