After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark Hogancamp seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard.
Severe Clear is a film based on the memoirs of First Lieutenant Mike Scotti in videos made by him and others from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines during the start of the 2003 Iraq invasion. The film explores the chaos and complexity of see the war.
Peter Karena, his wife Colleen, their six children and many horses live almost wild in the stunning beauty of New Zealand's rugged Ruahine Mountains. Until, that is, Peter's escalating battle with his own father has profound consequences for the whole clan.
Three Croatian activists struggle to change the world. As children, they lived through the violent collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism's failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. In the middle of the struggle, a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. The activists, whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, risk everything to live their politics. But as the setbacks mount, will they give up the fight?
The film, shot during years of fieldwork with a Croatian anarchist collective, applies EnMasseFilm's unique blend of observation, direct participation and critical reflection to this misunderstood political movement. Its portrayal of activism is both empathetic and unflinching -- an engaged, elegant meditation on the struggle to re-imagine leftist politics and the power of a country's youth.
This documentary by filmmaker Raymonde Provencher talk about childhoods in Uganda, where they were forced to kill against their will as soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army. Now as adults, they're working as activists to help others through a support group for survivors of childhood slavery, never forgetting their own haunting experiences.
A powerful portrait of Africa's most widely acclaimed contemporary artist El Anatsui. It gives an insider's view of the artist's practice, the ingenious steps and thousands of hours of labor that convert used bottle tops into huge, opulent wall hangings.
Music elates, touches the soul and bypasses reason. Music is magic. But precisely this magic can turn it into an insidious weapon for music and violence belong together. The brutal power of African war dances, the ferocity of Maori Hakas, the earth-shattering roar of US sound guns blasting Metallica at Taliban hideouts the principle is always the same: Aggressive sounds demoralise the enemy and whip the allies into a frenzy. In Songs of War, director Tristan Chytroschek explores the extraordinary harmony between music and violence. Sesame Street composer, Christopher Cerf, always wanted his music to be fun and entertaining. But then he learned that his songs had been used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. He is stunned by this abuse of his work and wants to find out how this could happen.
“You bet on someone in the beginning of the process and then you wait and see what life does with them.” This is how Czech director Helena Trestikova explains her long-term documentaries. Following on from the European Film Academy Award winning RENE (2008), Trestikova brings us KATKA – 14 years in the life of a drug addict. KATKA is an extraordinarily raw and uncensored character portrait of a troubled young woman living on the edge of human existence, desperately searching for love and salvation. Will she find it in the rehab? Will she find it in the arms of the man she loves? Or in the first cry of her long-desired baby? Tagging along with her through the back streets and squalors of Prague, Trestikova gets deep under the skin of a person most of us would cross the road to avoid, and shows us Katka’s profoundly human face. You might be angry with Katka, or your heart may go out to her. One thing is certain – you will never forget her.
Music fans know Maynard James Keenan as the frontman of such bands as Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, but in this documentary filmmakers Christopher Pomerenke and Ryan Page offer a closer look at one of the prolific rocker's more unexpected hobbies -- winemaking. Along with his business partner Eric Glomski, Keenan has managed to transform an arid stretch of Arizona desert into a lush vineyard that yields some particularly tasty grapes. Through unguarded conversations with Keenan and Glomski, Pomerenke and Page discover just what got the pair interested in winemaking, and why they chose such a hostile natural environment to serve as the site of their winery.
This docudrama recreates the times of C. H. Spurgeon and brings the "people's preacher" to life as it follows his trials and triumphs with historical accuracy. Made by the award-winning Christian Television Association and shot on location in England, Scotland, France and Germany, this film captures the spirit and message of a man whose eventful life is relevant to the twenty-first century.
Six thousand miles west of California, the Mariana Islands are American territory; but after generations of loyalty, the people of Guam and the Northern Marianas still remain second-class US citizens. Following the personal stories of four indigenous island leaders, this provocative film explores the history of American colonization in the Pacific - a moving story of loyalty and betrayal, about a patriotic island people struggling to find their place within the American political family.
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE: PRO WRESTLING'S UNDERGROUND takes you deep inside the underground world of professional wrestling. This compelling film follows several wrestlers as they make their way through the local VFW halls, high school gyms and Elks' lodges grinding it out on the independent circuit where the payouts can range from $5 - $20 per match. Some do it for the love of the sport, others desperate to make it big; it is both heart-pounding and heart-wrenching. Tim Disbrow makes his directorial debut as he documents the circuit's legends, including: Kevin Sullivan, Michael "Trent Acid" Verdi, Rhett Titus, Sabu, Kamala and Necro Butcher, who also made an appearance in the critically-acclaimed film, The Wrestler.
A film about the controversial world of exotic animal ownership within the suburbs of the United States. "The Elephant in the Living Room" offers an unprecedented glimpse into the fascinating subculture of trading and raising the most deadly and exotic animals in the world as common household pets.
With the 2010 Olympics approaching, will the world get to know Vancouver's darkest secret? 'Streets of Plenty' chronicles one man's perilous journey to live in Vancouver's downtown east side ghetto. The rules of this twisted social experiment? Starting with only a pair of underwear, he must survive the harsh winter streets for 31 days. He has no money, no friends, no family, and most importantly, no home. He must navigate the institutions, policies and services alongside the thousands of people that call Vancouver's streets home.
The story of Australia’s worst peacetime disaster On 7th February 2009, Australia suffered its worst peacetime disaster ‘Black Saturday’ claimed 173 lives, left more than 7,000 homeless and destroyed close to half a million hectares of Victorian bushland
A story presenting personal and collective events that offers a reflection about sport accessibility, suburb life, migrant condition, ladies football and ultras role in the Social Football movement. This is Cap20100, a documentary in which a self managed experience Championship, goes in parallel to other 4 self managed teams participating in official tournaments.
Seven choreographers work tirelessly to both question and embrace their chosen form, producing work that celebrates the strange, startling and poetic beauty of dance and performance. Curated by Gia Kourlas. Narrated by the choreographers.