The recent U.S. college admissions scandal is not merely an aberration in an otherwise virtuous system. It lays bare a US higher education culture in which wealth and influence remain the predominant values. RIGGED examines how this obsolete value system favoring wealth in our higher education system grows the disparity between rich and poor and thereby undermines the future of American Democracy.
In northern Montana is a massive wildlife sanctuary on track to become one of the largest, protected ecosystems in the United States: the American Prairie Reserve. Here, scientists and ranchers are working in partnership to restore these grasslands to their natural state. To do that, they must bring back the animals, starting with the keystone species: Bison. Enter America's heartland and witness surprising landscapes and never-before-filmed animal behavior, featuring sandhill cranes, swift foxes, grizzly bears, pronghorn antelope, and more.
Ascension Island, a remote Mid-Atlantic outpost famous for its big game fishing, is under siege. Tiger sharks, hammerheads, even great whites, lured here every year by the bountiful reefs, are displaying aggressive behavior, culminating in the island's first shark attacks in its history. Join us as we dive into the mystery behind the altered behavior of these hungry predators, and explore whether efforts to bring this delicate ecosystem back into balance is a case of too little, too late.
Brazil's massive Pantanal is a land of extreme contrasts, ruled by dramatic cycles of torrential rain and arid heat. At the peak of the dry season, the floodplains bake and a searing struggle for life begins. However, there is an oasis that stubbornly refuses to disappear, a mysterious place that serves as a sanctuary for a host of animals and a hunting ground for predators. This is the story of Rebel Lake, where secretive tapirs bathe, wading birds take their pick of the fish-filled pools, and mighty jaguars hungrily prowl its banks.
In the 1970s, Dr. Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin significantly contributed to the development and psychopharmaceutical use of MDMA: a catalyst to personal doors entombed or unknown. His widow, co-author, and research partner, Ann—alongside friends, family, and colleagues—gives a guided tour of their life and laboratory, reflecting on how risks and revelations opened a world of compound enlightenment. Stippled with spirituality, sadness, and skepticism, the Shulgins’ chemical love story examines the power of psychedelic psychotherapy, sacred alchemy, and challenging the path of misunderstood resistance.
In that spirit, Pershing's Paths of Glory presents a real American Hero, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, whose story is told by his living legacy, a diverse group of young people following the General’s paths across the globe.
After being alienated from her child in the aftermath of her divorce, a Filipino-Japanese mother finds she is not alone on her journey to be reunited with her son. She faces up to her own demons and joins a global generational cause – the right of all children to be loved by both parents.
On Oct 15, 2016, a brilliant aerospace engineer and entrepreneur, top of her class at Davis and highly respected across the industry, Nancy Paulikas, 55, tragically diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and wandered away from the LACMA (Los Angeles Museum of Art), never to be seen again. Her husband Kirk Moody, led a relentless search that lasted years and resulted in systemic change across L.A. County. The constant search for her uncovers the gaps in the USA's social and health systems. Is Nancy still alive? If so, Where is Nancy? "Where Is Nancy?" is endorsed by Alzheimer's Los Angeles.
In the mountains of Portugal, amidst the timeless vineyards of the Duoro Valley a yearly ritual begins every September: the harvest of the season's grapes. A Wonderful Kingdom is an homage to these hardworking folks. Narrated by Malcolm McDowell, this hypnotic, observational documentary unfurls across the epic beauty and austerity of both nature and humanity.
In 1993, 16-year-old Hanit Kikos disappeared from Ofakim, Israel. A few days later, Suleiman al-Obeid Hoda was arrested, confessing that he raped and murdered her but gave conflicting confessions to investigators. 30 years after his imprisonment, the films with those involved in the affair shine a new light on the case.
When a young woman who wants to prevent the extinction of wild lions, decides to create a false identity to portray herself as a "big game photographer" and rather seamlessly infiltrates the male dominated world of trophy hunters in Africa, she inadvertently puts herself at tremendous personal risk.
A trip behind the scenes of Las Vegas' only Black male revue show and the often complicated lives of its male strippers. The dancers and staff are met with racial prejudice and a series of emotional pitfalls as they struggle in the city.
The film White Spot lets you experience the unbelievable adventures of the Brazilian-German couple, Ariane and Tin, moving along crazy difficulties. Picking the viewer from the beginning to get introduced to the background story by evolving a continuous raising tension. Ariane's visa gets declined, and even with a 90-day permit to stay, she gets refused to enter New Zealand. Tin is at that time already in Christchurch with a bought camper. They figure the only possible solution is to change the entire plan to South America. After a two-year long-distance relationship, the couple is facing again incredibly difficult situations. Several local confrontations and a broken car strengthens their bond and accelerates the year in the wild into an immersive experience. Passing the small ridge between a nature-travel documentary and a story which lets your blood run cold, White Spot makes you wanna break out of the system and travel the world.
When people think of a scientist, they often picture the cliche image of a white man wearing a lab coat and glasses. "Not the Science Type" is a four-art documentary series that will quickly disabuse you of that notion. In the series you will meet four amazing female scientists who are ushering in a new future, as they address critical global and local challenges. These brilliant women have faced sexism, racism and ageism in their professional journeys and in response, they have shattered stereotypes with each new innovation, patent and award.
In the midst of a feral cat crisis in Los Angeles, an eclectic group of residents do their part to trap, spay/neuter, and adopt as many cats as they can.
Documentary film about musician Wayne Charvel who in 1973 started a guitar repair shop in his garage mostly handling overflow work for Fender Guitars. He moved his growing custom guitar/hot rod shop to San Dimas CA, did custom work for Deep Purple's Richie Blackmore and Tommy Bolin, for ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, for Van Halen's Michael Anthony, and on. Word got out that this was the only place to get your guitar customized. Fast forward. In walks Eddie Van Halen who buys some (seconds) guitar parts neck and body and the rest is history. The story is captured with new, never before seen interviews with the artists using their voices and personal stories of Charvel.