"Perilous Assignment" is an episode of ABC's Walt Disney Presents. Disney loved to show viewers behind the scenes of the daring shoots of its theatrically released or TV shows. The theme of the episode is the making of his next film, The Third Man on the Mountain, an adaptation of James Ramsey Ullman's novel Banner in the Sky, based on the true story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. Walt Disney will not be limited to a simple promotional making-of. He offers to meet exceptional people, including the French mountain guide Gaston Rébuffat. The latter will show climbing techniques and then reveal breathtaking images of his ascents of steep cliffs with a client for the ascent of Mont-Blanc, filmed for the occasion. In 1958, Walt Disney will therefore offer him to be deputy director on the high mountain scenes of the film "The Third Man on the Mountain".
In the increasing public discourse on mental health, Leanne Pooley’s inspiring and fearless documentary tracks an extraordinary young woman’s journey from suicide survivor to advocate for those struggling. The fact it leaves you hopeful and with tangible advice makes it vital viewing.
Return to Gandhi Road tells the powerful story of Kangyur Rinpoche; a renowned Tibetan Master who, heeding the imminent danger of the 1950’s Cultural Revolution, and under the instructions of the Dalai Lama, braved the dangerous journey over the Himalayan mountains to India, rescuing two tons of Buddhist texts that otherwise faced potential extinction. Once in Darjeeling he built a Monastery at 54 Gandhi Road. It was here where the few single-minded Westerners in search of a more meaningful life, began to arrive in the late 1960’s. Told through the eyes of one of those first Westerners, New Zealander Kim Hegan, as he now, more than 40 years after Rinpoche’s passing, and his Buddhist practice abandoned, will trace the journey he made to Darjeeling 45 years earlier, to tell Rinpoche’s profound story, while healing the trauma that kept him away for so long.
The contestants for Miss Snake Charmer are not your typical high school beauty queens. These teens must show they are more than just pretty faces-that they have the guts and grit to win America's toughest beauty pageant. Contestants must prove their bravery by killing, and skinning, a rattlesnake before showcasing their talents and evening wear. The winner then spends the weekend reigning over pits of live vipers during the World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup.
Disenchanted by the modern world, Michael Lees heads into the forest of Dominica with some basic survival gear, religious texts and a camera. "Why did man ever leave the forest? And what makes for a good life?" Just as he starts to acclimatize to his new life - the unexpected; Category 5 Hurricane Maria, one of the top ten strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, makes a direct landfall. Michael is caught out in the open in a palm leaf and bamboo hut. With the nation in ruins, the forest destroyed, and essential services knocked out islandwide, the entire country must now return to a past way of life if they hope to survive.
Journey through celebrated British band IDLES' determination, friendship and adversity as they fight for a place in a divided sociopolitical environment, unexpectedly inspiring and unifying an international community along the way.
Directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Leora Eisen, TVO Original Rescuing Rex unearths provocative truths about a world-wide phenomenon—international dog adoptions. A new social movement driven by a desire to do good, and fueled by irresistible puppy pics on Instagram, many millennials are bypassing breeders in favour of adopting homeless dogs from around the world. But what does this new trend mean for the animals, their caregivers and society? Told through the eyes of compelling human and canine characters, this film takes us from the mountains of Taiwan to the tarmac at Toronto’s airport, and from a rural kennel in Texas to an urban rooftop in Vancouver.
The war on drugs has failed: is legalization of cannabis the answer? Pot Luck takes a trip across pioneering state Colorado five years after full legalization to see how it's all playing out and what this blazed new world looks like.
After a friend's unexpected suicide, two St. Louis college students formed a non-profit and began a nationwide journey to explore the cultural and institutional circumstances that failed their friend and 40,000+ other people each year.
Montenegro is the newest European country with a proud history, one that is being falsified for current political purposes, thus creating an alternative identity. In a nation where it possible for two brothers to claim different ethnic backgrounds despite having the same parents, everything is on the table: language, church, democracy. Can the truth set Montenegro free?
This seven year journey chronicles the brash once-respected Canadian comedian Richard Lett, whose addiction to drugs and alcohol lead him to become homeless; estranged from his daughter and community.
Executive produced by Rosario Dawson, LA WOMAN RISING presents 50 Los Angeles women revealing their truth, what motivates them to wake up each morning. Director Nana Ghana gracefully captures the morning rituals and untold stories of uncertainty, struggle and success. Considered a love letter to the real and diverse women of Los Angeles, Ghana's documentary is a distinct celebration of the female voice.
There are 640 million acres of public land in the United States. But there are powerful forces, both in government and in corporate America, eager to plunder this bounty. David Garrett Byars’s eye-opening documentary travels to Alaska, into the red rock canyons of southern Utah, and to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, and exposes a land war going on under our very noses.
Celebrate the long and storied history of one of the world's most recognizable icons, Maserati. From humble beginnings into a small Italian garage to the coveted and luxurious automobile we know today, witness the evolution of the business, the brand, and the cars themselves over 100 years. Featuring interviews with the Maserati family, world-famous racers, collectors, and more.
Spit Earth: Who Is Jordan Wolfson? is a feature documentary film about this controversial and divisive artist who in the ensuing five years has only solidified his stature with unnerving and provocative new works that elicit extreme reactions from both critical naysayers and vocal proponents alike. Wolfson is not content to play by the rules of a conservative self-policing art market that favors the status quo, instead preferring to make us squirm as he engages a host of lightning-rod issues facing our society today; homophobia, misogyny, racism, white nationalism, antisemitism and violence to name but a few. Wolfson is an art maker on the world stage whose immersive works take on today’s endemic virtue signaling and politically correct narratives, veritably throwing it all back into our faces.
Sapelo is a feature-length documentary film that journeys within a unique American island to tell the story of two young brothers, their adoptive mother, and the last remaining enclave of the Saltwater Geechee people.