Portrait of writer Dorothy Parker, her Algonquin Round Table friends, her writing and her troubled life. Includes interviews, archival footage of Parker reading poetry and scenes from the 1994 film on Parker's life, "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Matthew Broderick.
Since the mid-70s, Joe Strummer, the former leader of The Clash, was irresistibly attracted to Andalusia. This documentary is a fun and revealing chronicle of the adventures of Strummer in Granada and Almeria, of his trying to leave behind his rock star aura, to get away from the myth of The Clash and become anonymous.
Created for the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F Kennedy, this is a unique, moment-by-moment view of the events in Dallas, Texas on the 22nd November 1963.
Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle for independence in the Congo put the world on high alert. The newly independent nation faced its first coup d'état, orchestrated by Western forces and Belgium, which were reluctant to relinquish control over their resource-rich former colony. The US tried to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated, silencing a key voice in the fight against colonialism; his death was facilitated by Belgian and CIA operatives. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach took action, denouncing imperialism and structural racism. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev intensified his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barriers that characterized American society.
Albert Camus, who died 60 years ago, continues to inspire defenders of freedom and human rights activists around the world today. The Nobel Prize winner for literature is one of the most widely read French-language writers in the world. He continues to embody the rebellious man who opposes all forms of oppression and tyranny while refusing to compromise his human values.
Several well-known and pioneering abstract filmmakers discuss the history of non-objective cinema, the works of those that came before them and their own experiments in the field of visionary filmmaking.
This documentary goes behind-the-scenes with Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. This film paved the way for the future success of the Peanuts animated television specials, bringing together for the first time Schulz, animator Bill Melendez, producer Lee Mendelson, and composer Vince Guaraldi.
For generations Harrison Gray Otis and the Chandler family used their newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, to wield great power over the City of Angels. This documentary chronicles the secretive clan's role in LA politics, public works and more. A comprehensive look at four generations' contributions to the growth of the town, director Peter Jones's film offers plenty of insight for fans of history, journalism and Southern California.
When a gang of suburban teens stumbled across a bunch of abandoned instruments and formed The Fleshtones little did they know that 30 years later they'll still be struggling to rock - and pay the bills.
The murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist in 2004, followed by the publishing of twelve satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed that was commissioned for the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, provides the incendiary framework for Daniel Leconte's provocative documentary, It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks.
When artist-turned-filmmaker Jill Magid learns that the archives of Mexico's most famous architect are being held in a private collection, she devises a radical plan to explore the contested legacy of the late Luis Barragán.