In modern day China, two women strive to preserve Nushu, an ancient secret language which bonded generations of Chinese women together through centuries of oppression in a clandestine support system of sisterhood and survival.
The first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership, both professional and personal, of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and their primary associates, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins. Footage from more than fifty interviews, clips, and archival material gives voice to the family of actors and technicians who helped define Merchant Ivory’s Academy Award-winning work of consummate quality and intelligence. With six Oscar winners among the notable artists participating, these close and often long-term collaborators intimately detail the transformational cinematic creativity and personal and professional drama of the wandering company that left an indelible impact on film culture.
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software's Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.
In the heart of the Arizona desert, a team of researchers and explorers set out to uncover the truth behind ancient mysteries scattered throughout the mystical landscape that have puzzled historians for centuries.
Meet former gravedigger and doorman Ike Reilly. At 40 years old he landed a major label recording contract and in true rock and roll fashion he bought his family a dream home. He took his band out on the road where they became what The New York Times called "one of the best live bands in America." Despite 9 albums, a cult following and immense critical acclaim Reilly has failed to achieve commercial success. Academy Award winning director James Marsh says, "Ike's stuff sounds like it should be enormously successful and it just isn't and I have no idea why." Exploring Ike's career, the film culls over 40 years of footage masterfully weaving in songs that reveal a complicated and formidable artist with an incredibly charismatic family. Struggling with booze and in the face of foreclosure, Ike finds redemption in music, art and family as his 3 sons begin performing with his band.
Tyler Sash was drafted by the New York Giants and became a part of the 2012 Super Bowl winning team. Concussions would cut Sash's career short and the film is paralleled by NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre's CTE experience.
After suffering a catastrophic and almost fatal spinal cord injury, professional rugby player Ed Jackson's world changed forever. Follows Ed's journey on his recovery as he achieves the mental and physical heights of Snowdonia, the Alps and Himalayas to the life-altering challenges closer to home.
In northern California, climate change and 150 years of forest mismanagement have led to some of the most catastrophic wildfires in the state’s history—including the Dixie Fire, which in 2021 devastated the Lost Sierra’s already struggling communities. In the face of that destruction, one group turned to trails for hope and to the past for a better future.
The documentary celebrates some of the unsung action stars of the late eighties/nineties in the North American Pictures Catalog. From Cynthia Rothrock and Bolo Yeung to Billy Blanks the film explores the martial arts craze in the U.S. and the ferocious appetite of video store customers for these titles.
Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision is a feature-length documentary film chronicling the creation of Electric Lady Studios, rising from the rubble of a bankrupt, Greenwich Village nightclub to the state of the art recording facility inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s vision and becoming the first ever, artist owned commercial recording studio.
An exploration of the unique and wholly improvisational creative process of the revolutionary “avant-groove” band Medeski, Martin & Wood, as they endeavor to record a new album at the famed Allaire Studio, twenty-five years after their formation.
A 32-year-old man leaves his stable life to revive a past dream, embarking on a 10,000-mile journey with a friend to capture diverse stories of everyday Americans, showcasing their shared humanity.
A bipartisan group of U.S. defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations participate in an unscripted role-play exercise in which they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the U.S. military, in the wake of a contested presidential election.
Chronicles the career of the titular Grammy Award-winning folk-pop singer-songwriter. The documentary also follows Simon’s journey creating his new album, Seven Psalms. The track on the record pose questions about faith and mortality, particularly during the pandemic, and also feature him contending with his hearing loss. Gibney and Simon also journey through a dreamlike world of storytelling that transcends both time and space, as it moves freely between present and past. The movie also offers a unique peek into Simon’s entire career, from Tom & Jerry to Simon & Garfunkel and the triumphs of Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints.
A look at the life and influential work of pioneering abstract painter Mary Heilmann, who emerged from the minimalist and Beat Generation scenes in California.