Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker take a powerfully personal journey through the former East Germany, as Epperlein investigates her father’s 1999 suicide and the possibility that he may have worked as a spy for the dreaded Stasi security service.
A tiny community in rural Ghana recently discovered that the religion they have been practicing for centuries is Judaism. Filmmaker Gabrielle Zilkha explores their story from isolation to global connection and the challenges and rewards they face along the way.
How do you put a life into 500 words? Ask the staff obituary writers at the New York Times. OBIT is a first-ever glimpse into the daily rituals, joys and existential angst of the Times obit writers, as they chronicle life after death on the front lines of history.
The incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.
Alive and Kicking gives the audience an intimate, insider’s view into the culture of the current swing dance world while shedding light on issues facing modern American society.
On the 29th September 1945, the incomplete rough cut of a brilliant documentary about concentration camps was viewed at the MOI in London. For five months, Sidney Bernstein had led a small team – which included Stewart McAllister, Richard Crossman and Alfred Hitchcock – to complete the film from hours of shocking footage. Unfortunately, this ambitious Allied project to create a feature-length visual report that would damn the Nazi regime and shame the German people into acceptance of Allied occupation had missed its moment. Even in its incomplete form (available since 1984) the film was immensely powerful, generating an awed hush among audiences. But now, complete to six reels, this faithfully restored and definitive version produced by IWM, is being compared with Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog (1955).
In the highlands of Tigray - northern Ethiopia - on the edge of the escarpment that descends steeply to the Danakil dessert, Hagos Mashisho and Desta Gidey have toiled and struggled for years to turn the rugged slopes of the East African Rift Valley into fertile ground. They have grown crops here not only to feed themselves and their family, but also to share with others, in particular the pilgrims who regularly pass by on their way to the monastery of Gundagundo. Touched by the kindness of their hosts, the pilgrims have given them the biblical names "Abraham" and "Sarah". The film explores the work ethos and grace of these Tigrean farmers: the cheerful mood with which they do what needs to be done; the devotedness to the tasks at hand; the coordinated movements of humans and animals as they work when ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing; - and finally those moments of invocation when the dependence on nature and the transcendent are acknowledged.
Follows the struggles of Stefonknee Wolscht, a trans woman trying to rebuild her life. Losing her home and her family, Stefonknee gives a first hand account of the many challenges trans people face. In her hometown, Stefonknee was known as a loving husband and father, a really good mechanic and a staunch Catholic but only she knew the truth; that she had been assigned to the wrong gender.
If you think all transgender stories are the same - sex, transformation, mutilation, mental illness,... - you can't be more wrong! This tells the story of four very different people in rural Thailand. Four humble ladyboys working in the rubber tree forests at night, in the rice fields during the day, looking for a way to survive, exist and have the others accept them with their difference.
America’s wealth was built on the backs and shoulders of those who came before us and all who have yet to come after us. But today, very few Americans are benefiting from the collective wealth of our great nation. Rising wealth inequality continues to reward the rich and powerful – leaving the rest of us behind to fight over crumbs. It’s time to reimagine a new social contract. INHERENT GOOD is a 60-minute documentary starring southern comedian Trae Crowder who takes viewers on a journey to explore a transformative idea of giving free cash to every citizen – no strings attached. This big idea called Universal Basic Income is examined through personal stories of perseverance by everyday Americans living in the heartland. It’s not a matter if we deserve it, but rather do we trust each other to make basic income a reality for everyone?
Heather Booth is the most influential person you have heard of. The newest film by critically acclaimed filmmaker Lilly Rivlin, HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD is an urgent response to the recent election of Trump and all that has ensued. At a time when many are wondering how to make their voices heard, when civil and women’s rights are under attack, this empowering documentary is an inspiring look at how social change happens. Heather Booth, a renowned organizer and activist, began her remarkable career at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Through her life and work this inspiring film explores many of the most pivotal moments in progressive movements that altered our history over the last fifty years: from her involvement with Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, to her founding of the JANE Underground in 1964, to her collaborations with respected leaders such as Julian Bond and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Deepa Kumar, a leading scholar on Islamophobia, argues that U.S. media have turned Arabs and Muslims into the new face of terror, even though only a tiny fraction of Muslims and Arabs have ever committed a terror attack, and terror attacks by homegrown right-wing violent extremist groups have far outnumbered attacks by Muslims and Arabs since Sept. 12, 2001.
From the Executive Producers of the acclaimed documentary Blackfish and director Joel N Clark comes an epic trek of survival, hope, mercy, and human will. An expectant mother determined to give her unborn child a life she never knew. A devoted son torn between seeking freedom and living far from the home and mother he loves. A daughter struggling to comprehend the cost of losing her family in order to begin one of her own in a new land. This is the story of American Dream.
Over the centuries caviar (i.e. - sturgeon eggs) was strictly reserved for Russian Czars and royalty throughout the world. Nowadays it’s become synonymous with wealth, fame, and indulgence. But why is that? What's so special about caviar? "Caviar Dreams" delves into the complex world of caviar, weaving a tapestry of caviar tales that leaves you knowing more than you ever thought possible about this unique delicacy. Beyond the assumed glamour and luxury associated with caviar, we uncover a story about over-fishing, poaching, near extinction, and a quest for sustainability.