An ensemble of fascinating characters seek to re-invent and revive a sophisticated early electronic music instrument that is anything but obsolete: the Ondes Martenot. An inspiring but mysterious device that everyone has heard (but rarely heard of), it was celebrated as the musical invention of the 20th century. This filmic, sonic, and human journey explores an intense love affair with musical expression and spins the tale of an enduringly cutting-edge technology on the verge of a major resurgence. It bridges a missing link in the history of electronic music by placing the instrument in a rich artistic and technological lineage.
Bayou Maharajah explores the life and music of New Orleans piano legend James Booker, the man Dr. John described as "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced." A brilliant pianist, his eccentricities and showmanship belied a life of struggle, prejudice, and isolation. Illustrated with never-before-seen concert footage, rare personal photos and exclusive interviews, the film paints a portrait of this overlooked genius.
For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975. George and Kathleen Lutz's story went on to inspire a best-selling novel and the subsequent films have continued to fascinate audiences today. This documentary reveals the horror behind growing up as part of a world-famous haunting and while Daniel's facts may be others' fiction, the psychological scars he carries are indisputable. Documentary filmmaker Eric Walter has combined years of independent research into the Amityville case along with the perspectives of past investigative reporters and eyewitnesses, giving way to the most personal testimony of the subject to date.
A genre-defying band forms in Austin, covers a notorious rap tune, creates its own acclaimed roots music, and becomes a touring institution while striving to find its place in the challenging landscape of the music industry.
At a time when the country is rethinking its drug policies large and small, one state raises to the forefront of national attention. Once a pioneer in legalizing medical marijuana, the state of Montana is poised to become the first in the nation to repeal its medical marijuana law. Set against the sweeping vistas of the Rockies, the steamy lamplight of marijuana grow houses, and the bustling halls of the State Capitol, CODE OF THE WEST follows the 2011 Montana State Legislature as it debates the fate of medical marijuana. This is the story of the many lives and fraught emotions tied to one of the most heated policy questions facing the country today
William Kamkwamba builds a windmill from scrap to rescue his family from famine, transforming his life and launching him onto the world stage. His success leads to new opportunities and complex choices, distancing him from the life he once knew.
After more than 100 years of ruthless competition, the feud between the Duke University Blue Devils and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball teams is called the greatest rivalry in sports! When these fierce challengers collide on the court, get ready for war. Experience the insanity of the competition and go behind the scenes to hear from the legendary players, coaches, broadcasters and superfans that pour their hearts and souls into the ultimate clash of basketball titans!
A feature-length documentary about priests and nuns who protested the Vietnam War by breaking into draft boards, destroying draft records, and then waiting around to be arrested. Their actions inspired a movement, which shaped the anti-war movement and helped bring an end to the draft.
The fire of revolution has spread to Cuba! Director Jesse Acevedo risked his own freedom; using hidden camera methods, he brings viewers inside the brewing Cuban revolution. Those filmed are at risk, even now, of imprisonment but through the courage of those willing to speak out we see the new Cuba rising to the beat of Los Aldeanos. In a small town outside Havana two young brothers, are beaten and arrested in their own home and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for listening to rappers Los Aldeanos, banned by the government. We follow the intermingled stories of the Cruz brothers and the band they love. From the streets of Havana comes the sound of struggle and the voice of a new revolution - Los Aldeanos.
A sequel to SS United States: Lady in Waiting (2008), "Made In America" updates the progress on saving and plans for the ship. It includes incredible new footage of the ship, both in her heyday and in her current state, as well as interviews with former passengers, crew, maritime experts, and Conservancy leadership.
Steve Wampler, a man with severe form of cerebral palsy ascends the biggest rock face in the world, El Captain in Yosemite National Park. 20,000 pull-ups, 5 nights 6 days on the sheer face of the mountain and, with only the use of one limb, this is a story of terror and triumph. Steve Wampler's story is a American feel-good tale which will leave the viewer inspired and happy.
With unprecedented access and dynamic 16mm cinematography, Touba reveals a different face of Islam by chronicling Sufi Muslims’ annual pilgrimage to the city of Touba.
It is the largest movement the world has ever seen, it may also be the most important - in terms of what's at stake. Yet it's not east being green. Environmentalists have been reviled as much as revered, for being killjoys and Cassandras. Every battle begins as a lost cause and even the victories have to be fought for again and again. Still, environmentalism is one of the great social innovations of the twentieth century, and one of the keys to the twenty-first. It has arisen at a key juncture in history, when humans have come to rival nature as a power determining the fate of the earth.
An experimental documentary film that uses archival footage, interviews, and fictionalised scenarios to tell the story of the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of his arrest in 1991.
Modern British dairy farms must get bigger and bigger or go under but Farmer Stephen Hook decides to buck the trend. Instead he chooses to have a great relationship with his small herd of cows and ignore the big supermarkets and dairies. The result is a laugh-out-loud emotional roller-coaster of a film, a heart warming tearjerker about the incredible bonds between man, animal and countryside in a fast disappearing England.