We all know that throwing rubbish on the ground is littering, so why is letting a balloon float away seen as something different? Rubber Jellyfish is a feature-length documentary that explores the effects of helium balloons on the environment, wildlife and human beings. Mum-to-be Carly Wilson sets out on a personal journey to meet key players on all sides in the fight to ban balloons, and exposes the confronting truth behind our favourite party product. As she travels around Australia seeking to understand the science and various points of view, Carly discovers a range of issues, from the heartbreaking impact on sea turtles to the potentially deadly effect of helium on children. Her journey takes her from littered beaches to the capital, as she speaks to activists, businesses, and politicians to find out why the balloon problem is being ignored and if something can be done.
A film crew crisscrosses England trying to unravel the mystery surrounding a record released 30 years earlier, 'Spirit of Eden', that defined the passage from light to shadow of its makers, the band Talk Talk and its lead singer Mark Hollis. From overwhelming obstacles to unpredictable encounters, their journey soon turns into an organic quest. With silence as a horizon line. And punk as a philosophy, thinking that music is accessible to all and that the human spirit is above the technique.
With unique access to a sitting member of Congress, this documentary tells the complex story of Rep. Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace, and economic and racial justice in Congress who cut her teeth as a volunteer for the Black Panther Party and was the lone vote in opposition to the broad authorization of military force following the September 11th attacks.
On a bicycle trip across the country, a young Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. experiences The Mojo Revelation and becomes Mojo Nixon. After teaming up with the enigmatic Skid Roper, he unexpectedly finds mainstream success during the Golden Age of MTV.
The first of two Latinas to represent Texas in Congress, Veronica Escobar, and the only African-American woman to run for city council in Austin in 2018, Natasha Harper-Madison, lead a diverse group of progressive voices across Texas as they fight decades of institutional racism and policies of discrimination along the border. The battle over immigrant rights, land seizures to build the border wall, and the troubled racial history of the state form the backdrop to a film that explores how a place once known for its reactionary politics is becoming more liberal, more diverse—and more at risk for violent conflict.
Set in motion by a tragic police-involved shooting, two communities of color navigate fraught perceptions of injustice, inequality, and discrimination in the eyes of the law.
Taking its title from Tod Browning’s classic film, this radical reframing of how characters with disabilities are represented looks at a century of Hollywood favorites with a fresh perspective. Disability activists imagine a cinematic landscape that takes people with disabilities seriously.
Follows three young Texas cowgirls tasked with carrying on their families' legacies amidst a volatile landscape and industry. The film explores the modern West: a place where the male cowboy mythology must answer to a new, honest, and some would say subversive, female story. The jarring transition between generations illuminates the weight of heritage and tradition. As the old guard wanes, these three women stand amidst the vast ranchlands of Texas. Who has the authority to claim our traditions when only those who have been overlooked are left to carry them on?
Using the cover of an Atlanta limousine driver, Jabari Hayes trafficked large quantities of cocaine across the United States for the then largest African American drug organization in the South East known as the Black Mafia Family, or BMF.
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.
Antisemitism in the US and Europe is spreading and is seemingly unstoppable. Andrew Goldberg examines its rise traveling through four countries to follow antisemitism and their victims, along with experts, politicians and locals.
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.
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.