First of all, let me just say that I think most movies are stupid and boring and don’t mean anything, but I watched Twilight and saw it as something more than just a mainstream personification of dark culture made up by capitalist deathmongers and Hollywood phonies. Ugh. No, in factTwilight (the film) grasped everything that Stephanie Meyers wrote in the books. Edward was even more beautiful than I could even imagine. My stupid mother thinks he’s “creepy looking” but who cares? Anyway, if you haven’t seen Twilight, you really should because it shows just what kind of dark love lies within us all. And if you understood that, then you wouldn’t stare at me in the mall, and maybe you would realize you want to sparkle just as much as I do. Goddess be.
He’s the UK’s best-loved “indie laureate”, a charismatic, enigmatic singer songwriter with a unique poetic voice: Peter Doherty recently released his solo album Grace/Wastelands, to widespread critical acclaim.
Broken Love Song is the second single from the album, and Peter chose to première it exclusively here on Babelgum. To accompany it, we also have a never before seen interview with the man himself, two live acoustic performances of Arcady and Lady Don’t Fall Backwards, and some highlights from Peter’s career to date.
Click hereto view the selection of videos and find out more.
Who’d have thought that firestarting big beat legends The Prodigy like to go fabric shopping in between gigs? Well, that’s just one of the odd titbits revealed in the exclusive documentary and live footage showing now on Babelgum Web and Mobile.
Shot on the road by Dugdale during the band’s explosive “Invaders Must Die” tour earlier this year, the footage delves into the adrenaline pumping world of Liam, Keith, Maxim and the crew as they tour the UK, with a documentary (Part 1 and Part 2). It also includes backstage interviews with the band, camping tips from Keith Flint, wardrobe crises, alsations on the loose and some thumping performances filmed live at Wembley, with tracks such as Invaders Must Die and Run With The Wolves.
Our new exclusive online premiere The Linguists(directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger) is the feature length documentary that was on everybody’s lips at Sundance 2008.
Half of the world’s languages are heading for extinction, and The Linguists follows two scientist-adventurers as they travel the world in a race to document indigenous tongues that are hanging on by a thread. From Oklahoma to South Africa, the pair meets some of the last remaining speakers of endangered languages around the globe.
Karol Martesko-Fenster, our film publisher, says:
“The filmmakers have crafted a compelling story that weaves travelogue together with the urgent sustainability issue of the world’s disappearing languages. The resulting documentary appeals to film fans and the growing group of linguists worldwide.”
The documentary has screened at scores of film festivals worldwide and recently aired on PBS. It will get its online première on Babelgum web and mobile from April 20th – but you can watch the trailer and a selection of clips now.
The Linguists meet the last Pazih speaker in Taiwan
Calling all Gorillaz fans: Bananaz, the behind-the-scenes doc about the band, will be screening on Babelgum from April 20th as the first ever global, online film première prior to its theatrical a release worldwide.
Cartoon band Gorillaz was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. They released their self-titled debut album in 2001 and went on to take the world by storm. For six years director Ceri Levy filmed the Gorillaz animators, musicians and singers as they worked, and the result is this free-wheeling, honest and sometimes hilarious account of the creative process behind the world’s most successful virtual band.
The film has already gained cult status following screenings at film festivals around the world from Berlin to Edinburgh to SXSW. Babelgum viewers will be able to watch it full-length from April 20th, but a large chunk of the film will be visible in the run-up to the première, through a selection of clips on Babelgum web and mobile (5 clips are available now and will be refreshed with a new selection from time to time).
To launch the project, we organized a special screening at the Apple Store in SoHo, NYC on March 20th. Thanks to all the fans that showed up and made the event a success! Another screening will take place at the Apple Store in London next week on April 2nd at 6.30pm.
The first original production by and for Babelgum, Downstream focuses on the controversy surrounding the multi-billion dollar development of Alberta’s oil sands.
This beautifully photographed documentary, directed by OSCAR® and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, is an eye-opening investigation into one of the world’s most polluting oil operations.
The film examines the environmental, economic and health issues surrounding the oil sands development. Iwerks interviewed ecologists, Canadian politicians, Fort Chipewyan residents and a courageous doctor who raised the alarm after noticing unusually high cancer rates in the local community.
As the LA Times reviewer wrote, “There’s a price to be paid for all our gas guzzling”, and Downstream gives us a rare glimpse into the human price of the oil industry.
BUNNY is a full-length independent film, now screening on Babelgum. Director Mia Trachinger’s debut feature is no ordinary arthouse fare. When it played the festival circuit in 2000, it was a breath of fresh air, earning raves like “An original work of inventive whimsy” (Variety), “A haunting work…with heartbreakingly authentic performances” (Filmmaker Magazine), and “A darkly comic, magic realist fable” (Orange County Weekly).
BUNNY has been compared to the work of Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze. It tells the story of a young couple who leave their war-torn homeland for America and have a hard time finding employment. Desperate for a job, Nik and Luda agree to take part in an experimental public works project where they are tasked to dress as bunnies and comfort strangers on the street. It turns out that people need compassion and support no matter what country they live in. Nik and Luda each have their own methods, and they experience varying degrees of absurdity, sadness, and detachment.
In today’s world of uncertainty and doubt, a film like BUNNY is as relevant as ever. In its initial run, the film screened at the Los Angeles, Toronto, and San Sebastian Film Festivals. It earned the Maverick Award at the Cinequest Film Festival, and garnered a pair of Independent Spirit Award nominations. Despite all of this acclaim and acceptance, the film never received a wide release. BUNNY is a triumphantly original film that deserves to be seen, and now Cinetic is bringing it to you, exclusively on Babelgum.
There are plenty of things you can do in 3 minutes: boil an egg, brush your teeth, listen to your favourite song…
But here’s something a little different: three-minute stories told by Oscar- and multiple-award winning documentary filmmakers, including Steve James (Hoop Dreams), Ross Kauffman (Born into Brothels), Jessica Yu (Breathing Lessons), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) and many others.
If you like the sound of that, check out the new Cinelan channel, launching today on Babelgum. You’’ll find short, compelling non-fiction videos on just about any topic you could think of.
These impactful and extraordinarily-produced films will brighten up the short days of January, once all the celebrations have wound down. We guarantee you won’t be able to resist them, rather like a box of chocolates – go on, have another…
From Hollywood to Bollywood – Aatma: The Ghost is a spine-chilling tale from India, while The Snow Witch is a beautiful 3D animated Japanese ghost story.
Short film fans can scare themselves silly with Trick or Treat… and Little Pumpkin tells the touching story of a boy whose best friend is – yes, a large orange vegetable.
Speaking of pumpkins, here’s an original recipe for that leftover Jack O’Lantern. And if you’re stuck for ideas on how to dress up, the flamboyant West Hollywood costume carnival might provide inspiration. Happy Halloween!
First of all, let me just say that I think most movies are stupid and boring and don’t mean anything, but I watched Twilight and saw it as something more than just a mainstream personification of dark culture made up by capitalist deathmongers and Hollywood phonies. Ugh. No, in fact 
