Alain Jean-Marie, impressions cubaines(2024)

Time Piece(en)

Dislocation in time, time signatures, time as a philosophical concept, and slavery to time are some of the themes touched upon in this 9-minute experimental film, which was written, directed, and produced by Jim Henson. Screened for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art in May of 1965, "Time Piece" enjoyed an eighteen-month run at one Manhattan movie theater and was nominated for an Academy Award for Outstanding Short Subject.

Soul(en)

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

La Aspirante(es)

7and7is Una Vez Por La Vida(en)

In December 2007, 7and7is, an Indie rock band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada became the first foreign rock band to tour Cuba.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench(en)

After connecting with the shy Madeline, a jazz trumpeter embarks on a quest for a more gregarious paramour, but through a series of twists and turns punctuated by an original score, the two lovers seem destined to be together.

Sonic Mirror(en)

The multi-award-winning Finnish documentarian Mika Kaurismäki, brother of Aki Kaurismäki (The Man Without a Past), helms the nonfiction work Sonic Mirror -- a protracted exploration of rhythm as one of life's driving forces. Revered drummer Billy Cobham serves as host, taking the audience on a long musical journey around the world and through a myriad of musical genres and styles. Cobham, Kaurismäki, and co. segue from Western concert halls and stages to the music of African tribes performed by Brazilian street children to the distinct music of autistic patients. Along the way, the filmmakers raise serious questions about the function of music as an identifying force, a means of communication, and an emotional release; they also probe the enduring connections between group awareness and self-awareness. The film ultimately builds to a hugely affirming and cathartic expression of music as collective expression that unifies its performers in spirit.

Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes(en)

Explore the vision behind the iconic American jazz record label. Since 1939, Blue Note artists have been encouraged to push creative boundaries in search of uncompromising expressions. Through current recording sessions, rare archive and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists, the film reveals an intimate perspective of a legacy that continues to be vital in today’s political climate.

Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool(en)

A musical documentary accompaniment to the 1994 benefit compilation album concerning AIDS in the African-American community.

Al Niente(cn)

Leaving music school, the happy-go-lucky Ling returns to Hong Kong to her dementia-stricken father, on whom she tries to conduct music therapy. Her demurer older sister Munn, the caretaker and sole supporter of the family, watches with disapproval. Playing the piano piece her father once taught her, Ling seems to register some change in her father’s condition, a glimmer of hope amidst the abyss of oblivion. However, secret animosity and rivalry eventually leads to open conflict between the two sisters, bringing out long-time family traumas. Will music save them?

Down Beat Bear(en)

A dancing bear escapes from the zoo and finds his way to Tom and Jerry's house. He dances with Tom, making it impossible for Tom to call the authorities; Jerry takes every opportunity to play music and keep Tom and the bear dancing

FUNCTION(en)

As seen and heard by... the Standing on the corner art ensemble, an "Exhibition" Index Film

Young Man with a Horn(en)

Taken in by the musical world as a young orphan, Rick Martin grows up with a desire to play pure jazz instead of the commercial gigs he lands, whilst also coping with the problems caused by his tempestuous marriage to an aloof heiress.

Concerto of the Bully(cn)

Internet songwriter Chow (Cherry Ngan) is gifted with an extraordinary retentive memory. She never forgets anything she has heard. One day, she was kidnapped by Yung (Ronald Cheng), a street punk, to a remote fish raft so desolate that an escape plan seems to be a mission impossible. In the hope to flee with the only ability she has, Chow offers to give a spiritual music therapy to the rather maniacal kidnapper. What happens next is beyond anyone’s imagination – the two who have nothing in common begin to form an intimate bond and connection through music. More than that, Chow finds immense inspirations on this “floating stage”, while discovering the incredible singing voice and vocal range in Yung – a seemingly hopeless criminal can also possess a voice as captivating as the sound of nature…

Shut Up and Play the Piano(en)

The documentary follows Chilly Gonzales from his native Canada to late '90s underground Berlin, and via Paris to the world's great philharmonic halls. Diving deep into the dichotomy of Gonzales' stage persona, where self-doubt and megalomania are just two sides of the same coin.

Let's Get Lost(en)

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

What a Team!(fr)

Hubert Franier, an honest hospital extern, should never had got into trouble had he not been infatuated with Véra, a beautiful but stupid creature, who led him down the wrong path. Because of her and her friends, Hubert, who naively thought he was taking part in a practical joke, was actually a party to a car theft. Because of him, Monsieur Pierre, a good-natured caretaker, is in hospital. Racked with remorse, Hubert decides to hide from the police and finds refuge at his friend Louis'. Louis is a very sociable artist and his flat is the meeting place of many a colorful character. There, Hubert gets to know Candy, a Black American saxophonist, as well as Boubou, a Black little boy. He also meets Marie-Lou, a bar girl who dreams of becoming a nurse.

Copacabana(en)

In 1948, aspiring songwriter Tony works as a bar pianist; he meets aspiring star Lola, and is immediately smitten. At Manhattan's Copacabana lounge, they both start finding fame. However, fate steps in and she is swept to Havana to work in a splashy nightclub act where she is convinced she will find her stardom. Instead, she finds Rico, a suave gangster and the club owner.

Shoe Shine Boy(en)

A teenaged shoeshine boy urgently tries to raise the remaining amount of money he needs to purchase a secondhand bugle before 6p.m.

Wolfgang(ca)

Wolfgang, a 9-year-old boy with an IQ of 125, is forced to live with his father, Carles, whom he has never seen, after the sudden death of his mother. He has one obsession, to run away to Paris to study at the Grimald Academy and become the best pianist in the world. But what Wolfgang doesn’t know is that the biggest challenge is right in front of him and that is to get along with his father.

Miles Ahead(en)

An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.