The Project profiles the precarious, real-life story of the Puntland Maritime Police Force, a group of Somali pirate hunters. Taking the hijacking of the African waterways and the kidnapping of innocent citizens into their under-trained hands, the PMPF face mutiny, death and a loss of corporate funding in their dangerous quest to free the Middle East shipping industry from terror. The mercenaries’ epic battle makes for an intense, gripping and disarming ride.
Shot over 10 years in intimate, raw home footage by an Oscar-winning filmmaking couple, LIFE UNEXPECTED tells the story of the unforgiving roller coaster of bringing life into this world.
A wonderfully moving introduction to the plight of the Palestinians, in simple, everyday terms, with a captivating narration by eyewitness Anna Baltzer. Baltzer, a Jewish-American Columbia graduate and Fulbright scholar, presents her discoveries as a volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service in the West Bank, documenting human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance to the Occupation. Baltzer's presentation provides those interested in the issue with critical information and documentation that can be difficult to obtain through mainstream media sources, and to encourage informed action. Topics include checkpoints, settlements, Israeli activism, Zionism, 1948 War & refugees, censorship, the Wall, and environmental devastation. The granddaughter of Holocaust refugees, Baltzer works to address the injustices of today in light of those of the past. She is author of the book Witness in Palestine.
A coming-of-(old)-age story about Peter Anton, an elderly "outsider" artist living in isolated and crippling conditions whose world changes when two filmmakers discover his work and storied past. Shot over eight years, ALMOST THERE documents Anton's first major exhibition and how the controversy it generates forces him to leave his childhood home. Each layer revealed reflects on the intersections of social norms, elder care, and artistic expression.
From Brooklyn beginnings to literary pantheon, Norman Mailer's unorthodox trajectory spans marriages, offspring, and accolades. An unprecedented glimpse into the preeminent 20th-century author's private and public worlds through intimate biography.
“Secrets, Politics and Torture” unspools the dueling versions of history laid out by the CIA, which maintains that its now officially-shuttered program was effective in combating terrorism, and the massive Senate torture report released in December of 2014, which found that the program was brutal, mismanaged and — most importantly — didn’t work
Japanese cyber youth cultures have developed through the imaginative and novel use of technology. Underlying social, cultural and economic trends are examined such as Japan's unique, isolated island culture, the post-economic boom recession and changing attitudes towards the role of the corporation in work and career attitudes.
Kindness is Contagious profiles bleeding-edge scientists and authors from UC Berkeley, Harvard and everywhere in between as well as real life people whose lives illustrate their incredible discovery: THAT KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS. Learn how a little generosity can help you live a happier, healthier, wealthier, longer and more fulfilling life.
In Rod El Farag, one of the poorest residential areas in Cairo, obtaining meat, fruit and daily bread is a constant struggle. But the sense of community shared by the inhabitants there helps them to some extent overcome their hardships through a social practice known as ‘al Gami’ya’, or ‘the assembly’.
Selling God is a whimsical look at the Contemporary Evangelical Movement. It offers a satirical perspective on the many absurdities that arise when religion and popular culture collide and features interviews with Dr. Noam Chomsky as well as many other scholars and religious leaders. Written by Shoreline Entertainment
CHINA: A CENTURY OF REVOLUTION is a six-hour tour de force journey through the country's most tumultuous period. First televised on PBS, this award-winning documentary series presents an astonishingly candid view of a once-secret nation with rare archival footage, insightful historical commentary and stunning eyewitness accounts from citizens who struggled through China's most decisive century. THE MAO YEARS examines the turbulent era of Mao's attempts to forge a "new China" from the war-ravaged and poverty-stricken nation.
At its core, Forgive – Don’t Forget is about the connection between two very different cultures and the importance of remembrance. When Japan surrendered to the U. S. at the end of World War II, numerous Japanese swords were confiscated and taken back to the States. The Japanese Sword, while once a symbol of wartime aggression, is also deeply embedded in Japan’s rich history and spiritual heritage. In order to better understand the past and build a bridge between cultures in the present, an American filmmaker attempts to return one of these surrendered swords to its original owner.
Thai cave Rescue documents the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang Cave in northern Thailand. Featuring interviews with key people involved, the film explains how the boys became trapped in the cave by heavy rains on Saturday, June 23, 2018, and explains how, fearing the worst, relatives and local rescuers began searching for the boys but to no avail. Finally, the film reveals how an international team of rescuers was called upon to find the boys and ultimately bring them to safety. This remarkable story gripped the world for 18 days. A stunning example of innovation, teamwork and human endurance in one of the most hostile environments on earth - a flooded cave.
Charissa King O'Brien's intimate short documentary captures this pivotal collaboration between two influential artists, as world-renowned painter Riva Lehrer completes a compelling portrait of Alison Bechdel ("Dykes to Watch Out For," "Are You My Mother," "Fun Home") over the course of two years, yielding a highly satisfying work of psychological insight
100 Days. 100 gritty souls. 100 wild mustangs. That's the premise of the annual Extreme Mustang Makeover, a competition that challenges horse trainers - both pros and amateurs - to each tame a totally wild horse in order to get it adopted into a better life beyond U.S. Government corrals. Intimately following a handful of participants in the 2009 event from their first uneasy meeting with their horses and up through the competition and adoption, the film documents the deep and profound bonds that can develop between man and beast.
Chao-Li Chi shadow boxes indoors and practices with a sword outdoors. Theoretically, the film describes in a single continuous movement three degrees of traditional Chinese boxing, Wu-tang, Shao-lin, and Shao-lin with a sword. A long sequence of the ballet-like, sinuous Wu-tang becomes the more erratic Shao-lin; in the middle, there is an abrupt change to leaping sword movements, in the center of which, at the apogee of the leap, there is a long held freeze-frame.
A family that operates one of California's most historic wineries struggles with succession in this hauntingly beautiful mediation on balancing personal and professional identities.