The work of the Flemish choreographer Ann van den Broek is very personal. Her intense choreography is dedicated to her own extreme experiences and emotions. Her approach will spare nothing and nobody. She expects unconditional commitment from herself, but also from her dancers. As a result, we get to witness innovative and highly successful dance performances, but also a complicated hate-love relationship with the people around her. In The Lady in Black, director Lisa Boerstra (L.A. Raeven) shows us the extent to which Ann is interwoven with the choreographies, bringing the artist’s life and work together in a new experience.
Lesley Hammond - This dazzling wildlife spectacle propels us into the very private world of some of our most endearing critters. Set across a global stage, a parade of four legged talent struts its stuff against the backdrop of some great classical works. A live action 'Fantasia' features mighty whales breaching, charging elephants, the big cats, and dozens of favourites performing with the symphony orchestra. A highly original event which will thrill everyone, particularly those who share a growing concern for the health of the planet. - Pamela Rabe
Legends speak of Giants that once walked the earth. In America alone there have been over 1,500 newspaper accounts, including 3,781 skeletons of a race of blond-haired giants discovered and exhumed. Where did the evidence go? Did the Smithsonian Institution cover it up?
The story of Sport and Spoon - two young hustlers who attend the eponymous convention, only to get tangled up in a financial disagreement that leads to a shootout, police chase and finishes with Sport on death row, weighing up what it all means. Taking its title from the album, the film blends archive photos with interviews and uses unique animated sequences set to the album. It portrays Hustlers Convention in its wider social context and Jalal's personal story as one of rap's undisputed pioneers.
An insightful and provocative documentary on the life and death of William Cooper, author of the classic conspiracy book "Behold a Pale Horse," and host of the popular 1990's cult short-wave radio program "The Hour of Our Time." Revised by director James Jankiewicz for its 10th anniversary, The Hour of Our Time (Redux) offers additional images in a more concise format to better illustrate the man who, "challenges us to be brave in ways much larger than we thought possible."
Since 911, our police appear more like a military force than officers of the peace. We have seen the creation of Homeland Security, the TSA and the Patriot Act, all as a result of 911, yet no one can explain why building 5, which was not hit by a plane, collapsed along with the twin towers. We have now discovered the NSA can and does spy on every American citizen and we only need the national media to see that many of the New World Order plans are already in place.
KINGDOM OF SHADOWS follows three people grappling with the hard choices and destructive consequences of the U.S.-Mexico “drug war”. Filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz weaves together the seemingly disconnected stories of an activist nun in deeply scarred Monterrey, Mexico, a U.S. Federal agent on the border, and a former Texas smuggler to reveal the human side of an often-misunderstood conflict that has resulted in the “disappearance” of more than 23,000 people in Mexico—a growing human rights crisis that only recently has made international headlines.
Tulare, The Phantom Lake explores the landscape of what was once the largest lake in America west of the Mississippi River, a lake that disappeared by the year 1900 due to water diversion and land reclamation for agriculture. The Tulare region in California's Central Valley is home to the most productive agricultural region the world has ever known. The same landscape also harbors less than five percent of the original natural landscape and the poorest Congressional region in the United States. In an age of climate change, we journey through this landscape guided by a series of individuals who never meet: an agricultural consultant; a Native American basket weaver; a journalist; a writer; a biologist; and an archaeologist.
A top glamour girl in the 1940's, and the ultimate femme fatale, the"Love Goddess" Rita Hayworth went from a dancer in Brooklyn to Columbia Pictures' biggest star, sharing the screen with Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Fred Astaire. As she tragically lost her memory to Alzheimer's disease, she could not escape the systematic manipulation she was forced to endure from the Hollywood elite.
After their success climbing the world’s hardest offwidth, the Wide Boyz, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, embark on their next crack climbing mission. This time their sights are set on the thinner end of the crack climbing spectrum. Their goal is the mighty Cobra Crack in Squamish BC, considered to be the hardest finger crack in the world. First climbed by Canadian ‘rock star’ Sonnie Trotter after battling it out with Didier Berthod, the route hit the media spotlight in the film First Ascent. With no local hard cracks to train on, the Wide Boyz refit their underground training dungeon and commit to a year of torturous finger training. With only a short trip to Canada planned, the Boyz face their biggest challenge yet against the sharp granite bite of the mighty Cobra Crack!
From abject poverty to becoming a ten-time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon, Manny Pacquiao is the true definition of a Cinderella story. In the Philippines, he first entered the ring as a sixteen-year-old weighing ninety-eight pounds with the goal of earning money to feed his family. Now, almost twenty years later, when he fights, the country of 100 million people comes to a complete standstill to watch. Regarded for his ability to bring people together, Pacquiao entered the political arena in 2010. As history’s first boxing congressman, Pacquiao now fights for his people both inside and outside of the ring. Now at the height of his career, he is faced with maneuvering an unscrupulous sport while maintaining his political duties. The question now is, what bridge is too far for Manny Pacquiao to cross?
This is an animated documentary about FOOD! I interviewed vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian and meat eater about their opinions about food and life choices. Then I animate real food with stop-motion technique based on the interviews. By putting the conversations in different context, the food speak for themselves.
Our world is the home of millions of plant as well as animal species and provides several territories, each with its own geological and climatic conditions: steep mountains, deep forests, wide oceans and arctic ice deserts. The inhabitants have adapted to its different conditions and are still developing new strategies to survive. “Wonderful World 3D” not only takes a look at the interesting creatures of our planet, but also highlights cosmological circumstances, which made our world unique, diversified and above all so adorable.
Behind Audrey Hepburn's dazzling image, Darcey Bussell unravels an epic tale of betrayal, courage, heartache and broken dreams. For as long as she can remember Darcey has been fascinated by Audrey Hepburn: style icon, star of Breakfast at Tiffany's, an Oscar winner at 24. Now, Darcey follows in Audrey's footsteps through Holland, London, Rome, Switzerland and Hollywood to find out more. She discovers Audrey started out as a dancer, risked her life in the war and, although adored the world over, was always looking for love.
From their early formation in Philadelphia’s underground music scene, to their business partnership with a local, independent record label, filmmaker Justin J. Jackson’s documentary Rosetta: Audio/Visual chronicles the musical accomplishments, monetary struggles, and intimate friendships of blue-collar, do-it-yourself, post-metal band Rosetta. Every album is a creative milestone, each tour a test of faith. Four years in the making, Rosetta: Audio/Visual tells the story of emotional and material sacrifice made by an electronics technician, high school civics teacher, coffee shop barista, and martial arts instructor in order to achieve financial control and artistic freedom.
In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.
A feature film that chronicles a complete season of the International Gay Rodeo Association. Roping and riding across north America for the past 30 years, the IGRA's courageous cowboys and cowgirls brave challenges both in and out of the arena on their quest to qualify for the World Finals at the end of the season. And along the way, they'll bust every stereotype in the book.
Join renowned actor Simon Callow as he uncovers the moving origins of the song Silent Night that has been 200 years in the making. A story that begins in humble circumstances, ends with the world's most popular carol. Simon journeys to the Austrian village of Oberndorf as well as the city of Salzburg, where the story of the world's favourite carol had its origins. The First Silent Night introduces us to two impoverished children - Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber - who grew up in Austria's cobbled streets and wooded villages. The hard years that shaped them would also destine them to meet one day in a poor country church to unite Gruber's music and Mohr's text into this classic carol about the birth of a third poor boy on a quiet night in ancient Palestine. Silent Night would speak a message of hope to their country, recovering from the harsh Napoleonic wars that had devastated their cities and villages. The guns would fall silent at last, replaced by the gentle strains of music.
This film reconstructs the life of famed marine biologist and environmental pioneer Jacques Cousteau using a fascinating mix of wildlife footage, archive material and elaborate re-enactments.