Jimmy Santiago Baca was a petty thief and a drug dealer when he was sentenced to five years in Arizona State Prison, one of the deadliest prisons in America. Baca began his incarceration violent, angry and illiterate, yet taught himself how to read and write, discovering a passion for poetry that ultimately saved his life.
Coach Joe Newton has used the sport of Cross Country Running to teach simple but important lessons to high school boys for the last 50 years. "Always do your best", "be on time" and "it's nice to be great but far greater to be nice" are mantras, which have turned the Boys Cross Country team at the public York High School in Elmhurst Illinois into the most winning high school team in any sport in America. Along with mastery of their sport, Newton turns boys into men, who carry his teaching and his love for each of them throughout their lives. The Long Green Line documents the York Duke's 2005 Cross Country season as the runners seek their record 25th state title in 50 years.
For a long time, the Adriatic Sea used to be Central Europe's only link to the orient. This small sea became a symbol of entry to the vast, exotic world, allowing the city of Venice to call itself "Queen of the Seven Seas".
A two and half month journey from Buenos Aires (Argentina) to Medellin (Colombia), through some of the most amazing places in South America, immersed in the Backpacker's culture.
An investigation into the global nature and epidemic scope of depression, shown from a societal point of view challenging the individual notion of depression. We look at the collective causes of depression with sociologists, social workers, and neuropsychiatrists on the subject’s cutting edge.
Before the creation of the secret cities of Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Hanford, the Manhattan Project hired the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works of St. Louis to refine the first uranium used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. For the next two decades, Mallinckrodt continued its classified work for the Atomic Energy Commission during the Cold War. The resulting radioactive waste contaminated numerous locations in the St. Louis area some of which have not been cleaned up 70 years after the end of World War II. Told through the eyes of an overexposed worker, the story expands through a series of interviews that careen down a toxic pathway leading to a fiery terminus at a smoldering, radioactively-contaminated landfill. The First Secret City reveals a forgotten history and its continuing impact on the community in the 21st Century, uncovering past wrongdoing and documenting the renewed struggles to confront the issue.
Freeride, Freestyle and Alpine racing united! Legs of Steel presents the multi-discipline ski film 'Same Difference’. True to the credo –‘a film about skiers’, this documentary will provides a one-of-a-kind view into skiing’s diversity. Follow Alpine race legend Felix Neureuther through a testing competitive season full of ultimate highs and lows. Take a ride with Fabian Lentsch, Bene Mayr & Sven Kueenle as they venture to the nerve centre of freeride skiing in Alaska, and watch on with anticipation as Freestyler Paddy Graham and his gang attempt to redefine gravity with the biggest jump ever attempted. The start gates and slopes are different and the rewards may seem wildly contrasting, but it’s all just skiing in the end.
Throughout history, butterflies have fascinated artists and philosophers, scientists and schoolchildren with their profound mystery and beauty. In Metamorphosis you will explore their remarkable world as few ever have before. Spectacular photography, computer animation and magnetic resonance imaging open once hidden doors to every stage of a butterfly's life-cycle. From an egg the size of a pinhead to a magnificent flying insect. It is a transformation so incredible biologists have called it "butterfly magic." How did these extraordinary creatures come into being? Are they the products of a blind, undirected process? Or were they designed by an intelligent cause? Filmed in North, Central, and South America, Metamorphosis is an unforgettable documentary filled with the joys of discovery and wonder.
A film that captures the portraits and stories of extraordinary women around the world who are coming together to heal the injustices against the earth, weaves together poetry, music, art, and stunning scenery to create a hopeful and collective story that inspires us to work for the earth. The list of impassioned, indefatigable female environmental activists featured in this film includes Winona LaDuke, a Native American who has championed the use of solar and wind power on reservations; Theo Colborn, head of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, who fights against toxic chemicals in our water supplies; Beverly Grant, who’s created a vibrant farmer’s market in a black neighborhood of Denver, Colo.; Dana Miller, who spearheads an “urban agriculture movement” in the same city; and Vandana Shiva, who champions organic farming in India.
‘The Bus’ playfully explores how a post-WWII German utility vehicle evolved into a cultural icon that represents freedom and the open road; defining and connecting generations of fun lovers everywhere. Beginning in Germany with the vehicle’s creation, into a wild ride that changes the world forever, ‘The Bus’ is an adventure from beginning to end. From Wolfsburg to Hollywood, Burning Man to Baja, people from all walks of life share their stories and passion in ‘The Bus’.
Actor John Rhys-Davies narrates this illuminating look at the King James Bible -- the most widely sold version of the most important book in Christianity. It effectively changed the way the English-speaking world would interpret Holy scripture. This program's highlights include elaborate live-action reenactments of how the version came to be, along with on-location footage of important biblical landmarks.
The true story of the students of Brigham Young University's queer underground, as they lit the school's iconic "Y" in rainbow colors. But, A Long Way From Heaven does a lot more than tell the story of the Rainbow Y. It outlines the history of queer treatment at BYU - the good (where it exists), the bad, and the very, very ugly. The film combines new, original footage with a huge variety of historical images, videos, newspaper articles, and other mixed media from every conceivable source to tell the story of BYU's queer students, and the bravery and risks they constantly take to make their voices heard.
The amazing story of the epic first ascent of 'The Prophet' on El Capitan, Yosemite. Following the UK's top big wall climber Leo Houlding as he revisits his 10 year project; 'The Prophet', an exceptionally steep, loose and difficult route on the east face of Yosemite's El Cap. Leo describes the route as 'the wildest climb I've ever been on'. This has to be seen to be believed, crazy climbing. Extended cut 48mins.
If Mastodon never get around to a greatest hits package, Live at Brixton will do the trick. Captured at a February 2012 gig in London, Brixton finds the Georgia prog-sludge mainstays barreling through 23 choice cuts from their five good-to-classic LPs, 2002's Remission through 2011's The Hunter, a typically remarkable performance from a band whose live prowess rivals their in-studio wizardry. Like most overviews, the song selection's arguable, the impact of even the highest highs altered in their uprooting. But Brixton does the same rep-cementing, catalog-calcifying work a good hits comp is supposed to, further solidifying Mastodon's spot among the greatest big-ticket metal bands going.
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández is a 2007 American documentary film that investigates the murky killing of Esequiel Hernández Jr by US Marines. It is written and directed by Kieran Fitzgerald and narrated by Tommy Lee Jones.
A biographical look at the career of the acclaimed Margot Fonteyn. As a little girl called Peggy Hookham growing up in Shanghai, she told her mother she would one day become the greatest dancer in the world. Still performing at the age of 67 despite being almost unable to walk, hers is a story of courage and tenacity, of unbelievable devotion to her art and to those whom she loved. Those who ultimately left her penniless and alone, to be buried in a pauper’s grave.