This documentary explores the life of jazz singer Anita O'Day. As a child, Anita had a tonsillectomy, during which her uvula was accidentally removed. The surgery prevents her from singing vibrato and holding long notes, but lends to her much-revered percussive style. Anita overcomes her vocal hurdle, as well as many others -- including poverty, heroin addiction and jail time for a drug arrest -- to become one of the most prolific and respected jazz vocalists of the 20th century.
Initial release: 30 April 2007
Photographer Paul Fusco had a coveted place on the train carrying Robert Kennedy's body, with the assignment of covering the funeral -- but he ended up using all his film on the people he saw from his window, lined up to pay their respects.
What would a world look like that had a culture and an economic system that places human need above corporate greed, and how do we bring that world into being? Who cares what it is called. Call it Socialism, Call it Real Democracy Now, and Call it Chunky-Monkey-Cherry Garcia. The world needs to change radically, it needs to change dramatically, and it needs to change fast. This documentary is an invitation for you to participate in that positive change. Frankly, because, we need you. Yes, you.
Senegalese pop sensation Youssou Ndour has spent the last 20 years in the spotlight as a world-renowned musician and the iconic representative "voice of Africa." At the height of his career, Youssou became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and composed Egypt, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. The album's brave musical message was wholeheartedly embraced by Western audiences but ignited serious religious controversy in his homeland of Senegal. The film chronicles the difficult journey Youssou must undertake to assume his true calling.
Immortalized in the world of improv comedy, Second City veterans TJ Jagodowksi and David Pasquesi explore the unique partnership and transcendental forces that govern their legendary performances.
A perpetual state of welfare exists in the U.S., creating a form of modern slavery for a large percentage of African-Americans. Rev. C.L. Bryant presents an insightful and compelling look at how freedom can be restored.
Filmmaker Paul Saltzman (Prom Night in Mississippi) presents the world premiere of his latest work. A former Civil Rights worker and 1960s activist, Saltzman returns to Mississippi to encounter the man who once assaulted him — Byron "Delay" De La Beckwith, a KKK member and the son of the man convicted of murdering Medgar Evers — in this affecting documentary about racism, the South and the possibility of reconciliation. (TIFF)
Oma & Bella is an intimate glimpse into the world of Regina Karolinski (Oma) and Bella Katz, two friends who live together in Berlin. Having survived the Holocaust and then stayed in Germany after the war, it is the food they cook together that they remember their childhoods, maintain a bond to each other and answer questions of heritage, memory and identity. As the film follows them through their daily lives, a portrait emerges of two women with a light sense of humor, vivid stories, and a deep fondness for good food. Created by Oma's granddaughter Alexa, the film captures their ongoing struggle to retain a part of their past while remaining very much engaged in the present.
Famed for her extraordinary vocal range and uncanny ability to reach the emotional core of a song, We Will Always Love You pays tribute to that magnificent body of work and takes a closer look at the woman who brought it to life.Blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime talent and nurtured as an artist by legendary mentors Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston's life had all of the makings of a modern fairytale and, in many ways, it was. The singer scored a remarkable ten #1 hit singles, and even made a successful transition to the silver screen in The Bodyguard, for which she recorded her immortal version of 'I Will Always Love You'. However, behind the beautiful face and the girl next-door charm that endeared her to millions of fans, there lurked a vulnerability that brought a searing intensity to her music and, eventually, tragedy into her life.Now, for the first time on DVD, the complete saga of Whitney Houston's glorious career.
Does hell exist? If so, who ends up there, and why? Featuring an eclectic group of authors, theologians, pastors, social commentators and musicians, HELLBOUND? is a provocative, feature-length documentary that looks at why we are so bound to the idea of hell and how our beliefs about hell affect the world we are creating today.
Have we been visited by extraterrestrial beings? Did these "ancient aliens" contribute to the birth of human civilization? Do our ancient monuments contain evidence of their presence?
Every autumn thousands of wrestlers throughout Pennsylvania begin their seasons with the dream of making it to the PIAA State Championships. Few ever make it and even less win. But, for all who try, the journey to obtain the most elusive titles in high school wrestling is one of dedication, pain, sacrifice, failure and triumph.
This incredible documentary features in-depth contributions from wives Yoko Ono and Cynthia Lennon, son Julian Lennon and many previously unseen interviews with John himself. Through rare footage, we learn of his rise to fame with the Beatles, his divorce from Cynthia, his first meeting with Yoko, split-up of the band, and his decision to become a solo artist and advocate for world peace.
Nestled below the rugged peaks of the Northern Rockies and along the crystal-clear Kootenai River lies the small logging town of Libby, Montana - an ironic setting for a town where many hundreds of people are sick or have already died from asbestos exposure.
Lance is a 3-time Ohio state wrestling champion who wrestles 600-lb. bears for practice. Matt comes from a broken home and starves himself out of determination to become his school's first champion in 50 years. Pinned is the wild, true story of what these wrestlers will endure to become champions.
In a secret battle that cost thousands of lives but was never revealed to the American public, the Japanese army invaded Alaska in June 1942. Sixty years later, two veterans embark on an intense and emotional journey, returning to their former battlefield.
Now as an international sensation, Lady Gaga’s music reflects what she’s been through. She wants everyone to embrace their inner freak, and she lovingly calls her fans her “little monsters.” Lady Gaga is the hardest working pop star out there, and it shows. Other pop stars are taking note and stepping up their own game, but Lady Gaga has set a high standard and she has no plans to slow down.
The first documentary about France's post punk and cold wave scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During an art show at agnès b. gallery in 2008, Jean-François Sanz has gathered some exceptional material that brings to light, through archival footage and about thirty interviews to the main players, the pop culture heritage of that moment.