Exploring the idea that times of extreme difficulty facilitate increased resourcefulness and creativity, this compelling documentary takes a look at the art, music, literature, business, architecture, sports and entertainment of the Great Depression. The filmmakers also interview both ordinary people dealing with crisis and a diverse group of luminaries -- including Buzz Aldrin, Jesse Jackson, Hugh Downs, Mickey Rooney and Jerry Stiller.
Battle of the Queen is a film from and about rural Europe, capturing a timeless cultural event: a series of head-to-head fights of cows set in the valley in sunny Southern Switzerland, nestled amongst the Alps. The fights are sudden snorting seesaws, explosions of mass and muscle, archaic and wild spectacles. We follow three concurrent story lines: an anxious farmer with his beloved contender, a neurotic unemployed reporter from Zurich coming to find a story, and a gang of adolescent boys on mopeds trying to catch a pretty girl's eye. The festival is a balancing act between fascinating tradition and modernity. This black and white film serves as both an exciting visual treat and a long overdue documentation of a fascinating Swiss tradition.
To escape Hitler's regime, thousands of intellectuals and radicals fled Europe for the United States in the 1930s; this documentary focuses on the prominent figures who moved to Hollywood and made contributions to American music, art and culture. Well-known exiles profiled here include Bertolt Brecht, Fritz Lang, Arnold Schoenberg, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Salka Viertel, Thomas Mann and many others.
The Idiot Cycle investigates six major chemical companies—Dow Chemical, BASF, Bayer, Dupont, Astrazeneca and Monsanto—that are not only responsible for producing decades of cancer causing chemicals and pollution all across the globe, but also profit extensively from controlling cancer treatments and the production of drugs for those treatments. The irony is palpable. Also examined is how these very same companies own the most patents on genetically modified foods that have also never been tested for long-term health impacts like cancer. When there’s dioxin in every mother’s breast-milk, rivers throughout the world that no longer support life, cataclysmic environmental damage from industry and manufacturing—when do we say enough is enough?
The asteroid believed to have wiped out dinosaurs 65 million years ago was rare but hardly unique. This compelling special delves into various facets of asteroid research around the globe revealing how experts are pushing the boundaries of technology to protect us from 250-ton behemoths like Apophis, an asteroid that could come dangerously come close to Earth in 2029, and again in 2036.
In a case of indigenism verses corporate greed, this compelling documentary chronicles the ongoing battle between the locals of Panama's Bocas del Toro and the commercial developers and migrating Americans who have seized upon the tropical paradise.
Hossein and Shaima have loved each other since childhood. As teenagers they were separated by war. They meet again in Kabul in the late 90s. Poverty forces Hossein to fight in the war. A shell splinter leaves him paralyzed. Shaima is sold into marriage with a man 40 years her senior and falls pregnant. Since Shaima's husband still owes half the dowry to her father he brings her back into the constraining patriarchal fold of the family, where she lives with her 5-year-old daughter. This situation doesn't prevent the two from seeing each other, even though this means going against their families' hard rules. In constant fear of revenge on the part of the male members of both families, they struggle to hold on to their love.
This documentary follows the story of elderly Native American sisters Mary Dann and Carrie Dann as they fight the U.S. government's attempts to seize their horses, which graze on land granted to the Western Shoshone Nation in an 1863 treaty. Filmmakers Beth Gage and George Gage chronicle the spirit and fire of these grandmothers, who confront bureaucrats, gold mining companies and others as they push their case all the way to the Supreme Court.
In Vietnam, there is a special market to find a mate. The Hmong people have a long tradition to go to this annual market where all people, married or single, can regain their freedom to love.
SoleJourney shows how dedicated and courageous individuals, following in the footsteps of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., use non-violent resistance and acts of civil disobedience to confront anti-gay rhetoric as well as religious and political oppression. This powerful, inspiring documentary exposes James Dobson's Focus on the Family, a well-funded, politically powerful organization that assaults the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. Interweaving stories of courage and commitment and interviews with movement leaders such as Mel White of Soulforce, Judy Shepard of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and actor and activist Chad Allen, SoleJourney shows how a small group of individuals take action against a colossal adversary - including a six-day, 65 mile march from the Colorado State Capitol in Denver to the Focus on the Family's headquarters in Colorado Springs.
More than any other historical documents, It is the personal private letters written by a people to "their" dictator that provide the most intimate glimpses of the history of the Third Reich. A treasure of more than 100,000 such letters were recently found, hidden in a secret Russian archive. The uncensored letters reveal the true feelings of the German people - their hopes, longings and fears; also love letters, declarations of loyalty, birthday wishes and the occasional word of protest. Like a seismograph, it mirrors the change in mood in Nazi Germany, providing a reflection of the German spirit in the years from 1932 to 1945. A.K.A. Dear Uncle Adolf.
Eddie 'The Fat Man' Jackson and Courtney 'The Field Marshal' Brown were labeled 'Kingpins' in an era where their names reigned supreme in Detroit. Accumulating more than a million dollars a month in heroin sales.
On August 19, 2005 Roy Koch, along with 4,400 airline mechanics, custodians, and cleaners, went on strike against Northwest Airlines, the fourth largest airline in the world. Northwest, otherwise known as “The Red Tail” by its employees, wanted to lay off 53% of their union and outsource their jobs. What followed was a 444-day strike that would end with 4,000 union members out of work, including Roy.
Hollywood's glittering stars and starlets have always been the envy of the movie-going public. With their fame, wealth and lush lifestyles, they epitomize the "good life" we find so glamorous. Yet every pleasure has its price, and sometimes bearing the burden of fame can be an overwhelming task. All too often, celebrities find refuge and solace in a bottle of booze, a vial of pills, or a dirty syringe...and destroy their careers, families, and lives in the process. Through exclusive footage and little known facts, “When The Applause Died” takes an uncensored, shocking look at Hollywood's brightest stars and music's hottest rockers who burned out and faded away due to their own self-abuse.
Documentary about African freedom fighter Amílcar Cabral, whose story is told by his relatives and friends. Amílcar, besides being a humanist and nationalist, was also a brilliant poet.
Antonio Urzi's filmed evidence has generated tremendous interest among UFO researchers all over the world. Now, for the first time, his story and the remarkable filmed evidence he has collected can be seen in this fascinating fact-filled documentary.
In this retrospective tribute, acclaimed filmmaker Jean Walkinshaw hails the 100th anniversary of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington by talking to those who know it best: the scientists, naturalists, mountain climbers and artists whose lives have been touched by the peak's far-reaching shadow. The result is a harmonious blend of archival material and high-definition footage celebrating an icon of the Pacific Northwest.
From the communal councils of Venezuela to constitutional assemblies, grassroots movements and cooperatives, filmmakers Silvia Leindecker and Michael Fox explore the many incarnations of democracy across the Americas. The documentary examines democracy in nations such as Brazil, Colombia and Canada, and features interviews with journalists, cooperative and community members, elected representatives, academics and activists.