The Color of Care chronicles how people of color suffer from systemically substandard healthcare in the United States, with a pressing focus on how the Covid-19 pandemic shed light on the tragic consequences of that inequity. Oprah’s Harpo Productions and the Smithsonian Channel are teaming up on the timely project, which traces the origins of this systemic inequity to practices that first emerged during slavery in the United States.
Poet Layli Long Soldier crafts a searing portrait of her Oyate’s connection to the Black Hills, through first contact and broken treaties to the promise of the Land Back movement, in this lyrical testament to resilience of a nation.
Sam Now is a gripping family story consisting of home videos, Super 8 films and modern-day HD videos told over a lifetime. Director Reed Harkness captures the story of his half-brother, Sam, who grappled with the disappearance of his mother during the most formative years of his life. After setting out to find her as a teenager, Sam works through the subconscious trauma caused by her absence, his family members' denial and his feelings toward his mother, whose new life proves better than raising kids. Sam's journey is an emotional roller coaster with loops of mental health, commitment issues and familial relationships.
Dewayne Johnson, a Bay Area groundskeeper, suffered from rashes in 2014 and wondered if they were caused by the herbicide he'd been using for the past couple years. As his health deteriorated, Johnson became the face of a David-and-Goliath legal battle to hold a multi-national agrochemical corporation accountable for a product with allegedly misleading labelling.
In the Faroe Islands, hundreds of pilot whales are slaughtered each year in a hunt known as the “Grind.” This gruesome tradition has drawn outrage from activists, most notably the international conservation group Sea Shepherd, who routinely sail to the islands to try to block whaling boats. Yet the Faroese are equally determined to maintain their tradition, defending the practice as more sustainable and less cruel than getting meat from slaughterhouses. Director Vincent Kelner spends time with both Faroese hunters and Sea Shepherd crusaders, building to a nuanced look at a disturbing event with much larger implications for the way humans relate to other creatures.
Joe Corré, son of punk visionaries Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, burns an estimated £5M worth of punk memorabilia protesting the commodification of punk. The film takes this incendiary act of ‘cultural terrorism’ and the questions it raised to explore the lifespan and true worth of punk - the 20th century's most volatile movement.
A filmmaker unearths a pervasive history of multigenerational trauma in her Italian-American family. As decades of secrets, home movies, and long-avoided conversations surface, a family once bound by tradition forges a new path forward.
ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed-and widely misunderstood-neurological conditions in the world today, affecting nearly 10% of kids and a rising number of adults. But what if having an ADHD brain is actually an asset? A growing number of innovators, entrepreneurs, CEO's, Olympic athletes, and award-winning artists have gone public about their diagnosis, saying that their ADHD, managed effectively, has played a vital role in their success. The Disruptors hears from many of those game-changing people speaking candidly about their ADHD, and intimately takes viewers inside a number of families as they navigate the challenges, and the surprising triumphs, of living with ADHD. The Disruptors takes an immersive look at our approach to ADHD that debunks the most harmful myths, and examines the flip side of this trait that ultimately offers a revelatory understanding of the diagnosis, and real hope for millions of kids, families and adults with ADHD.
Mobile homes have long been an affordable option for people who struggle with the cost of other housing in the United States. But now the economy of mobile home parks is under threat as private equity firms are buying up properties and looking to squeeze more money out of mobile home owners. Filmmaker Sara Terry uses this backdrop to explore urgent class issues that resonate across America, and especially in the high-priced rental market of New York City.
A documentary relating to a video of the Grand Street Ball of 1988, held by Patricia Field and the House of Field. The film explores the relationships and connections between the music and culture of the Paradise Garage with the ball culture of the mid 1980's, driven by the participants' need to belong, each working, dancing, and surviving together despite the epic sweep of larger societal conflicts of the time. They are featured in present day interviews, along side 1980's archival photography and film, and iconic music representative of the theme, bridging this piece of history to the present day by the passion that lives on.
When a thriving, top-ranked African American elementary school is threatened to be replaced by a new high school favoring the community’s wealthier residents, parents, students and educators fight for the elementary school’s survival.
DIG! XX is the 20th anniversary extended edition of the rock documentary DIG!, which adds new narration by The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Joel Gion, features 40+ minutes of never-before-seen footage, and brings this epic tale through to today. DIG! XX looks at the collision of art and commerce through the star-crossed friendship and bitter rivalry of dueling rock bands — The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Through their loves and obsessions, gigs, arrests and death threats, uppers and downers, and ultimately to their chance at a piece of the profit-driven music business, they stage a self-proclaimed revolution in the music industry.
Robin Williams. The comic genius with an electric mind, with a range of talent that left us breathless. The one who amazed and kept us entertained until the very end, and whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh. Living life to the fullest, he went from one memorable film role to the other. But behind the upbeat, frenzied facade of Robin Williams was a sensitive and vulnerable man, deeply plagued by depression and haunted by his demons. Few comedians have ever been as beloved as Robin Williams. His story is full of tragic moments. It inspires us to look past the mask of those people who seem to have a perfect life. His legacy, reaching way beyond his body of work, lives on. We look back at the journey and tragic loss of a unique comic legend...and one of the greatest comedians of all time.
She was Americas' First Lady, a fashion icon and role model for the millions who looked up to her. Beloved by all, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was an inspirational soul whose presence would leave those around her in awe, she knew how to control a room. Her soft breathy voice would steal the attention of those willing to listen. Jackie was well-travelled, she studied French during her time in college and spent a year abroad in Paris. She was fluent in several languages and aided her husband John F. Kennedy in his endeavours as the 35th President of the United States. Jackie spent her life pleasing those around her. She sought the comfort of a stable family and home. Her tragic life resembled a fable, littered with loss and misery. Jackie stayed radiant and persevered through her hardships.
When conventional medicine is struggling to keep up with ever increasing stress levels in populations biohackers show us their holistic approach to life which not only increases their resilience against the stress, but also helps them to perform on higher level.
We follow the harrowing, yet frequently inspiring plight of ex-offenders, social activists, and entrepreneurs, witnessing the fierce tenacity required to change the narrative — and change lives on Chicago’s West Side.
Vertical Freedom is an epic, feature-length documentary film highlighting the professional and personal lives of six communications infrastructure workers in the United States who possess diverse backgrounds and compelling stories, on and off the job.
Explores one of the most intense & unique relationships between people who rarely meet: music artists and their fans. Folk rock icons Indigo Girls openly share their journey, which has powerfully influenced the life of their biggest fan. Composer and pianist Vijay Iyer examines issues of immigration and race through his music; his work touches the heart of Garnette, a “man of the streets” from Kingston, Jamaica. Rapper and activist Talib Kweli inspires and transforms the life of Mike, a “Hip Hop” architect from Detroit.
When her 3-year-old son drowns in a friend’s backyard pool, director Chezik Tsunoda goes on a heartbreaking but, ultimately, healing journey to connect with parents who have experienced similar tragedies. Searching for answers, she finds hope in the work of other parents and activists to make a difference in this preventable tragedy.