American religious extremism collides with independent filmmaking when Harmony Hope Bryant sets out to create a cautionary movie about the dangers of roleplaying games.
“Guilty Until Proven Guilty” explores Louisiana’s criminal justice system through the story of Tim Conerly, a young African-American man who was arrested and imprisoned for a crime he says he did not commit.
As sexy as it is smart, Naughty Books examines the steamy world of erotic romance, following three self-published authors who go from living at the margins to making millions by transforming their fantasies into best-selling fiction—and wrestling with the stark realities of what comes after sudden success.
Georgiana Halmac is turning 15 this winter, but she has no time for teenage dreams when her mother, who's on unemployment, moves to Torino to find work. Georgiana is left in charge of her six siblings in a social housing condo on the outskirts of Bacau, Romania. Caught between adolescence and the responsibilities of adulthood, Georgiana does the best she can, improvising with parenting advice from the television and the occasional phone call with her mother. As she handles her own issues and high-school dramas, Georgiana must also deal with admonishing neighbours who threaten to turn the whole family into social services. With incredible calm and stoicism, Georgiana amazes as she holds everything together in an ingenious and delicate balance.
Hanna Ranch is a feature documentary about visionary cattleman Kirk Hanna and his personal struggle to protect a once prominent way of life in Colorado. Born into a life on the family ranch, Hanna became a leader in the environmental ranching movement that set out to protect the West from the relentless encroachment of development and misuse. Featured in the book Fast Food Nation and dubbed the “eco-cowboy,” he was an early adopter of Holistic Resource Management practices, sat on numerous environmental boards and was president of the Colorado Cattleman’s Association. Hanna’s opinion was so widely sought and respected, many even saw him as a future governor of Colorado. But when his dream of harmony and sustainability ran up against the reality of family conflict and mounting threats to the land, Hanna lost hope. Kirk’s legacy and fight live on as his family and friends continue to protect the West by saving Hanna Ranch.
It's the most mythic of all American emporiums - and the scene of many an ultimate fashion fantasy. Now audiences get a rarified chance to peek behind the backroom doors and into the reality of the fascinating inner workings and fabulous untold stories from Bergdorf Goodman's iconic history in Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's.
You’re in the middle of Death Valley. It’s 120°F (48°C), the sun is blazing hot and there’s not a single tree to hide under. You are covered from head to toe in white apparel in an attempt to conceal yourself from the scorching sun. The only sounds you can hear are those of your own footsteps along the burning asphalt. When the wind picks up, sand whips any exposed part of your body like needles. Welcome to the Badwater 135. A grueling 135 mile race that starts at Badwater Basin - the lowest point in the U.S (-282 feet below sea level) and ends at the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney. That’s three mountain ranges the runners have to cross before reaching the finish line. All under 48 hours.
Mixtapes have an out-sized role in the emergence of hip hop around the world. Before radio play, the internet, and social media, there were mixtapes. No matter where you lived, you could pop a cassette into a tape deck, and be transported to a party halfway around the world. DJs were taste makers, trendsetters and creators of the sound that became the biggest musical genre on the planet. A meteoric rise for an art form not yet 50 years old. The importance of mixtapes goes well beyond the tapes themselves. Mixtapes were a form of currency. A signifier that you were In-The-Know and had your ear to the streets. A skeleton key to the underground. The culture was too strong to be stopped, and the artists were too talented to be ignored - so they turned the sub-culture into the mainstream, and made hip hop what it is today.
Abdul Rahman, an African prince who was sold into slavery, spent four decades in servitude before an amazing coincidence took him to the White House to meet President John Quincy Adams, where he was granted his freedom. Mos Def narrates this PBS documentary that includes reenactments of scenes from Rahman's life and interviews with historians who discuss the conditions faced by slaves in early America.
FAT: A Documentary 2 is the sequel to the international sensation that delves deeper into the lies and myths surrounding the age old question: "What should I be eating?"
A grand and adventurous journey of discovery to the last white areas of the world map. But no matter how far we go and how hard we try to find answers, we ultimately meet ourselves and our own transience.
During four years a film crew followed the classified investigations and actions of the São Paulo Anti-Kidnapp Police Force. During this time 386 people were kidnapped in the state of São Paulo and over 1.500 in Brazil.
An intimate and inspirational portrait of Segway inventor, Dean Kamen, and his 15-year quest to solve the world's safe water crisis.
SlingShot focuses on noted Segway inventor Dean Kamen and his work to solve the world's water crisis. An eccentric genius with a provocative world view, Kamen is an inspiration for future scientists. His inventions help people in need and ease suffering.
Three candidates for knighthood must face a reckoning with the darkest issues from their past in order to be accepted into a real-life Jedi community. More than fandom, more than religion; for each Jedi initiate, it’s a personal crusade for the betterment of their world.