We are the Gábor

When walking through the cities of Transylvania one meets strangely clad creatures. The men wear a black suit, a large black brimmed hat and an impressive moustache. The older men have side-whiskers. The women wear colorful long pleated skirts and headscarves with flower patterns. They call themselves “silk gypsies”. They are very proud people and many of them are quite well off. Their lives are regulated by strict rules. They are endogamous, meaning they exclusively marry within the group. The Gábor live very isolated lives and don’t allow outsiders inside their community. For the first time, the film provides an insight into their world.

The magic of the night as reflected in paintings

For centuries the Night has been a reoccurring subject in painting, but how has the Night and the way it’s perceived by artists changed over time? Originally, the Night was the time during which light was absent, which presented a huge challenge for painters. The focus of the film will be on great historical works of art, key works in art history on the topic of the Night. But what does Night mean for contemporary artists? What are the ramifications of electrification and digitalization?

Battlefield gender

A cultural history of male and female violence

Exploring selected works of art and examples from current day art productions as well as the highly topical debate about #metoo and the art exhibition „Violence and Gender. Male War – Female Peace“ the film explores the question how violence and gender are linked and if the conventional equation is correct: Man = violent and militant and woman = tender and peaceful. A look into art history discovers surprising findings and shows how little viable these clichés are.

August the strong

Art and splendor in the age of absolutism

During the reign of August the Strong, Saxony experienced a cultural peak. Pompous self-dramatization was his most important instrument to enforce and preserve his claim to power, thereby following in the footsteps of his idol Ludwig the XIV and just like him, he became the example of an absolutist ruler. But this came at a price. The ambitious plans and projects of the Saxon monarch overburden the country. After the baroque fireworks of the Augustinian era, the economically exhausted and militarily beaten Saxony disappears from the European political landscape in the mid 18th century.

The new name of the rose

In the tracks of cistercians

The documentary series is about the fascinating history of cloisters, the architecture, painting, illumination, sculpture, gardening and viniculture, medicine and astronomy. Three films, made in France, Italy and Germany, show, how and why monasteries had such an important influence on the development of the Occident.

Battling the pounds

One diet after the other – losing weight, yo-yo effect, gaining weight and then some more. People suffering from obesity can’t escape this vicious cycle. Successes are followed by failures and vice versa. The stigma attached to obesity is an added issue individuals suffer from, often even within one’s family or circle of friends, as many people assume that being overweight is the person’s own fault. The result: The person concerned despairs, feels rejected and withdraws. The film follows a young woman, over a longer time period, who undergoes a gastric bypass surgery and a family that is trying to battle the pounds the regular way.

Nestinari in Bulgaria

Dancing on fire

Every year on the 21st of May, the day of St. Constantine and St. Helen, the inhabitants of two remote mountain villages in the picturesque Strandzha Mountains gather at sunset to dance on hot coals while screaming ecstatically. Dancing on fire is supposed to bring good health and fertility. The ritual is part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The documentary film accompanies two women, the oldest Nestinari of the village, her every day life and her preparations for the dance and a young woman, who hasn’t been living in the village for a long time and now lives in a modern town. She will return to the village to dance through the fire for the very first time.

Arshan wanna sing

Arshan is 10 years old and lives in a small, sleepy hippie village not far from Los Angeles. He wants to become a singer, a real opera singer. For three years now, Arshan has been taking part in the Youth Opera Camp, a camp founded by the New York opera singer Rebecca Comerford. She immediately noticed that Arshan is special. Not only does he have almost perfect pitch, he also has a very distinctive and unique voice. But Arshan has so much to do, he barely has any time to practice. Chopping firewood, milking the goats, feeding the cows, watering the large fruit garden and taking care of his small sisters together with his two brothers…This year Arshan would love to get the main part in the upcoming opera production of the Ojai Youth Opera. It would be amazing, if Arshan were to find himself in the spotlight singing for the entire village. And should the piece be successful, Rebecca plans a tour through California, maybe even through the entire USA.This would be a dream come true for Arshan!

In production