What if you are made to feel ashamed when you speak your "mother tongue" or ridiculed because of your accent? "Pidgin: The Voice of Hawai'i" addresses these questions through its lively examination of Pidgin - the language spoken by over half of Hawai'i's people.
War is Hell. Why would anyone want to spend their weekends there? Deep in the Oregon woods, the heat of a reenacted Vietnam battle sheds light on America's complicated relationship with war and its veterans.
Wingsuit BASE jumping is often presented as a thrill seeking adrenaline rush. Spellbound takes us deeper into the more contemplative aspects of jumping, as David Walden and friends venture into the mountains around his home in New Zealand. Beautiful scenery and hypnotic cinematography eject us from our daily lives into a world of air, earth and flight.
On 12 July 1979 the Gilbert Islands in the central Pacific became independent from British rule. The country then became known as Kiribati. This film shows the lifestyle of the people of these 33 islands, their history and culture, the natural resources and the effects of colonialism, World War Two, nuclear testing and foreign industry. It also records the celebrations that took place at this important moment in the country's history and looks to the nation's future.
From filmmaker Dawn Porter (who earlier this year directed "John Lewis: Good Trouble"), the film explores the remarkable journey of Jordan from modest Southern origins to national renown as a pioneering attorney, businessman, civil rights leader, and as a fixture (could one also say a "fixer?") on the DC scene. Jordan's story is told principally through a chronological narration of his life and accomplishment, most of it taken from recent (2019) interviews with and narration by Jordan himself. His early life in Atlanta is limned, where Jordan describes the treasured influence of his mother Mary and his early academic successes (including a law degree from Howard University). His activities in the civil rights movement in the 1960's and 1970's are highlighted, culminating in his ten-year tenure as director of the Urban League.
Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastifari who dreams of the land of his ancestors: Africa. On a journey in search of his roots and his identity he travels through three continents and (with great humor and sensitivity) discovers the world and Africa.
Based on the struggle of young people in Goma (Northeastern Congo) against the prevailing Western reporting about war and misery, Stop Filming Us investigates how these Western stereotypes are the result of a skewed balance of power. Stop Filming Us creates a cinematic dialogue between Western perceptions and the Congolese experience of reality. While the Congolese perspective becomes increasingly clearer in the film, questions arise about the perspective of the film itself; is a white director able to make a film about the new Congolese image or is it primarily a story created by his own Western perspective?
Can You Dig This explores the urban gardening revolution currently taking place in South Central Los Angeles, one of the largest food deserts in the country. We follow the inspirational personal journeys of five 'gangster gardeners,' all planting the seeds for a better life.
Computers, smart phones, and tablets are now a part of our daily lives. They have revolutionised the way we work, the way we communicate and the way we view the world. But what happens to our old phone when we upgrade? Where does our broken computer go after we throw it out? 'e-Life' explores what happens to our electrical goods when we throw them away and exposes some unpleasant (and perhaps unknown) truths about the detrimental affects e-waste has on people's health, the environment and the economy. From consumers in the UK to the recyclers in the dumps of Ghana, the documentary will follow the journey of our e-waste. We will examine current manufacturing and disposal processes and also assess the burden the boom in electronic goods is placing on global resources. 'e-Life' will be an objective portrayal of the problem of e-waste that documents the issue through carefully crafted cinematography.
Through stories and songs, Michael Franti captures the energy and drive of a diverse group of inspirational modern-day heroes. From an Indonesian midwife to a young couple battling the ravages of ALS, Franti uncovers the love and humanity possible in dire conditions and exposes his own struggles, creating an emotional resonance that is moving and motivating at once.
A sociological portrait of the United Kingdom after the historic Brexit vote of 2016. A funny, sometimes terrifying and non-judgemental look at the new populist politics sweeping western democracies.
New York, post 9/11: Armed with a home video camera and no script, the director delves into the private lives of four women artists and transgender activists from the city’s underground subculture, filming their lives over a period of 10 years. Little by little, their testimonies reveal fragments of their pasts, their experiences and their struggles for an identity of their own. A series of revelations transform the viewer from feeling like an intruder to being invested in their destinies.
A film by Robert Orlando It remains the least-known story of the twentieth century - A president and a pope; an unlikely pair who combine deep faith with political acumen and high-octane star power. A plot that involves two assassination attempts, KGB scheming, CIA intrigue and the final act to topple the Soviet Empire.
In 1957, decades before Steve Jobs dreamed up Apple or Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, a group of eight brilliant young men defected from the Shockley Semiconductor Company in order to start their own transistor business. Their leader was 29-year-old Robert Noyce, a physicist with a brilliant mind and the affability of a born salesman who would co-invent the microchip — an essential component of nearly all modern electronics today, including computers, motor vehicles, cell phones and household appliances. SILICON VALLEY tells the story of the pioneering scientists who transformed rural Santa Clara County into the hub of technological ingenuity we now know as Silicon Valley.
"AMERICA'S MUSICAL JOURNEY" celebrates the unique diversity of cultures and creative risk-taking that characterize America, as told through the story of its music.
A feature-length documentary film exploring the life and legacy of shock comic Sam Kinison, a former Pentecostal preacher turned stand-up comic who repurposed his pulpit-honed chops to the brazen rock 'n roll world of MTV-era comedy.
In 1936, 18 African American athletes dubbed the "black auxiliary" by Hitler defied Nazi Aryan Supremacy and Jim Crow Racism to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. The world remembers Jesse Owens. But, Olympic Pride American Prejudice shows how all 18 are a seminal precursor to the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Mark, a 60 years old fledgling storm chaser recently diagnosed with lung cancer, sets out across the Midwest with his friend's nephew in search of his first and possibly last tornado, before the two month storm chaser season comes to an end.