Self Discovery for Social Survival is a collaborative surf and music film produced by Brooklyn based record label, Mexican Summer and Pilgrim Surf + Supply, a New York based surf and outdoor brand. Filmed in Mexico, the Maldives and Iceland in three separate vignettes, musicians (Allah Las, Connan Mockasin, Andrew Van Wyngarden of MGMT, and Peaking Lights) alongside pro-surfers,embark on a journey that combines a symbiotic relationship between music and the waves, the environment, and local culture. Poetically narrated by the legendary avant-garde film maker Jonas Mekas.
Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy is a feature-length documentary film highlighting the history of the Crownsville State Mental Hospital in Crownsville, MD.
Hunting for Hedonia explores how the burgeoning technology of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) will impact human identity and our sense of self. DBS is a revolutionary tool in neuroscience and as a treatment it is crossing over from movement control in Parkinson's to alleviating mental illness. Trials are underway in depression, OCD, PTSD and eating disorders.
A suspected murder-suicide in Mendocino County, Calif., in 2018 killed at least seven members of a lesbian-led family of eight. One of the mothers, Jennifer Jean Hart, was determined to have been under the influence when she drove her family off a cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway and into the ocean more than 100 feet below. Now, the documentary Thread of Deceit: The Hart Family Tragedy delves into the story of Jennifer, her wife, Sarah Hart, and their six foster children. Among those immediately identified after the crash were the mothers of the family, both 38, and their foster children -- Martin, 19, Abigail, 14, and Jeremiah, 14. It was determined that Jennifer had a blood alcohol level of .102, while her wife and the three kids found at the time had been dosed with diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl. The bodies of Hannah, 16, and Sierra, 12, were found later. Only Devonte, 15, remains missing.
This is a real life story. An overcoming adversity story. This is a story about a great adventure in the wild spaces - whether in national parks, within oneself or in relationships with others.
Examines how a US value system built on the extreme masculine ideals of money, power and control has glorified individualism, institutionalized inequality, and undermined the ability of most Americans to achieve the American Dream.
Williamstown, Kentucky, is home to the Ark Encounter – a “life-size” creationist museum filled with all of the creatures that traveled in Noah's Ark, including dinosaurs. With incredible access to the park leading up to its opening, the filmmakers expose the larger system behind the creationist movement, piecing together the many factors that have led to the museum presenting its information as historical fact, and the people who are fighting to set the scientific record straight. Amid a climate of science denial and a well-funded corporate behemoth, three Kentuckians (a local geologist, an ex-creationist, and an atheist activist) try their best to challenge the movement that is taking over their home state. Meanwhile, fervent believers work diligently to create the lifelike animatronics that will be on display in the Ark.
In his first New York City-set documentary in nearly a decade, filmmaker and provocateur Abel Ferrara uses the experience of one longtime cinema owner to chart the vast changes to the city’s theatrical landscape.
Silvia looks dazzling in the old VHS footage of her wedding in the early 1980s—she's a beautiful woman about to embark on a promising future with a diplomat husband, and a comfortable house to live in. The home videos that follow show more highlights from her life: her first wedding anniversary, her daughters growing up, and the farewell party at the embassy. Meanwhile, the audio commentary offers a very different reality. The film's director María Silvia Esteve is the middle one of Silvia's daughters, and she and her siblings talk about their parents' gradual descent into a spiral of angry clashes, psychological problems and prescription drugs. By recounting events from their childhood, they try to get a handle on what went wrong in their family. And they wonder why their mother, with whom they had a very close relationship, never managed to improve the situation or leave their father.
A biographical history of Hungarian immigrant Joseph Pulitzer, who revolutionized how news is presented, to whom it is catered to and the power of giving power to the masses.
Photographer Stephen Wilkes creates an intimate portrait of his mentor, Jay Maisel, as he leaves the 30,000 square foot building in the Bowery that he's inhabited and filled with his eccentric collection of beautiful random objects for the last 40 years - known as 'The Bank.'
The story of lyrical genius, Martin Phillipps and his band, The Chills, is a cautionary tale, a triumph over tragedy, and a statement about the meaning of music in our lives.
In a small agricultural town in the Florida Everglades, hopes for the future are concentrated on the youth. Four teens face heartbreak and celebrate in the rituals of an extraordinary senior year.
An epic investigation into countless murders in Mexico. Presented in chapters, the film unfolds methodically through unsettling testimonials, sketching a portrait of an entire country transformed into a gigantic mass grave thanks to a climate of impunity established by both criminal gangs and state authorities.
A hilarious and beautiful portrait of two brothers growing up. The film follows the brothers around for one summer capturing the nuances of pissing each other off.
The feature-length documentary chronicles Alan’s life from his upbringing in Georgia in the 1950s and ’60s to his Hall of Fame induction in 2017. The film is primarily narrated by Alan and includes interviews with family members, musical colleagues and country stars, including Carrie Underwood. Written, produced and directed by John Albarian, the film showcases the inspirations that led Alan to write hits such as “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Chattahoochee,” “Here in the Real World,” “Livin’ on Love,” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”
Salam is a feature length documentary about the Nobel prize winning Pakistani physicist, Abdus Salam. The film reveals the extraordinary life of the charismatic Abdus Salam, in all its color, vitality and tragedy. It is the story of a man who traversed two worlds with ease: one of science and religion, modernity and tradition, war and peace and obscurity and celebrity.