A visit with a master of the Oldest Art In The World: tattooing. Disabled by arthritis since the age of four, confined to a wheelchair, his growth stunted, Stoney St. Clair joined the circus at 15 as a sword swallower. A year later he took up tattooing, and traveled with circuses and carnivals for fifty years practicing his craft. As we watch him at work, we see the determination which led Stoney to use his crippled hands in an art where mistakes are permanent, and we realize Stoney has overcome his handicap to heal himself and others with the magic of symbols. The film ends with a visit by New Age tattoo master Don Ed Hardy, who receives a permanent souvenir by Old School tattoo master Stoney.
In 1990 and 1991, three Aboriginal children were murdered in a small country town in Australia. Over 20 years later, the parents of those children are still fighting for justice.
When Women Kill is a poignant documentary exploring the shocking violence that seven women fell victim to at the hands of men. The program profiles the battered women who speak frankly about the cruel abuse, threats, and fears, and the overassertive men who led them down a one-way path to death and destruction. The film features in-prison footage, including a segment depicting a confession by a follower of the notorious Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted of two killing sprees and committed to life in prison.
In the twilight of her 20s, Raf works two jobs and spends her free time playing boardgames with her boyfriend’s roommates. Privately, she fantasizes of a life of performance and dance clubs. Over the course of several charged encounters, she becomes friends with a charismatic and wealthy woman named Tal. Raf becomes infatuated with Tal’s take-no-prisoners lifestyle. With Tal as her guide, Raf begins to see a new vision of herself, until a weekend at Tal’s country home reveals the true power balance between them.
Roberta is a nine year old girl who wants to enjoy the last days of summer on the beach playing with her friends, while her father Donato forces her to stay at home to help with household chores. The distance between the two seems unbridgeable, but the discovery that Donato is much more fragile than it seems, will lead them to appreciate their time together.
Japanese cyber youth cultures have developed through the imaginative and novel use of technology. Underlying social, cultural and economic trends are examined such as Japan's unique, isolated island culture, the post-economic boom recession and changing attitudes towards the role of the corporation in work and career attitudes.
'Black and Cuba' follows street-smart students, who are outcasts at an elite Ivy League university, as they band together and adventure to Cuba to see if revolution is truly possible. While filming their poignant encounters with AfroCuban youth, breathtaking sites and moving hip-hop performances, the travelers confront realities behind myths of color-blindness and social mobility. This edgy and artful documentary of their journey uncovers renewed hope for equality and human rights. 'Black and Cuba' is the feature film directorial debut of international human rights advocate and scholar Robin J. Hayes, PhD.
American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel takes audiences into the buckle of Bible belt where a group of defiant ministers, congregations, and community leaders are challenging deeply rooted fundamentalist Christian doctrine in favor of a Gospel of Inclusion. Labeled as "heretics" for their beliefs and actions, they refuse to wield their faith as a sword sharpened by literal interpretations of the Bible. Especially those fundamentalist Christian interpretations that continue to justify nationalism and hack away at landmark civil rights protections for women, minorities, immigrants, and the LGBTQ communities.
This inspiring film profiles the Lesbian Herstory Archives, a non-hierarchical, collectively-run archive that preserves the various expressions of lesbian identity, love, and solidarity. Scrappy and determined, a cross-generational team of women steward the collection from a cramped Manhattan apartment to a building of its own. As memory fades and members depart, the volunteer archivists contemplate the safeguarding and transmission of these invaluable materials — and the stories they document — to future generations.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake comes to cinemas with a fresh look for the 21st century and is ‘as bold and beautiful as ever’ (★★★★★ Telegraph). This thrilling, audacious and witty production is perhaps still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turned tradition upside down and took the dance world by storm. Filmed Live at Sadler's Wells in January 2019.
Christmas Eve. Sophie, an intern in the emergency psych ward on the brink of a burnout, is tasked with admitting Marie, a disturbed patient who was brought to the ward by the police after a crisis. Despite her incoherent ramblings and obvious psychic distress, there is something special about Marie that troubles Sophie. During their conversation, Marie sees straight through Sophie and reveals things to her that lead Sophie to deeply question her relationship with Vincent, her lover. After this Christmas Eve, nothing will ever be like it was before.
It has been 30 years since Title IX legislation granted women equal playing time, but the male-dominated world of sports journalism has yet to catch up with the law. Coverage of women's sport lags far behind men's, and focuses on female athletes' femininity and sexuality over their achievements on the court and field. While female athleticism challenges gender norms, women athletes continue to be depicted in traditional roles that reaffirm their femininity - as wives and mothers or sex objects. By comparison, male athletes are framed according to heroic masculine ideals that honor courage, strength, and endurance.
This film explores what public education meant to South Bronx Latino maverick educator, Pedro Santana, and what he, in turn, meant to public education.
With the advent of same sex marriage, homosexuals have achieved near-equality in much of Europe. Everything seems rosy, so why should the keep on fighting? RAINBOW'S END is a revealing and entertaining multinational journey from the center to the borders of Europe. It also shows exciting footage of the gay and lesbian manifestations in Warsaw and Cracow (Poland). Touching personal stories and social, religious and political insights. From street activism to the highest political scene at the United Nations in Geneva (Switzerland). A must see and a starting point for the most relevant discussions about the future of lesbian, gay and transgender people within Europe and throughout the world.