Against a backdrop of austerity, riots and institutional racism, Grime became the defining sound of an era. Ewen Spencer’s exhilarating film is told through Grime’s grass-roots originators, from major players like Dizzee Rascal, to unsung heroes such as DJ Slimzee, along with behind-the-scenes operators who propelled, and continue to drive, the music’s relentless 140BPM heartbeat. 8 Bar shines a light on an untold history, bringing a cultural art-form the recognition it deserves and highlighting the impact of these Black British artists on contemporary music, fashion and popular culture.
Jin scowls into the camera when her sister – the filmmaker – asks about her earliest memories. No wonder: these memories are anything but pleasant. Jin was born in the 1990s, during China’s one-child policy. It was normal then for unborn girls to be aborted – right up to the last month of a pregnancy, because boys were preferred. Living babies were also ruthlessly dumped in the garbage, or in the woods. Jin survived for a week in a box on the streets.
An immersion into the intimacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR. The architect of perestroika and glasnost, who was praised in the West but reviled in his own country, still combative despite his advanced age, loneliness and illness, offers his personal and political testament.
Thirty-plus years after its release, the popular two-part miniseries "It" and its infamous villain Pennywise live on in the minds of horror fans around the world. This documentary captures not only the buzz the "It" saga generated in 1990 but also the lasting impact it has had on an entire generation and the horror genre at large. Several years in the making, the film features exclusive interviews with many of the cult classic's key players, from cast members Richard Thomas, Seth Green, and Tim Curry, who portrayed the notorious monster clown Pennywise, to director Tommy Lee Wallace and special effects makeup artist Bart Mixon. The documentary also boasts a wealth of archival material and never-before-seen footage.
Composed of numerous archives and film clips, this documentary is the story of a transgressive actor, a pirate who came to crack America's too perfect mask to reveal its most infantile and moronic face, right in the heart of the Hollywood system.
On 1 January 2021, the UK's transition period with the EU ended and new rules and regulations were agreed at the last minute. This is a time for reflection on the social phenomenon that is Brexit - which has now become a British trademark world-over, alongside the Royal Family, fish and chips and Sherlock Holmes. Brexit Through The Non-Political Glass puts politicians and public sentiments to one side, and seeks the opinions of non-partisan world-class experts - the scholars and professional advisors who specialize in this very topic; no politicians and propagandists, and no social media and populism; among the experts is Vernon Bogdanor, the Oxford tutor of former British prime minister David Cameron, who was consulted before the referendum was offered to the nation; you will hear what his advice was.
It started with a 999 call from a lorry driver in Essex and ended in one of the UK’s biggest ever police investigations, a hunt for those responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants. Spanning Britain, Europe and Vietnam, this film shows how detectives cracked open a multimillion-pound international smuggling ring with its roots in a seemingly innocuous haulage business in the heart of Northern Ireland.
More than 20 years ago, the cultural center of Las Vegas could be found all along Maryland Parkway, the north-south thoroughfare that is home to the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Independently owned coffee shops filled up with academics and intellectuals. A top-grade record store served as the premier destination for local musicologists. Bars and clubs buzzed with live music, flowing taps and warm bodies. And then, almost seemingly overnight, it all just - disappeared. By the turn of the century, the coffeehouses and record stores had shuttered, the art galleries moved downtown, and the street scene became a distant memory. Through archival footage and interviews with business owners, journalists, musicians, artists and scenesters from that era, Parkway of Broken Dreams tells the story of how alternative culture on Maryland Parkway was born, thrived, and, eventually, faded away.
A young Calabrian woman just back from Gorizia tells a friend about her trip: what prompted her to go to Friuli-Venezia Giulia was her discovery of the poems and novels by one Carlo Michelstaedter, an author and philosopher who had died young, in 1910. What was the reason for his tragic death? And that odd yet familiar figure glimpsed on the beach, at the end of the trip, as the woman told it: who did it belong to?
The Taliban take over Afghanistan, and the threat of ISIS and Al Qaeda intensifies. On the ground, reporter Najibullah Quraishi (Leaving Afghanistan, Taliban Country) investigates uncertainty and fear among the Afghan people and revisits the lead-up to the U.S. defeat and the Taliban’s return.
In a tale of twisted sex, religion and family, a mother and daughter team up — first to overcome their severe differences, and then to take steps to end a curse that has plagued their family for generations.
The untold story of 36 Aboriginal women from Canada and Native women from tribes in Washington and Alaska who migrated in the 1940s to Bainbridge Island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people.
SCRUM follows the journey of one of the first Black college rugby coaches in the US as he builds a championship-winning team in only two years at a predominantly white Southern institution.
What is real and what isn’t in a replicated city? Ella Raidel made this penetrating ghost-town film in contemporary China, interweaving actors and ordinary people, sets and footage of the city. Aren’t the real estate agents, construction workers and investors simply playing a game? What remains of reality in a world dominated by the vagaries of capitalism? A Pile of Ghosts is a mysterious puzzle where the dividing line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred. In this strange world, subjected to speculation, it actually doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
Largely composed of immigrants and first-generation Canadians from Vancouver’s suburbs, The Notic underground basketball collective overcame all odds to achieve global fame 20 years ago. In defiance of their high school coaches’ casual racism and desire for oppressive conformity, this gregarious group discovered self-expression through streetball’s loose structure and aversion to rules. Bursting onto the scene at the NBA-sponsored Hoop It Up tournament near Science World, the group unleashed a devastating arsenal of bravura tricks and moves. DIY VHS highlights of their showstopping exploits would soon be collected on their first "mixtape". With copies finding their way to every corner of the globe, it was anointed "the bible of streetball".
What makes you travel 500 km with a surfboard to wait for the perfect wave on the cold, dismal Baltic? A captivating story about chasing dreams, friendship, waiting, determination and overcoming barriers.
The computer game chain GameStop created so much chaos in the stock market that it forced large hedge funds to their knees. How could it happen? Here we follow different people who were brought together during 2020 because of their interest in GameStop's future. Some had invested in the chain's stock, others wondered about it. While the chain's employees trusted that the company would pay their salaries at a time when millions of people went bankrupt and became unemployed.