In Columbus, Ohio, a group of autistic teenagers and young adults role-play this transition by going through the deceptively complex social interactions of preparing for a spring formal. Focusing on several young women as they go through an iconic American rite of passage, we are given intimate access to people who are often unable to share their experiences with others. With humor and heartbreak, How to Dance in Ohio shows the daily courage of people facing their fears and opening themselves to the pain, worry, and joy of the social world.
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.
Worldwide plastic production from fossil-based sources continues to rise and contribute to climate change, pollution and environmental issues. Scientists, engineers, researchers and innovators tackle solutions to deal with the over-production of single-use plastics.
After an accident, Sebastian (Zuko), who was a professional mountaineering guide, lost the mobility of his legs. However, through a great feat he undertakes at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, he proves that limits only exist in our minds.
Without an alternative to fossil fuels for the aviation industry, one start-up keenly understands the urgency of reaching global climate goals by disrupting air travel. Sustainability for this company means not staying grounded but innovating the way we fly entirely and convincing policy officials, airlines and suppliers to come aboard. Their proposal? A hydrogen-fuelled, commercially viable plane that will replace ones fuelled by kerosene.
A documentary film which explores the racial disparity and corporate exploitation of African-American and Latino prisoners within the United States Justice System.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb…Daesh…Boko Haram.** So many extremist movements, of which Africa has become a breeding ground, have declared war against Western values and people. Beyond the misunderstandings that often paralyze us, we have to ask ourselves the real question: **how did we get here?** Filmed in Mali, *RETURN TO BAMAKO* is a deep dive into the land of Islam, seeking to understand the causes and challenges of the threat posed by the rise of radical Islamism to all societies. The Islamist wave did not come about accidentally, but instead is the result of recent history, of which Westerners are the actors, because in the vast majority of cases, it is the failure of a political and economic system, copied or imposed by the West, along with unbridled globalization, which opens a gaping hole and allows the rise of extremism.
1943, The Netherlands is under total Nazi occupation. In Amsterdam, Jack, an unassuming accountant, first meets Ina at a birthday party - a 20-year-old beauty from a wealthy diamond manufacturing family who instantly steals his heart. But Jack's pursuit of love will be complicated; he is poor and married to Manja, a flirtatious and mercurial spouse. When the Jews are being deported, the husband, the wife and the lover find themselves at the same concentration camp; actually living in the same barracks. When Jack's wife objects to the "girlfriend" in spite of their unhappy marriage, Jack and Ina resort to writing secret love letters, which sustain them throughout the horrible circumstances of the war.
Inside the core of the climate movement, concerned citizens in Germany put their bodies on the line to save an ancient forest from Europe’s largest coal mine. They form an unlikely alliance with a frustrated community in rural England who are forced into action to protect their homes from a new opencast coal mine.
Kutsher's Country Club is the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills. One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher's has been family-owned and operated for over 100 years. Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience-- and how it changed American pop culture in the comedy, sports and vacation industries-- this documentary captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before our eyes.
With passion, wit, intelligence and attitude, an LGBTQ youth theater group creates a play about love in all its forms, while bonding together to make change in their own lives. With candor, they tell their stories through intimate interviews, entertaining and powerful clips of their self-written plays, and glimpse into their everyday lives. Members range from a transgender woman being kicked out of her home, to a runway model who likes men’s clothing, to an out gay man accepted unconditionally by his mother. The plays they write and perform are close to their experiences and not only provide catharsis but insight into what it means to be gay, lesbian, transgender, or just queer. It’s an inspirational work of art about the hardships one faces in realizing that they are different and the courage it takes to find the pride within that. – Nina Zheng
Filmmaker James Costa investigates the National School Lunch Program and childhood obesity, and shows what schools, parents, authors, doctors, politicians, celebrities, and chefs are doing to combat the problem.
In October 1967, documentary filmmaker George Paul Csicsery was beaten by police at an antiwar demonstration in Oakland, California. Thirty years later, he set out to find the policemen who were working that day. His only clue-a startling news photograph of himself begin clubbed by stern-faced cops. Take a trip back to America's turbulent 1960s as Csicsery visits a group of retired Oakland, California, policemen, who recall their days battling antiwar demonstrators and Black Panthers.
Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation is a tale of science, culture, and thrilling adventure! Earth is a planet born of fire. For billions of years, volcanoes have helped create the world we know. From the continents to the air we breathe and even life itself, all have their origins in fire. With over 500 active volcanoes, Earth is bursting at the seams with these forces of mass construction. The story of volcanoes is the story of the planet’s creation, and the story of us.
Presents a unique and disturbing look at the rise of the Nazi party. The documentary, directed by Lutz Becker, attempts to remain as objective as possible, serving as a neutral observer of the years 1918 through 1933 in Germany. Via newsreel footage and clips of features from the era, the film offers a kaleidoscopic view of the many elements that fueled the rise of the Socialist Nationalist Party, including post-WWI poverty. Hitler occupies a central place in the documentary.
Beauty Culture investigates our obsession with beauty and the influence of photographic representations on female body image. Film subjects hail from diverse points on the beauty landscape. Fashion photographers, child pageant stars, bodybuilders, teenagers, and intellectuals engage in a provocative dialogue that addresses the persistent "beauty contest" of daily life.