This comedy special sees Chris Gethard deliver his blend of hard-hitting stand up and storytelling at small venues across the country at the end of 2019, with documentary footage that shows the reality of what life on the road is really like for a touring comedian.
In 1975, as the Vietnam War was ending, thousands of orphans and Amerasian children were brought to the United States as part of "Operation Babylift." Daughter from Danang tells the dramatic story of one of these children, Heidi Bub (a.k.a. Mai Thi Hiep), and her Vietnamese mother, Mai Thi Kim, separated at the war's end and reunited 22 years later. Heidi, now living in Tennessee - a married woman with kids - had always dreamt of a joyful reunion. When she ventures to Vietnam to meet her mother, she unknowingly embarks on an emotional pilgrimage that spans decades and distance. Unlike most reunion stories that climax with a cliché happy ending, Daughter from Danang is a real-life drama. Journeying from the Vietnam War to Pulaski, Tennessee and back to Vietnam, Daughter from Danang tensely unfolds as cultural differences and the years of separation take their toll in a riveting film about longing and the personal legacy of war.
The Hip Hop Project is the dynamic and inspirational story of a group of New York City teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery. The film traces the evolution of this award-winning outreach program developed by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned youth mentor. After four years of collaboration, the group produced a powerful and thought-provoking album that provides a revealing look at their lives. In contrast to all the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams.
A group of intrepid explorers go on a journey of discovery and excitement as they climb and live atop a 17,000ft mountain in Eastern Turkey to conduct a scientific expedition to determine the final resting place of Noah's Ark. Finding Noah is more than a quest for answers, it is a testament of the human spirit, where belief and the need for exploration transcend risk and limitations.
This documentary records Hoaas' personal encounter with the closed society of North Korea. As with her earlier work, Hoaas approaches her film as a cumulation of fragments encompassing different perspectives that together offer a point of entry into a complex society. Her diary-style narration signals her limited personal perspective into this culture, especially given the brief filming period and her difficulty in breaking through the facade of the showcase version of Korea insisted upon by her official guides. Hoaas' restricted visual access, and her reluctance to present over-familiar images of the hardship and depravation informed her decision to use this narrative device to frame her film within the context of the famine crisis that began in 1997 following the failure of crops caused by two consecutive years of heavy flooding.
This compassionate doc follows concerned citizens living at the frontiers of extreme oil and gas extraction; as they denounce the rise of extreme energy, they also envision the new world that is taking shape in its stead, at the end of the fossil fuel era.
Five-time Emmy award winner Dennis Miller takes on the current climate like no other can in Fake News, Real Jokes! From selfies and airline travel to Trump and journalists, he delivers his signature critical assessments in his low key style that has been deemed by The Hollywood Reporter as "the most cerebral, astute and clever standup ever".
This documentary tells the story of an unsung hero and self-made man, David Abbott Jenkins, who, with almost superhuman stamina and boyish charm, set out to single-handedly break every existing land speed record on his beloved Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. More than a century later, many of "Ab's" records remain unbroken and the legacy lives on in his custom car. Looking like something Batman would have owned, the story comes full circle when Ab's son Marv, restores the 12-cyclinder, 4800-pound "Mormon Meteor" to its glory days for a ceremonial lap on the salt.
In her documentary Country Roads Marieke Schroeder embarks on a search for the authentic America - a country at a turning-point. It is a search for the substantial: the morale, the pioneering spirit that holds the nation and its population together in crisis. We meet the young generation of American singer-songwriters who consider themselves as successors of Country-rebels such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Steve Earle. They despair of themselves and their homeland and at the same time are full of hope, full of faith. Country Music opens up our view of the soul of the American nation and lets us rediscover the land and the music.
Five fishermen from Manresa, a poor neighborhood to the West of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, learn from marine biologist Omar Shamir Reynoso's one-of-a-kind plan to protect nesting sea turtles.
Here are parrots that totally break the stereotypes! The keas in New Zealand just love the snow and the cold, harsh mountain climate. To survive here, these mountain parrots have developed exceptional intelligence and resourcefulness. Watch these incredibly unique birds in action!
On Martha’s Vineyard, three-time Tony-winning playwright and director James Lapine meets Rose Styron, the widow of the great American novelist William Styron. Over six years of periodic meetings, Rose shares the fascinating story of her complex life as a poet, journalist, human rights activist, and life partner to William. The result is the tale infused with life wisdom for all ages.
'One Man and His Shoes' tells the story of the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business.
A light-hearted yet deeply moving portrait of the Asian- and Jewish-American women who play this centuries-old Chinese game, shedding light on the common and uncommon experiences of the players that simultaneously define and transcend cultural boundaries. Along the way, it proves again and again to be a bridge connecting seemingly unlike individuals, spanning generations, continents and cultures, and transcending classification as merely a game.
Last Shop Standing, inspired by the book of the same name by Graham Jones, takes you behind the counter to discover why nearly 2000 record shops have already disappeared across the UK. The film charts the rapid rise of record shops in the 1960's, 70's and 80's, the influence of the chart, the underhand deals, the demise of vinyl and rise of the CD as well as new technologies. Where did it all go wrong? Why were 3 shops a week closing? Will we be left with no record shops with the continuing rise of downloading? Hear from over 20 record shop owners and music industry leaders as well as musicians including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Norman Cook, Billy Bragg, Nerina Pallot, Richard Hawley and Clint Boon as they all tell us how the shops became and still are a part of their own musical education, a place to cherish and discover new bands and new music.
A silver screen icon vanishes in open water on a cold November day in 1981. What happened to Natalie Wood on the fateful day she disappears from the yacht she's staying on off Catalina Island with Robert Wagner? In Natalie Wood: An American Murder Mystery, we investigate one of the most enduring mysteries in American history.
FREE RENTY tells the story of Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The daguerreotypes were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor to "prove" the superiority of the white race. The images remain emblematic of America’s failure to acknowledge the cruelty of slavery, the racist science that supported it and the white supremacy that continues to infect our society today. The film focuses on Lanier and tracks her lawsuit against Harvard, and features attorney Benjamin Crump, author Ta-Nehisi Coates and scholars Ariella Azoulay and Tina Campt.
'I Need You to Kill,' follows three American comics - Chad Daniels, Pete Lee, and Tom Segura on a six show tour through three of the world's newest stand-up comedy scenes: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. The film explores the anxieties and surprises of taking your act halfway around the world as well as giving a ground-floor glimpse into Asia's newest growth industry - stand-up comedy.
A Flash of Beauty: Bigfoot Revealed presents interviews from researchers and eyewitnesses. The film covers historical accounts of Bigfoot, the significance within the indigenous cultures, and the emotional impact of a Bigfoot experience.