The Life & Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus

The Taking

Following his acclaimed documentaries on Psycho, Alien and The Exorcist, Alexandre O Philippe turns to Monument Valley for his latest inspiration.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

A lyrical and spiritual cinematic essay on The Exorcist, the last film of Alexandre O. Philippe explores the uncharted depths of William Friedkin’s mind’s eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography.

78/52

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

Earthlings: Ugly Bags of Mostly Water

Earthlings boldly goes where no documentary has gone before and investigates one of the most intriguing groups of individuals on this, or any other planet: the Klingons and Star Trek fans. Featuring Worf (aka Michael Dorn), this film was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Star Trek

Lynch/Oz

Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.

Memory: The Origins of Alien

The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.

The People vs. George Lucas

The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself, many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas’s cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he just have left the original trilogy alone? Is The Phantom Menace so bad it should carry a health warning? Utilizing interviews taken from over 600 hours of footage, and peppered with extraordinary Star Wars and Indiana Jones recreations lovingly immortalized in song, needlepoint, Lego, claymation, puppets and paper-mâché, above all this film asks the question: who truly owns that galaxy far, far away—the man who created it, or the fans who worship it?

Doc of the Dead

The definitive zombie culture documentary, brought to the screen by the makers of THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS.

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill

Captain Kirk. T.J. Hooker. Denny Crane. Big Giant Head. Alexander the Great. Henry V. Priceline’s Negotiator. These are but a handful of the innumerable masks worn by William Shatner over seven extraordinary decades onstage and in front of the camera. A peerless maverick thespian, electrifying performer, and international cultural treasure, Bill (as he prefers to be called), now 91 years young, is the living embodiment of his classic line “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” In unprecedented fashion, You Can Call Me Bill strips away all the masks he has worn to embody countless characters, revealing the man behind it all.

Chain Reactions

An exploration of the legacy of Tobe Hooper's classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Film Fest Gent

From the music of UK composer Alex Heffes, American filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe pays homage to Ghent, Belgium and its film heritage. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Kim Novak's Vertigo

Explores Kim Novak's life, highlighting her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, and her journey from stardom to a reclusive life as an artist in Oregon, using rare archival footage and Novak's own reflections.

In Search of Nosferatu

Filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe and archivist Lauren Newport-Quinn, the latter of whom can 'hear' silent films, hunt for lost NOSFERATU prints to rebuild Murnau's classic from decayed versions.

The Spot

November 22, 1963. A day that America and the world will never forget. Four decades later, as the rest of Dallas makes strides as a 21st century city, the spot where President Kennedy was shockingly assassinated remains eerily and forever frozen in time. A reflection on the melancholy and exploitation of a place forever branded in the American psyche, this impressionistic and voyeuristic film exposes the bizarre happenings taking place every day around Dealey Plaza--a prosaic site, made significant by the event that has come to define it.

(There Is No) Cure

In this new video essay, filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe delves into the dread-inducing mood and tone of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s modern horror classic Cure, deploying a dizzying range of cinematic references to unravel the film’s eerie magic.

The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari

A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school.

An Inconvenient Truth

A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.