Aalto

Alvar Aalto, one of the great masters of 20th-century architecture, shared his artistic vision with his wife, Aino, and when she passed away—with his second wife, Elissa. The story of the extraordinary buildings he designed around the world is intertwined with the story of the two great loves of his life.

Akeji, the Breath of the Mountain

A tiny hermitage nestled deep in the forest is home to renowned painter Akeji and his wife, Asako. Between tea ceremonies, encounters with wild animals, and spiritual practice, the elderly couple seems to be one with the awe-inspiring nature that surrounds them. Packed with stunning cinematography, this sensitive film opens a window unto a new state of consciousness.

Belushi

The short and turbulent life of John Belushi is revisited in previously unpublished interviews. Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Rita Rudner, and many others talk about the Belushi they had known and loved, accompanied by scenes from films and sketches, as well as stunning animations.

Birds of America

A collection of illustrations by birdwatcher John-James Audubon, is an invaluable asset of American culture. This ecological, historical, mystical ride along the Mississippi River takes us back to those birds, exposing the drastic changes in the vast American wilderness.

Courage

As mass protests rage on the streets of Belarus, with people demanding the Prime Minister's resignation, an independent fringe theater troupe tries to stage a political protest play. They know what they are doing is very dangerous, but what seems to take real courage is maintaining a sense of normalcy and keeping up with their day-to-day lives.

Cuban Dancer

He knows he was born to dance, and to achieve self-fulfillment, he emigrates from Cuba to the United States with his family. The coming-of-age story of gifted dancer Alexis Valdes is spread across five years, in which, facing terrible homesickness, he builds his life anew.

Grossman

“What I search for in my writing are the moments that I’m able to touch both life and death” says Grossman, whose novels have touched many hearts. Grossman, reveals a close and intimate side of himself and shares personal stories alongside great novels.

Le temps perdu

For 17 years now, they have been gathering at a bar in Buenos Aires to read and reread "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust. The readers have grown incredibly close to the text (and to each other). So close that life and fiction are beginning to blend together.

Moments Like This Never Last

Dash Snow lived in a vortex of creation and destruction. He came from wealth, became a wild graffiti artist and then an upscale gallery favorite. On his way to the top, he changed the streets of New York in the aftermath of the turbulent 1990s.

My Father and Me

Director Nick Broomfield (Marianne & Leonard, screened at Docaviv) dedicates this distinctly personal film to his father, photographer Maurice Broomfield. The father’s comprehensive body of work documenting the lives of British factory workers is interwoven with the story of a complicated yet inspiring father-son relationship.

On This Happy Note

While preparing for her death, Anat Gov calls upon Kneller, the agent who will be the executor of her will. Their last recorded conversation is a dialogue on life, death and creation. Anat wishes to leave a spiritual legacy to those who will remain after she is gone: there can be a happy ending.

Queen Shoshana

Shoshana Damari was the first Israeli diva. She graced local and international stages, stirring millions with her voice. Hers was the life of a Hollywood legend and she paid the price for it. The woman behind the crown will come to light.

Rebel Hearts

When the world around them started talking about feminism, gender, and race equality, The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary did not stay silent. Little by little, they began to change the rules and refused to give up even when the Catholic Church declared war on them.

That Orchestra With the Broken Instruments

100 musicians rehearse for an extraordinary performance - a symphony of broken instruments. A poetic, engaging look at the broken and the whole through Jerusalem characters determined to create, if only for a moment, harmony in a discordant city.

The Fourth Window

Following his death in 2018, the film unveils the double tragedy of the Israeli writer, Amos Oz, in a sensitive portrait of darkness, peace, trauma and stardom.

The Man Who Paints Water Drops

Acclaimed Korean painter Kim Tschang-Yeul (who passed away this year, aged 93) believed in silence and in art. When his son starts filming him, a special bond grows between them, revealing the painter’s dramatic life story and the meaning behind the recurring water-drop motif in his art.

The Oratorio

Martin Scorsese reveals the story of a single performance in 1826 that forever changed America’s cultural landscape with the introduction of Italian opera to New York City.

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

The intense, turbulent conversation between Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams went on for most of their lives. Their portraits are stitched together from letters, diaries, interviews, and unforgettable scenes from their work, including A Streetcar Named Desire, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Walk the Tideline

When the tide recedes, passionate beachcombers in the UK, the Netherlands, and Japan, go treasure hunting. They find colorful and enticing objects, mysterious messages from other times and other places. These objects are a fraction of the mountains of plastic we cast into the ocean. For some, they are enchanting.