Facets is a nationally-recognized conservator, publisher and distributor of films on DVD and VHS. Films lost and neglected over time - everything from independent and art-house favorites, classic masterpieces and powerful documentaries to silent pioneers, experimental wonders and children's features - have been rescued from obscurity and made available to the world for home viewing, with over 800 films digitally restored and released since the late 1980s.
Important works by seminal filmmakers are our passion. Over the years, we've released films from legendary directors such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Andrei Tarkovsky, Jacques Rivette, Lars von Trier, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Jean-Luc Godard, Ken Loach, Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Marco Bellocchio, Andrezj Wajda, Tahmineh Milani, Bela Tarr, Alexander Sokurov, Georges Melies, Philip Kaufman, Amos Gitai, Bertrand Tavernier, Vera Chytilova, Milos Forman, Miklos Jancso, Jill Godmilow, Harun Farocki, Aki Kaurismaki, Raul Ruiz, James Broughton, and many, many more.
The complete Facets Exclusives collection is searchable via the tabs at the left. You can also find previews and clips to watch, a list of directors released by Facets Exclusives, and more.
Facets is also an important distributor of independent films to the theatrical market. To view our catalog of films available for theatrical showings, click here.
NEW RELEASES: Available now!
UNDER THE PAVEMENT LIES THE STRAND Directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms, 1974 Renowned German director Helma
Sanders-Brahms made her feature-film debut
with this potent drama about a politically
motivated couple who struggle in the calm that
followed the student rebellions and
demonstrations of the late 1960s. The heady
days of 1968 brought sweeping socio-political
changes in Germany, but the subsequent years
have been a letdown for Grischa and Heinrich,
who are starring in a successful play on the
Berlin stage. In German with optional English subtitles. Click to order
GEORG BASELITZ Directed by Heinz Peter Schwerfel, 1987/2004 Filmmaker and art critic Heinz Peter
Schwerfel offers a unique opportunity to examine
the outspoken painter Baselitz at two different points in
his life. In 1987, Schwerfel filmed the 50-year-old
artist on the occasion of his retrospective at the
Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. Baselitz talks candidly
about his youth, career, the lean years, and his
success; 17 years later, Schwerfel makes a new
film for a new Baselitz retrospective in which the
painter views the original film and the filmmaker
confronts him about his earlier statements. In German with English subtitles. Click to order
BALTHUS: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Directed by Damian Pettigrew, 1997 Award-winning director Damian Pettigrew
(Fellini: I'm a Born Liar) offers this definitive
portrait of Balthus, a modern artist whose work
was nonetheless out of step with most modern
movements. His huge canvases with their thickly
applied paint feature dreamy adolescent girls in
enigmatic poses, resulting in an erotically
charged and oddly disorienting style. In French with optional English subtitles. Click to order
GREAT AFRICAN FILMS VOL.3: DARATT & THE DESERT ARK Daratt directed by Mahamat-Salhe Haroun, 2006 The Desert Ark directed by Mohamed Chouikh, 1997 Daratt, aka Dry Season, is a moody,
fable-like drama set in postwar Chad. With only
three characters and minimal dialogue, awardwinning
director Mahamat-Salhe Haroun offers a
heart-wrenching reflection on injustice and
revenge. The Desert Ark is a version of Romeo
and Juliet set in an oasis in the Algerian desert.
When Amin and Myriam are caught kissing in the
dunes, deep-seated religious rivalries are stirred
up in their small community. Click to order
LOVE FORGIVES ALL Directed by Janusz Rzeszewski, 1982 Harkening back to the days of classic cinema,
Love Forgives All tells the story of real-life
Polish cabaret singer Hanka Ordonowna. The
Depression-era singer worked her way out of
poverty to reach the heights of success,
struggling with consumption and the Nazis along
the way. In Polish with English subtitles. Click to order
CAVALLO BEHIND BARS Directed by Maria Ines Roque Rodriguez,, 2006 In this real-life story of dictators, political
agents, and secret identities, Argentine
businessman Ricardo Miguel Cavallo used the
code name "Serpico" as an officer of the National
Reorganization Process, the military junta that
ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. Cavallo
allegedly committed horrific acts of torture and
terrorism against innocent civilians during the
junta's "Dirty War" - and he almost got away with
it. In Spanish with English subtitles. Click to order
BOATS OUT OF WATERMELON RINDS Directed by Ahmet Ulucay, 2005 In his award-winning debut feature film,
director Ahmet Ulucay portrays the innocence of
childhood and the lure of the cinema for two
teens in a small Turkish village. Working for a
watermelon seller by day, Remet spends his
evenings trying to rebuild a film projector with his
friend Mehmet. Both have big dreams to be
famous film directors one day. In Turkish with English subtitles. Click to order
ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN Directed by Vojtech Jasny, 1968 Vojtech Jasny directed this humorous and lyrical story about a small Moravian village responding to Stalinism. This crowning achievement of the Czech New Wave was banned immediately on its 1969 release. In Czech with English subtitles. Click to order
WITMAN BOYS Directed by Janos Szasz, 1997 In this haunting drama of alienation and
loneliness, the Witman brothers are scarred for
life by the neglect of their mother. They search for
human warmth and meaning in their lives, but
they search in the wrong places-including the
local brothel. They may look innocent on the
surface, but ultimately they are driven to
despicable deeds. In Hungarian with English subtitles. Click to order
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