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Chill Wills

Actor
Chill Wills was an American actor and singer, born on July 18, 1902, in Seagoville, Texas, and passed away on December 15, 1978. He began his career as a singer with the Avalon Boys quartet and transitioned into acting in the 1930s. His distinctive deep voice and folksy demeanor made him a popular character actor, often cast in Westerns. Notable films include "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944), where he lent his voice to the character of the singing Grandpa Prophater, "Giant" (1956) starring alongside Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor, and his memorable role as Beekeeper in "The Alamo" (1960), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Wills also voiced Francis the Talking Mule in a series of popular films in the 1950s. His career spanned five decades, leaving a lasting impact on both film and television.

Films

The Deadly Companions

The Deadly Companions

By Sam Peckinpah

1961 | 90 min | Timeless

Cult director Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Steiner) created a swan song to a dying genre with his debut. Starring Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara.

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Deadlock

Deadlock

1970 | 89 min | Timeless

After a bank robbery, the Bandit Kid is stranded in a Mexican Sierra ghost town named Deadlock. The only inhabitants are Charles Dump and his daughter Jessy. Dump tries to steal the bandit's loot. Klick's psychedelic manhunt in no man's land is acoustically and visually captivating and dramaturgically consistent to the end. Mario Adorf, Anthony Dawson, Marquard Bohm prowl around their prey like cats on the hunt to the soundtrack of Krautrock band CAN. "Finally a film that ticks all the boxes ...

The Jackpot

The Jackpot

2015 | 13 min | Shorts

Hansi picked six numbers right and wins the lottery. His friend Frankie is excited and wants half of the winnings. But, where's the darn lottery ticket? Together Hansi and Frankie set out to find the lost ticket, but everyone they ask about it know shockingly little, until the truth comes out. Apparently more than one person had their eyes on claiming the jackpot. And what exactly does Sabine have to do with all of it? (Generale Festival)

Mann im Spagat: Pace, Cowboy, Pace

Mann im Spagat: Pace, Cowboy, Pace

2017 | 89 min | Comedy

Cowboy has a vision. He wants to save the planet with his Free Swingers, so he applies for a grant at The Central Agency. They send a representative named Fey of Sweden to approve Cowboy's proposal. She demands results and he decides to stage a charity bicycle rally featuring a roster of Berlin misfits on two wheels. Meanwhile Cowboy‘s neighbor kills his mother‘s budgie and sets the Devil of Hermannplatz on him to sabotage his plans. Pretty bad timing considering that he also has to rescue his ...

Quitt

Quitt

2023 | Animation

A poacher in the snowy Alps, a murderer in the dusty expanse of the Wild West – Leo and Denny couldn't be more different, but their paths reflect universal conflicts. Against the backdrop of breathtaking landscapes and a world of plastic mannequins with ghostly lifelike features, a drama unfolds that is as surreal as it is captivating. The characters move between dance, prayer and violence, while song interludes lift the action into fantastic spheres and at the same time explore the abysses of human ...

Wildes Denken

Wildes Denken

2020 | 108 min | Documentary

According to the analysis of the ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, "wild thinking" describes rather fluid transitions between man and nature, everyday life and the spirit world, and life and death. Based on objects from the Ethnological Museum Berlin-Dahlem, the film attempts to bring this different worldview to life with the help of masks, cult objects, rituals and ethnographic film footage from America, Africa, Asia, Siberia and the South seas. It also seeks to reconstruct and explain their functionality ...

Nostromo

Nostromo

2021 | 81 min | Documentary

Olivier has been living alone on a remote island surrounded by the rugged Canadian wilderness for twenty years. The island, which was given to him by the First Nations, is situated 200 kilometers from Yellowknife, the only city in the Northwest Territories. Olivier has grown accustomed to life in isolation—but one day, three strangers arrive on the island and shatter his peaceful existence. NOSTROMO by Fisnik Maxville questions the dream of a solitary life in the wilderness and its limits. Is true ...

Zahorí

Zahorí

2022 | 105 min | Drama

13-year-old Mora lives in the Patagonian steppe with her Swiss Italian ecologist parents. Disenchanted with the conventional life and schooling imposed on her, Mora yearns for the freedom and rugged individuality of a gaucho's existence. Her life takes a pivotal turn when she decides to aid Nazareno, an old Mapuche gaucho, in finding his lost horse, ZAHORÍ. This journey of solidarity with Nazareno becomes a profound voyage of self-discovery, challenging Mora to confront societal norms and her own ...