“An American Prayer” is a documentary about ordinary Americans in an extraordinary time caught between love, duty, and stereotype, in present-day America’s turmoil. The film is also a fascinating record of the greatest democracy in the world in upheaval, and an urgent prayer to save the American Dream
Games are making increasing use of motion control technology. In the past, you clicked your mouse or a button on the console to control your Super Mario or Sim; then Wii Sports made it possible to control the game using your own body.
Three elderly New Jersey men search for the world's greatest Hot Texas Weiner, but along the way, discover the tragedy that has happened to their hometown, Paterson, New Jersey.
In April 2019, Extinction Rebellion blocks strategic traffic points in London for days, leading to the arrest of hundreds of nonviolent protesters. Rebellion works, responds international climate lawyer Farhana Yamin, seeming almost surprised when the government agrees to their demand to declare a climate emergency.
Celebrated Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence) talks about his adventurous life and career in this frank and insightful documentary.
In the Georgian city of Kutaisi, a local women’s football team constitutes the heart of a group of female and non-binary queer people, who get together regularly to hang out, to party, to hug each other, and to discuss existential issues. Their gatherings provide a cozy, safe space for these young people in a society that’s not known for embracing its LGBTQ+ community. Discrimination, exclusion, and violence are part of the daily reality for these sports enthusiasts and their friends, whether on the streets or, in some cases, within the family. When they’re together, they find the love, warmth, and safety they need to fully be themselves.
In this quintessential film about the Muslim-American immigrant experience, Mayor Mohamed Khairullah risks his life to bring humanitarian relief into Syria while simultaneously fighting the forces of Islamophobia in the United States. When a conservative local politician in his small New Jersey town runs a campaign to unseat him as mayor, his own political survival, and a particular view of what it means to be American, is on the line.
Kerby Brown made headlines in 2008 when he surfed a 40-foot wave: The ride of a lifetime. He's been chasing that thrill ever since. Facing Monsters follows Kerby and his brother Cortney into the furious power of the ocean
Tara Emory is a pioneering erotic photographer who has been active online since the early 2000s. This documentary paints a portray of her at a time when, absorbed by her epic sci-fic trans pornography project, she has to juggle being evicted from her studio, Le Wonderland, her personal and family struggles with compulsive hoarding and her hectic lifestyle. Between the gargantuan sets in her studio, the complicated dilemmas she must face, and the robots spurting a mixture of Mentos and Sprite, this first feature by Laurence Turcotte-Fraser deftly interweaves elements of her inner and outer life to introduce us to an unconventional artist with a wide variety of different interests. The End of Wonderland gives a voice to one those oft-forgotten exhilarating personalities by sensitively exploring Tara Emory’s day-to-day life. (Programming Collective)
Declining participation leads two Milwaukee area high schools—one black and urban, the other white and suburban—to combine their football programs. Tensions rise as the disparities between the two schools become increasingly apparent over the course of the season. At the center of the drama, the teenage athletes attempt to make sense of their adolescence in the face of the racial fissures in their community.
Tourists flock to the west coast of Ireland to take in the breathtaking cliffs of Moher, but the real treasure lies in the soulful, acoustic sounds wafting out of pubs and living rooms of Doolin, County Clare. The denizens of this unspoiled coastal village of tight-knit neighbors and unlocked doors revel in the passion and history of their traditional folk songs, using music as a thread through generations to create community, connection and joy.
Don’t let the 8- to 12- year- old age range fool you: Color Killer, a head-banging punk group, can bring the noise! But can they overcome in-fighting and jealousies to ace their biggest live performance ever? SNL’s Chris Parnell “counsels” their supportive, roadie/manager parents as the film follows the band during the weeks leading up to The Warped Tour concert in this upbeat, hard-rocking doc that will delight families and music lovers alike.
The Art of Making It explores the art-world ecosystem through the prism of young artists at pivotal moments in their careers, revealing the secret sauce that thrusts some into the stratosphere and leaves others struggling to survive. Why does it matter who we anoint to tell the stories of our time? Including the voices of luminaries and disruptors, the film leaves one to question whether the new world order will make art more accessible for all.
Why are healthcare costs so high in the United States? Part of the problem lies with the business of hospitals, even those running as nonprofits. InHospitable follows patients and activists as they band together to fight a multi-billion dollar nonprofit hospital system in Pittsburgh that limits vital care for vulnerable patients. Filmmaker Sandra Alvarez explores the perspectives of patients, hospital workers, advocates, and politicians to shed light on an overlooked fight for justice.
This coming-of-age story focuses on Kyle Westphal, an isolated autistic boy who’s fascinated by fabric and emerges from an experimental autism treatment program to become a fashion designer. Westphal’s family looks back on twenty years of his development with candor and humor. The film combines observational footage, archival material, and animation to chronicle how a passion for fashion transformed Kyle and his family.
Director Yasmin C. Rams invites us on her journey to try and heal from epilepsy through several forms of therapy that are frowned upon by her own family. A first-person account that brims with charm and hope but is deeply rooted in skepticism, Yasmin’s film portrays people from all around the world who tell her about how they deal with their chronic illnesses using the tools of natural medicine. Will she stop having seizures?
Explores the role of the MTA in New York City and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the vital service it provides: transporting New York’s essential workers. The film acknowledges the decline of the subway infrastructure as a political issue and captures a tumultuous time that impacted every city in America. This film poses the question: what happens when the lifeline of a city goes flat?