Cosplay Universe explores the rise of the global Comic Con sub-culture and evolution of Cosplay; the art form of becoming a character that you love. The film follows the journey of several international cosplay teams as they compete in what is known as the 'Olympics of Cosplay' at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan. Cosplay Universe also chronicles America's top cosplayers' challenges to turn their geeky hobby into a thriving business. The film taps into the psychology behind this art of self expression and demonstrates how Cosplayers can transform and expand their perceptions of themselves while finding community. Cosplay Universe features appearances by comic book legend Stan Lee, cosplay superstars Yaya Han and Jessica Nigri and many more.
For four long years, Islamic State ruled its 'caliphate' from the city of Raqqa. Now freed from IS' brutal dictatorship, survivors emerge and return to a city utterly destroyed by war. Can Raqqa be rebuilt?
The region of Bucovina is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and adjoining plains. The name came into official use in 1775 when the region was annexed from the Principality of Moldavia by the Habsburg Monarchy and then controlled by the Austrian Empire and later Austria-Hungary. But over the centuries, the region has also been subjugated by the Romans, Goths, Turks, Nazis, Russians, and others, and now is split between Northern Romania and Southern Ukraine. 'Souvenirs of Bucovina' is divided into two 80-minute acts which explore the history of the region, its enduring culture, the oppression of gypsies, the slaughtering of Jews in World War II, decades of Communist rule, and life since the democratic revolution of 1989.
In this timely and fearless personal documentary, director Ofra Bloch engages with the people she was raised to hate and dismiss. Seen as a victim in one context and a perpetrator in the next, the film points towards a future – an “afterward” – that attempts to live with the truths of history in order to make sense of the present.
“The Zulus are coming,” Dark Sevier, a local DJ for public radio in Butte, Montana, announces to listeners one evening in May, 2017. By this point, everyone in the small town had been eagerly following the strange and curious series of events that would eventually bring a Zulu prince from Nongoma, South Africa, to their town of 30,000-some-odd people.
Kingdom Men Rising is a documentary film exploring what it means to be a real man in the midst of cultural trends in which there is confusion about masculinity. The film wrestles honestly with the unique questions and circumstances men face today. Kingdom Men Rising takes a journey that challenges men to rise above what we have become to lives of no more sitting on the sidelines, no more passivity, and no more excuses. This film draws from the experiences of author, pastor and speaker Dr. Tony Evans to provide clarity on this topic. Matters of significance, priorities, race and passivity are addressed from a biblical perspective. Featuring Grammy-award winning entertainer Kirk Franklin, Heisman trophy winner Tim Brown, former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Jon Kitna, Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy, NFL vice president Troy Vincent, author Priscilla Shirer, and others, Kingdom Men Rising provides an honest portrayal of today’s man that is countered by God’s original design.
An experiential, immersive documentary capturing a year in the life of a 130 year old Nebraska Sandhills ranch in a lyrical, timeless manner. The film presents the intriguing personalities and opinions of those individuals who choose this sparse, rugged lifestyle. From old school patriarchs to artistic ranchers 'with a painting problem', and from young guns pushing the ranch operations into the future to family tragedies endured, OCEAN OF GRASS leaves the viewer with an appreciative of the ranching lifestyle in the today's modern, fast-paced world. You will come to know and understand the ranching community and the honest manner in which they approach life. OCEAN OF GRASS showcases the incredible yet sublime beauty of the little-known Nebraska Sandhills using 4K, aerial, and POV cameras. The project was conceived, produced, directed, filmed, edited, and graded by first-time filmmaker Georg Joutras.
Following disastrous floods, a vast construction project is in the process of revitalizing the Rhone by removing the concrete straitjacket, and instead enlarging the river's bed to promote river life. The filmmaker follows the development of this unusually inclusive project through its diverse protagonists, including hydrobiologists, fishermen, farmers, engineers and concerned citizens. Their divergent concerns permit a fuller and unbiased understanding of the complexity of such a project. As a result, this engaging and lyrical film is a journey that prompts a universal questioning of our past and future relationship with nature and territory.
Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis is an expanded version of Head Games (2012), a 2012 documentary film that examines the effects of repeated concussions and subconcussive blows, particularly those associated with sports. It focuses on American football and hockey, but also covers boxing, soccer, lacrosse, and professional wrestling. It covers findings that chronic traumatic brain injury is occurring in female sports. Also covered is physiological evidence of brain injury in adolescent athletes.
Filmmaker and homeopath Ananda More, Hom, DHMHS travelled the world to meet with scientists, practitioners, and patients to learn whether homeopathy is science-based or is an elaborate placebo that affects millions and endangers lives.
In the frontlines of the war against ISIS, Seyyed Ahmad and Seyyed Jafar lead a group of Shia volunteer fighters in action at the battle for Jorf al-Sakhar, 60 km southwest of Baghdad. These under-equipped but determined volunteers manage to liberate in two days of intense fighting an area that the American forces had all but conceded to Al-Qaeda for over a decade.
The palm oil industry has papered over vast swathes of the planet, much of it valuable and ecologically diverse. Forty million tonnes are produced annually, and it can be found in 50% of all packaged foods. This shocking doc investigates what has catalysed this new industry and the social and environmental impact of its exponential growth. Is palm oil quite the godsend that many thought it was?
The #3 leading cause of death in the United States is its own health care system. 1.7 million Americans experience a preventable mistake during medical care, and these mistakes lead to many as 440,000 deaths annually. Directed by the son of late patient safety pioneer, Dr. John M. Eisenberg, To Err Is Human is an in-depth documentary about this silent epidemic and those working quietly behind the scenes to create a new age of patient safety. Through interviews with leaders in healthcare, footage of real-world efforts leading to safer care, and one family's compelling journey from victim to empowerment, the film provides a unique look at the future of our healthcare system's ongoing fight against preventable harm.
Becoming LESLIE reveals the inner and bizarre world of Leslie Cochran, a cross-dressing homeless misfit who became the most iconic and unlikely civic symbol of Austin, Texas.
Emocean started out as a surf film but quickly turned into something so much more than wild waves and barrel rides. This is a documentary with soul; a salty blend of stories by the eclectic assortment of people sharing tales of adventure, adrenaline, inspiration, love and loss and their relationship with the ocean. Some are well-known like Hawaii's Pipeline and California's Mavericks and others are remote spots tucked high up in North West Australia and deep in South Australia. This film, underpinned by inspiring surfing, is also a love letter to the sea woven through with experiences from surfers, filmmakers, fishermen, marine scientists and watermen.
Documentary about Lule Bib Luka a sheep farmer and one of Albania's last Burneshas, women who swear chastity for life in order to be given the rights and privileges of men.