Cinema

A taxidermist, a deer farmer and a museum worker live in an environment in which the line between reality and artificiality has become imperceptible. It’s a world where not only deer and boars but also plastic alligator mannequins are being hunted, while stuffed animals compete for the most alive-looking posture and legitimate gaze. The most important exhibits are set up in fabricated nature’s glass-case, sitting between aerosol-free trees and fake snow. Animals are looking from all the sides – dead or alive – they won’t stop observing you.

Dir. Aistė Žegulytė

Documentary, Lithuania, 2019, 70 min.

A burger shop employee discovers that by changing the background music from pleasantly calming to industrial “noise” music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government.

Dir. Muscha

Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, West Germany, 1984, 87 min.

What’s the best way to prevent young people from turning on, tuning in, and dropping out? USA government entities of the ‘60s and ‘70s seemed to believe that hardline DRAGNET-style narration, groovy medical animation, and dramatic reenactments of bad trips would do the job. Of course, when the old tricks didn’t work, filmmakers had to get more creative. Maybe a small child could better relate the cold, hard facts about dope? And maybe the dangers of hallucinogens could be explained by a sentient tab of LSD? But they didn’t have to overthink it. Sometimes all you need is a middle-aged woman berating kids into submission.

Dir. AGFA

Documentary, USA, 2018, 80 min.

With unprecedented access, Hail Satan traces the rise of The Satanic Temple: only eight years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple and its enigmatic leader Lucien Greaves are calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?

Dir. Penny Lane

Documentary, USA, 2019, 95 min.

1774, shortly before the French Revolution, somewhere between Potsdam and Berlin. Madame de Dumeval, the Duke de Tesis and the Duke de Wand, libertines expelled from the puritanical court of Louis XVI, seek the support of the legendary Duc de Walchen, German seducer and freethinker, lonely in a country where hypocrisy and false virtue reign. Their mission is to export libertinage, a philosophy of enlightenment founded on the rejection of moral boundaries and authorities, but moreover to find a safe place to pursue their errant games, where the quest for pleasure no longer obeys laws other than those dictated by unfulfilled desires.

Dir. Albert Serra

Drama, History, France, 2019, 138 min.

In Society, a Beverly Hills teenager named Bill doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his family. Despite being one of his school’s star football players and a certified lady’s man, Bill can’t shake the feeling that there’s an ever-present distance between himself and many of those around him, including his sister, Jenny, and their parents. Step by step Bill discovers that his family is part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.

Dir. Brian Yuzna

Comedy, Horror, USA, 1989, 99 min.

“The Prophet and The Space Aliens” follows Rael, who after an alleged encounter with extraterrestrials – that appointed him the “last prophet” – became the founder and leader of the world’s biggest UFO religion. What is the difference between a cult and a religion? Why is it easier for us to accept the story of a man who talked to a burning bush than it is to accept the story of a man who received a prophecy from extraterrestrials? Had there been documentaries about celebrated prophets made during their lifetimes, what kinds of uncomfortable secrets would’ve been revealed?

Dir. Yoav Shamir

Documentary, Israel, Austria, 2020, 86 min.