In 2016, Taiwan's film and television industry was in a recession. This made life even more difficult for the lowest-level performers, the extras. The story begins with Kehan Zhang, a man who loves acting and works as a full-time extra. He had been working as an extra for three years and paid NTD 500 in cash every time. His daily routine includes searching for various audition opportunities, submitting resumes, and only receiving audition notices every now and then. To fulfill the dream of becoming a leading actor, he decided to venture into the film and television industry in China and started his Don Quixote journey with pals. The documentary also films other actors and actresses - the girl from the south and Brother Long, and how they experienced gender and age limitations in the industry. Besides the stereotypes in the industry, they also faced challenges balancing work and family.
The deep sea is the last unknown territory on Earth. Here, biologists struggle to study the enigmatic wildlife that looks like something from another planet. But time is running out as deepsea mining threatens the fragile ecosystems.
The film is an observation of the migrant experience; from crossing the Mediterranean Sea out of Libya to settling in Paris-based squats. In a view free from prejudice, we quickly see how the experiences of migrants vary in extremes during the different stages in their journey to a better life.
A time capsule of New York City between August 13-15, 1965, framed by the Beatles’ arrival in the city and their first concert at Shea Stadium. The film consists exclusively of archive material from the period (ABC, CBS, NBC), 8mm home movies and images of the concert, which was recorded with fourteen 35mm cameras. Four teenagers are sent on a trip through time and inserted in the archive material by means of animation.
For the first time, one of the deadliest moments in World War II is recreated in stunning detail: the surprise attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor. But this time, through the eyes of the aggressors: the commanders and pilots of Imperial Japan.
Inclusive grassroots skateboarding communities connecting marginalised and LGBTQI+ individuals in the North of England; driven to bridge the gap in the historical documentation of skateboarding. From mountains in Lake District to Blackpool promenade these skate collectives have created safe spaces welcoming environments, where skating is a tool for empowerment, unlocking freedom and where failure is accepted and celebrated as a rite of passage.
In Second Wind's first premium documentary project, we sat down with Billy Basso to tell the story of the development of his critically acclaimed game, Animal Well.
March 2022. The Somalia battalion, as part of the main forces, was sent to storm fortified Mariupol in order to ensure the possibility of an offensive by the Russian Armed Forces. On the outskirts of the city, no one yet knows the scale of the disaster that will unfold in the coming weeks and what trials soldiers and civilians will have to go through.
Freiheit! – this is the cry that thousands of people are uniting to protest against oppression in Tehran and around the world following the death of the young Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. Arrested by Iranian morality police for allegedly wearing an incorrect headscarf, Amini died in custody just three days later, sparking international outrage and solidarity. The protests have reached as far as Germany, where Iranian exiles who escaped the Iranian regime in the 1970s took to the streets side by side with young second-generation German-Iranians such as Jasmin Shakeri, Pegah Ferydoni, Natalie Amiri and Enissa Amani. Together they are fighting for a free future in which Iranian society can also live without fear and in dignity.