Rituals

Rites and rituals have, for decades or even centuries, ingrained behavioral models into our subconscious, which at first glance may seem harmless. But how relevant are they to the place and time we live? What role do they play in shaping gender stereotypes? Weddings, circumcision, beshik-toy, and many other rituals and ceremonies of the peoples of Uzbekistan—what roles do they assign to men and women? We were quite interested in observing all of this.

This movie is based on the true story that made headlines all over the world: the story of a relationship gone sour between a Japanese man very much in love with a French model. Some time later, it was discovered that the woman was turned into "sushi." At that time the man had already eaten a few body parts. To the arresting officers in Paris, he justified his acts as a proof of profound passion. In the late 80's many books and films find inspiration by the sinister love story.

The fragile Lia suffers from a deep depression. Her relationship with her boyfriend Viktor is getting worse and worse and in the last desperate attempt to cure herself, Lia goes to visit her old aunt Agata in her creepy 18th century villa.

Bizarre, unusual and horrifying, Sex Rituals of the Occult will shock and delight you. Travel with us to this side of hell and learn the sensual secrets kept by the worshippers of Satan. Witness the modern masters of the dark arts as they undertake hideous violations of the flesh and soul.

After incurring debts from his failed business venture in China, Zong Hua (Cheung) returns to Malaysia after a decade's hiatus. The demoralised Zong Hua faces problems finding a job and tries hard to get used to things at home, including his estranged relationship with his step-father, Xiaotian, who runs a Cantonese opera troupe, and half-sister, Jing Jing (Cathryn Lee). Jing Jing is hostile towards Zong Hua as she always has the impression that the death of their mother was caused by the excessive fights between Zong Hua and his step-father.

A young brahmin boy studying in a village away from home and a young widow isolated by her condition form a bond.

Blind dating gone wrong.

An immigrant story of Marietta Veulens, a composer who has spent 20 years trying to complete her lifeworks and album. Torn between her native Cuba and the UK, Veulens returns to her hometown of Matanzas to perform music live for the first time, and complete the journey to finding her true voice.

Constance Bennett demonstrates her morning skin care and make-up regimen.

The Ndebele women are known throughout the world for their vivid and multi faceted art forms, especially the colorful embellishment of their houses. Their arid land is pierced with blocks of color, each dwelling singular in a stylized way. Their resplendent clothing also boldly proclaims their identity. This unique film also explores Ndebele rituals never shown on film before. We see their fertility rites, a celebration that bonds them to their ancestral tradition. Ndebele performance art shows how traditional forms of expression can become a vehicle for political empowerment today. Nelson Mandela referred to the Ndebele as a 'Rainbow People.' Despite a history of racial oppression, forced removal from their ancestral land and economic privation, their pride and sense of joy has endured.

The History and Craft of Modern Day Witches. Karen Frandsen from Eerie Investigations interviews Jeanette Ellis, lecturer on traditional British Witchcraft, member of PEBL, and author of "Forbidden Rites." Jeanette reveals the truth behind many aspects of Witchcraft.

Moments before a hardcore band takes the stage, the lead singer tries to break off her toxic relationship with the band's drummer only to see the breakup take an explosive turn.

Until it was conquered by the British in 1897, the city of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, was the centre of a powerful kingdom. Its rulers, the Obas of Benin, were mysterious, secluded figures who spent much of their time in the performance of rituals designed to enhance their power and to ensure the prosperity of their subjects. Many of the art objects for which Benin is famous were used in these rituals, some of which are still performed. This film shows some of the most significant moments in the rituals that take place around the beginning of the new year, including the greatest event of the ritual year, the Igwe Festival, in which the Obas divine powers are strengthened and renewed. The object of worship is the head of the living Oba, the seat of his ritual energy, on which the well-being of the nation is believed to depend on.

Animal Facts Club Presents is an educational, artistically innovative short series about science. It blends large-scale sets, puppetry, animation and choreography with documentary segments. Endangered Rituals focuses on the nearly extinct Attwater Prairie Chicken and the critically endangered Houston Toad who both have incredible mating displays.

A stunning graphic composition of form and surface, Rituals for a Still Life links Gillette's video and collage work. Here he constructs a series of enigmatic collages that have as their background a television monitor showing his videotapes. Gillette builds a tension between static objects and the moving video images, both in the deliberate ambiguity of scale, and in the way these images flatten the video image. Meditative yet charged, these collages reveal surface abstraction rarely achieved in video.

A teenage girl visits her grandmother to get her Afro hair done, something that takes hours and requires rituals filled with patience and care. Drawing on her own experience, filmmaker Amber Akaunu captures an intimate moment that celebrates a central part of many black women’s lives.

A series of rituals created by artist Emma Frankland to explore gender transition and the fluid notion of change.

When a young black suburban woman named Mona is devastated by the death of her first husband John, little did she know that dreams of his murder and voodoo would threaten to wreck her whole life with deadly consequences! Will she ever be able to live happily ever after?