An account of the short life and the astonishing and provocative work of the Austrian painter Egon Schiele (1890-1918), seen through the peculiar point of view and the critic voices of the women who defined the paramount milestones of his existence: Gerti, his sister; Wally, his main model and lover; and Edith, his wife. A brief story of love, hate, betrayal and misfortune.
A devastating highway accident in April 2018 thrust Humboldt, Saskatchewan into an international spotlight and voices from across the globe responded with sorrowful condolences, vigils and tributes. As the shock subsided and the world stepped back allowing the community to grieve, the directors of Humboldt: The New Season remained near the families. This is a story of healing without ever forgetting or letting go.
Six people live for a year on “Mars” in a NASA experiment studying what happens to humans when they are isolated from Earth. Shot by the subjects themselves over the course of the mission, Red Heaven vividly captures six people pushed to their limits in an exploration of our most fundamental needs as human beings.
When Kenny Scharf arrived in NYC in the early 1980’s, he quickly met and befriended Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat; There, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene the trio would soon change the way we think about art, the world, and ourselves. But unlike Haring and Basquiat, who both died tragically young, Kenny lived through cataclysmic shifts in the East Village as well as the ravages of AIDS and economic depression. 'When Worlds Collide' is about the art of fun, about living life out loud, despite setbacks, and about Kenny Scharf’s particular do-it- yourself, high-tone, technicolor artistic vision.
The story of how Dr. Mutulu Shakur, stepfather of Tupac Shakur, along with the Black Panthers and the Young Lords, combined community health with radical politics to create the first acupuncture detoxification program in America in 1973 — a visionary project eventually deemed too dangerous to exist in America.
Eddy Haymour is a barber, an eccentric entrepreneur, a psychiatric patient, a kidnapper, and a hostage taker. A controversial character, he has been called both madman and visionary. Our 90 minute documentary, Eddy's Kingdom, chronicles the saga of Haymour's obsession with creating an island theme park in Kelowna BC, which culminated in a hostage taking in Lebanon. His present day quest is to confront the current BC government and get the island back in his possession. At his side is his daughter Fadwa, the only family member who still talks to him.
Personhood tells a different reproductive rights story - one that ripples far beyond the right to choose and into the lives of every pregnant person in America. Tammy Loertscher’s fetus was given an attorney, while the courts denied Tammy her constitutional rights. In this timely documentary, we see her sent to jail, and then forced to challenge a Wisconsin law that eroded her privacy, her right to due process, and her body sovereignty. Through her story, Personhood reframes the abortion debate to encompass the growing system of laws that criminalize and police pregnant women. These little known laws, which now exist in 38 states, disproportionately target lower income women and women of color. At the intersection of the erosion of women’s rights, the war on drugs, and mass incarceration, Tammy’s experience reveals the dangerous consequences that these laws have on America’s mothers and families.
After eight years of one-party control, Wisconsin voters have found their lives increasingly irrelevant to state lawmakers. An ensemble of strong-willed Wisconsin women sets out to be heard in this unnerving portrait of American democracy.
A uniquely Kiwi story capturing the incredible highs and heartbreaking lows of making world-class wine in New Zealand. Stu, Nick, Ollie and Jess take you on a journey of the all-consuming harvest period known as vintage and the passion and hard-graft that goes into every bottle.
SISU follows a ten person cycling team from a small community in Maine on a journey to compete in a 1,358KM race around the perimeter of Iceland. The one hour documentary combines an observational filmmaking style with elements of a travelogue and engagement of action sport. Set just after the summer solstice, the team faces rapidly changing road and weather conditions as they push forward against the 72 hour time limit. The film explores the motivations of amateur athletes pursuing a massive physical challenge and considers the role adventure plays in contemporary life.
Call somebody a “bird brain,” and you’re not delivering them a compliment. But as NOVA shows, birds turn out to have advanced problem-solving skills that we usually assume are unique to humans. Watch astonishing tests of avian aptitude: parrots that can plan for the future, jackdaws that can “read” human faces, and crows that can solve multi-step puzzles with tools like pebbles, sticks, and hooks. Could these just be clever tricks based on instinct or triggered by subtle cues from their human handlers? To rule out any doubts, NOVA puts feathered Einsteins through their paces and reveals skills that even three- or four-year-old children have a hard time mastering—such as putting off one reward now to get a bigger one later. From this revolution in thinking about our feathered friends, the conclusion seems irresistible that bird brains see the world in ways that aren’t so different from our own.
Pedro Opeka declined an opportunity to play professional soccer in his native Buenos Aires and realize his childhood dream. He chose instead to become a missionary and live in one of the poorest countries in the world. The son of a bricklayer, he convinced destitute families living in Madagascar’s largest landfill that he could teach them how to build their own houses and, in the process, build their dignity. After 30 years of construction, fighting increasing poverty and political instability, Father Pedro has created a highly functional city within this dysfunctional island nation. His mission is to prepare the children he saves to one day save their own country.
The documentary follows Yeshi Kassa, great-granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, as she embarks on a personal quest to discover what happened to her closest relatives during the coup of 1974. While Yeshi and her older sister were thousands of miles away in a British boarding school, her great-grandfather was deposed by a revolution, setting off a harrowing chain of events that would put her parents and siblings in grave danger. For the very first time, the royal family examines the events that led to the collapse of a 3,000-year-old dynasty and reflects on how, against all odds, they were able to survive this turbulent time in Ethiopian history.
Bodybuilder and entrepreneur Anthony Hughes, also known as Dr. Tony Huge, is a man on a mission to further human evolution through performance enhancing drugs that are labeled as dangerous and illegal in the United States. Unsatisfied with the limitations of certified studies, Tony performs underground experiments, often on himself, in an effort to change the way the world looks at steroids and other PEDs. His methods have been labeled as dangerous and criminal by the mass populous and the government. 'Enhanced 2 The Max' chronicles Tony's attempt to vindicate himself and his methods as he conducts a new set of experiments on five volunteer subjects. The goal? To put on over 20 pounds of lean muscle in thirty days. Will his tests prove him a genius? Or a mad scientist?
Herd explores how horses can guide us to heal the chaos within our lives. During a nature retreat deep in the heart of British Columbia's horse country, eight people participate in a collective spirit quest of meditation and equine therapy.
The intimate journey and unpublished backstory of BeBe Zahara Benet – a charismatic drag performer originally from Cameroon, and the very first winner of the culture-changing phenomenon, RuPaul’s Drag Race. With over a decade of unprecedented access, we observe BeBe’s struggles with celebrity, authenticity, success, and failure.
Kenbe La: Until We Win chronicles the inspiring journey of Alain Philoctète, an artist and activist who dreams of developing a permaculture project in his native country even as he fights an ongoing battle with cancer.