Georges Gachot

The spiritual culture of Russia is reflected in the beauty of its churches and monasteries, in the paintings and frescoes that adorn them and - above all - in the sacred music that is sung in them.

The brilliant self-taught pianist Erroll Garner left his mark on jazz forever. His song Misty, which he allegedly composed between two concerts on an aeroplane, immediately became one of the great jazz standards and is still one of the most covered ballads in the world today. Who was the man behind the ever-friendly smile from the ghettos of Pittsburgh, whose talent brought him to the biggest international stages?

The director, a passionate musical documentary filmmaker, became fascinated by the machines used in a factory that produces stamped metal boxes. The machines, with their sonority, rhythms, tunes and automated movements, become musicians and dancers in a show that drive the film to play its cinematic score. The soundtrack, composed with workshops sounds only, unfolds as a musical masterpiece performed by machines for iron and bolt dancers, all coming together in a majestic mechanic choreography. The man who conceived and created these « iron monsters » occupies a fragile place in this powerful, metallic world, which is at the same time incredibly beautiful and musical.

When young musicians come together to play classical music, they send out a strong signal to our today’s world. The film follows talented young Swiss musicians as they work, search for inspiration, but also expose their thought how to play nowadays the “old” Classical music.

Brazilian singer Maria Bethania has a 40-year singing career. A documentary shows her concerts and famous family.

Featuring images from concerts that marked the history of Brazilian music and interviews with major personalities, Nana Caymmi, one of the greatest artists of Brazilian popular music, has her story analyzed and revisited. The ex-wife of Gilberto Gil, muse of Milton Nascimento, and daughter of Dorival Caymmi, Nana is considered by many journalists to be "the singer of singers," and the leading names of the era attempt to explain why.

In the Documentary The singer, composer, writer and bamba Martinho da Vila guides the viewer through the gigantic world of samba investigating the origins of the rhythm, highlighting its importance in different spheres, telling stories about his career and presenting his heart association, Grêmio Recreativo Samba School Unidos de Vila Isabel.

Where are you, João Gilberto? sets out in the footsteps of German writer Marc Fischer who obsessively searched for the legendary founding father of Bossa Nova and last great musical legend of our time, Brazilian musician João Gilberto, who has not been seen in public for decades. Fischer described his journey in a book, Hobalala, but committed suicide one week before it was published. By taking up Marc Fischer's quest, following his steps one by one, thanks to all the clues he left us, we pursue João Gilberto to understand the history, the very soul and essence of Bossa Nova. But who can tell whether we will meet him or not?

Martha Argerich is the last remaining pianist of legend. A wild child and a rebel at heart, this legendary Argentinean musician is surrounded by an aura of mystery: some find her too uncompromising, others generous and beautiful, yet to all she is without doubt incredibly talented. Thanks to these "evening talks", Georges Gachot lifts a corner of the veil: Martha Argerich shares with us her memories, confides in us her doubts, and transmits to us her incredible appetite for music making. Images of Argentina, rehearsals in the concert hall or at home, excerpts of recent concerts and archival clips complete this unique film on one of the most secretive and endearing artists of our time.

In BEATOCELLO's UMBRELLA, award-winning director Georges Gachot tells the story of Beat Richner&emdash;pediatric M.D. author, illustrator and concert cellist; from his coming-of-age in Switzerland, to his street performances as a young medical student in the persona of the clown Beatocello; to his founding of five children's hospitals in today's Cambodia. Revered as a national hero, Richner's Herculean efforts have saved the lives of millions of Cambodia's children over the past 20 years, some who have grown up to serve as doctors in his state-of- the-art pediatric hospitals. Now at 64 , Richner continues to practice medicine and travel the world concertizing and singing about his protective red umbrella, which has come to symbolize the health and hope he brought to a grateful nation. Unlike many of his contemporaries who held utopian world views, Beat Richner is one of the few who worked to made his vision a reality.