A people's struggle to save the animal at the heart of their culture. For centuries the Bunong indigenous people on the Cambodian-Vietnamese border lived with elephants, believing they shared the same destiny. Today, as the forests and rivers both man and animal depend on are threatened, their fates seem even more inseparable. Last of the Elephant Men follows over a period of time several members of the tribe as they attempt to save the animal that once defined their way of life and may hold the key to their own survival.
When Dr. Haing S. Ngor was forced into labor camps by the Khmer Rouge, little did he know he would escape years of torture and recreate his experiences in a film that would win him an Academy Award®. "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" tells the dramatic story about arguably the most recognizable survivor of the Cambodian genocide, a man who became a worldwide ambassador for justice in his homeland, only to be murdered in a Los Angeles Chinatown alley - a case still muddled with conspiracy theories. Through an inspired blend of original animation and rare archival material - anchored by Ngor's richly layered autobiography - the years encapsulating the Khmer Rouge's tyrannical rule over Cambodia are experienced though a politically charged transnational journey of loss and reconciliation.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the rock radio DJ played an unprecedented creative role in the rock music world. I Am What I Play profiles four disc jockeys in major markets during this period: their programming, their politics and their deep connections with musicians and fans in the heyday of rock radio. Where are they now - and how did they reinvent themselves as the medium changed? Featuring the music of The Ramones, Joni Mitchell, Rush, David Bowie, The Cars, The Sonics and more.
Game Face shows the quest to self-realization of LGBT athletes and the acceptance in society. The film follows athletes during their coming out process, and sheds light on the obstacles LGBT sports players deal with throughout their career.
The Mayan doomsday prophecy looms over a dark night in Poland. A late-night radio host takes in calls from citizens expressing their concerns, predictions and speculations on what may happen when—or even if—the sun comes up. Simultaneously, a crisis centre dispatcher fields panicked calls from people experiencing real-life traumatic situations in need of immediate attention. The voices of these callers are interwoven with an intimate therapy session and a wandering taxicab to build a profile of a place where citizens want to be heard. Never showing the callers on the other end of the line, the film creates an aural overview of a darkened city. As the night progresses, the calls continue coming in, revealing the various struggles people are experiencing in dealing with conceptual fears and current woes—all in a world that soon may be over.
When Rehtaeh Parsons was 15 years old, she went to a party that would define her remaining teenage years. She was sexually attacked and had no memory of it, until photographic evidence spread through social media. The resulting humiliation and bullying the Nova Scotia teen received led to her tragic suicide less than two years later. News of her death reverberated worldwide, a stunning demonstration of the power of images and social networks to amplify the extent of rape culture and effects of depression. Now, her parents and those who knew her reassemble the pieces of Parsons’s life in their courageous quest to make accountable the systems that failed to protect her. With the support of Anonymous, an online campaign and public pressure, they forced the Nova Scotian government and RCMP to address the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. Parsons’s story epitomizes the immense capacity of new tools in these nascent years of social networking.
The heroes, heroines and villains of Bollywood cinema act out their parts in the hand-painted, one-of-a-kind movie posters that Sheikh Rehman still makes for an old Hindi movie palace in Mumbai. But modernity is taking over and the audiences that have come in for generations for refuge and entertainment are dwindling. With the theatre facing potential demolition, marketing has turned to more plastic movie posters to lure in more people, replacing the need for Rehman’s original work. But Rehman is still lord and master over his workshop, ignoring the theatre managers’ instructions and bossing around his assistants so that he can paint the perfect movie scene.
An uproarious critique of the world financial crisis. Building on actor, comedian, and provocateur Russell Brand’s emergence as an activist following his 2014 book Revolution, where he railed against “corporate tyranny, ecological irresponsibility, and economic inequality".
Join young filmmaker Patrick Ireland as he tumbles down the rabbit hole, penetrating the very core of Anonymous in the build-up to the infamous 'Million Mask March' on the 5th of November 2014.
'Country: Portraits of an American Sound' is a documentary film that explores the history and culture of country music through the lens of photography, which has portrayed the ideals, lifestyle and personalities of country music artists for over 80 years. The film features imagery and commentary from Grand Ole Opry photographer Les Leverett, the late celebrity photographer Leigh Wiener, documentary photographer Henry Horenstein, iconic music photographers Henry Diltz and Raeanne Rubenstein, and contemporary photographers David McClister and Michael Wilson. Over a dozen country music artists also appear, including Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, The Band Perry and Keith Urban. The film weaves iconic images, historical footage and over 25 country music hits into a dynamic look at this uniquely American sound.
If you want to impress your dining companions in Cyprus, it's not caviar that you order, but ambelopoulia: a tiny songbird. But as this gripping doc reveals, the cost to bring such delicacies to the table is enormous. Bestselling novelist Jonathan Franzen takes a break from the world of fiction to guide us through an all too horrifying reality: tens of millions of protected migratory songbirds are illegally killed every year. Franzen, a longtime bird lover, accompanies young staffers of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter on their expeditions. With police enforcement in Southern Europe practically non-existent, they risk their lives to rescue trapped birds, and confront hostile poachers. It's a topic that proves a cultural flashpoint -- the Cypriot landowners cannot understand why a bunch of Italians can tell them what to do on their land.
A fleet of high-tech telescopes, led by the NASA and ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has delivered an unprecedented chain of discoveries about how galaxies like the Milky Way took shape, how stars live and die, the influence of black holes, and the birth of the planets and the solar system. In this new age of astronomy, scientists are testing topics from the origin of life to Einstein's theories.
Heralded as one of the most influential musicians in the modern era, Sam Bush pioneered a new genre of music, inspired some of today's most successful commercial acts, yet he remains the music world's best-kept secret.
When fans cannot get close to the real thing, these professionals step in to fill the void. As the old adage goes, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' From a celebrity impersonator convention to their lives across the country, JUST ABOUT FAMOUS chronicles the few who have had the fortune, or curse, of looking like the most recognizable people on the planet.
MURDA CAPITAL documents the harsh reality of a post-Katrina New Orleans. Rapper, entrepreneur and New Orleans native K. Gates sets out into New Orleans most treacherous ghettos to discover the root of a cycle of killing. People from all factions of the city give their take on how murder has affected them directly and indirectly. Stories of a convicted murderer and a mother who lost all four sons to gun violence shivers the soul. Drugs, money, ignorance, ego, and envy make a deadly concoction which equates to the nation's highest murder rate for more than a decade. See how violence intertwines with the cities rich culture. Obtain access to the part of New Orleans hidden from tourist as K. Gates strives to 'Save The City'.
K2 is widely seen as the world's harshest mountain. Yet many indigenous porters make a living in its extreme conditions, carrying provisions for foreign climbing expeditions. Often risking their lives, they receive minimal pay for their efforts. Against a backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty, this doc explores the courage and sacrifice of the men who call the 'Savage Mountain' their home.