On April 10th, 2020, Father Fred Mazzarella died from Cancer. He was a man with a powerful heart. He touched the hearts of many, including my own. This documentary will explore a glimpse into his life and the people he inspired.
At its heart, it’s a battle for homeland and sovereignty. Bears Ears, a remote section of land lined with red cliffs and filled with juniper sage, is at the center of a fight over who has a say in how Western landscapes are protected and managed.
Nothing captures the magic of Christmas like a visit to Santa Claus. This beloved NYC store Santa, after nearly 30 years, is heading to the North Pole, leaving behind an indelible mark on generations of children and families. To them, he is the real deal.
Bees have existed in the world for 150 million years. They are essential helpers for the growth of plants and crops that serve as food for other animals. During their development, people realized the importance of bees and have been involved in beekeeping since ancient times. Recently, however, bees have begun to die excessively for no apparent reason. The film addresses the dramatically deteriorating health of bee colonies and the unforeseeable consequences that bee mortality can have for our very existence. It seeks answers to the questions of what bees actually want to tell us and what significance bees have in the broader context of sustainability of life on Earth. To prevent such a catastrophe, our approach to beekeeping must be fundamentally changed. In this regard, the film offers many stimuli and inspiring examples from around the world.
A story about the life and turbulent times of Lisa Meitner and Otto Hahn, two exceptional scientists whose remarkable collaboration culminated in the discovery of nuclear fission, the division of the atom that changed the future. The show traces the development of nuclear science in the first half of the twentieth century, Meitner's early struggle for education and her quest to gain a foothold in the world of male-dominated physics, Hahn's initial research and independent discoveries, the collaborative discovery of the two scientists, as co-discoverers and the award of the Nobel Prize only to Hahn.
In the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, a grassroots family makes a precarious living by trading in betelnut, one of the world's most widely used narcotics. This is the story of resilient people who have few material possessions but who face each day with dignity and quiet determination. As they go about their daily work, the film presents us with a vivid portrait of present-day life in Papua New Guinea.
The band of American artists known as the New York School toyed with tradition and rebelled against the Renaissance.Feeling as though free association yielded their best results, the painters, poets and performers of the New York School took a surrealist approach that was concerned less with aesthetic and more with expression. Those associated with the School were unified by their desire to create from within. They created a monumental, dramatic art that remains a singular expression of the crucial modern quest for individuality and personal freedom." Never knowing exactly how their pieces would turn out, the artists of the New York School embraced their own complex humanity and worked from a place of bold, sporadic realness.
Now we know why they are here – they want Earth’s resources, and our resources, even those in our bodies, and they are colonizing the sea and certain strategic energy sources, such as volcanos where fleets have appeared as if from underground to consume or capture energy. What we still don’t know is how our political leaders feel about these colonies or if they’ve struck a secret deal. In either case, life on Earth as we know it is about to change. Come with us as we dig deeper into the evidence and find out the truths too ominous for governments to acknowledge publicly.
When the horrific murder of nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 sparks a national reckoning around the meaning of the Confederate flag, battle lines are drawn in Mississippi to determine the fate of the last state flag to include the most powerful, and divisive, symbol of our fractured history. In Look Away, Look Away, director Patrick O'Connor introduces us to an array of activists, and captures the fierce five-year battle over the Mississippi state flag, revealing how race, heritage and long-simmering grievances over the Civil War shapes our sense of who we are as Americans.
After learning that Patricia, a long-lost girlfriend, is among the desaparecidos, a filmmaker returns to his native Argentina to find out what happened to her and others he knew who mysteriously vanished during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship.
Kurtal – Snake Spirit tells the story of Spider, a sprightly 80 year old Aboriginal elder who travels from Fitzroy Crossing into the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia to visit a jila - a sacred waterhole. Spider is one of the main custodians responsible for the practices that take place there. For the first time, he is taking his family and community elders back to his birthplace, where he will communicate with their ancestors through Kurtal, the Snake Spirit in an ancient ritual. This unique documentary examines the ongoing change faced by a remote Aboriginal community and their determination to maintain their close links to birthplace and country. It shows the passing on of traditional knowledge from father to son and grandson, and the vital and sustained connection to ancestry and customs. It is a celebration of strong tradition and culture thriving through the spirit and willingness of the next generation.
In Russia, love, sex and family are personal matters. But increasingly, they are also political ones: Putin himself is a vocal proponent of patriarchy and large families. This is especially challenging for women, young people and the LGBTQIA community. Through a steady dose of propaganda, the state is attempting to reinforce outdated gender roles - in part, to combat the country's shrinking population. But the majority of Russian marriages fail. The most common causes include the husband's alcoholism, domestic violence or infidelity. Yet single mothers receive little support, protection, or even recognition from the state. The LGBTQIA community, or couples who do not fit into the "traditional" family model, face stigmatization and violence. But there are pockets of resistance. In Moscow, for example, a small group of young people is organizing a sexual revolution of sorts. Their goal? To break free of both the Christian Orthodox Church and the Russian state’s rigid dogmas.
Captured over two years, Take It From Me is a feature-length documentary about four women struggling against great odds to raise themselves and their families out of poverty in New York City.
Trent Williams is one of the most athletic and successful offensive linemen in NFL history. The eight-time first-ballot Pro Bowler can go from clearing 5-foot-high box jumps to beating future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson in footwork drills. The 6’5”, 320-pound native of Longview, Texas, is also a skilled hooper, capable of 360-degree dunks and a nasty crossover akin to Allen Iverson’s. Now, the San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle—known as the “Silverback” for his size and speed—is authoring one of the most miraculous comeback stories in NFL history.
With Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court days before the 2020 presidential election, Sen. Mitch McConnell solidified the conservative majority he had been seeking for decades. FRONTLINE tells the inside story of McConnell’s hard-fought effort to transform the nation’s highest court in “Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Court,” an updated version of our 2019 film.
Secret footage and eyewitness accounts shine new light on a brutal campaign by the Myanmar military against Rohingya Muslims — an effort that has been described by both the United Nations and the United States as “ethnic cleansing.”
John Dewey wrote extensively about philosophy, psychology, education, political science, and the arts. In his very full 92 years of life (1859-1952), he not only wrote about the breadth of life, he participated in it as a teacher, social critic, political activist and involved family man. This fully produced video introduces students to his philosophy and his critical studies of education, the arts and the implications of democracy for the lives of individuals and their communities. Dewey lived in a different era of history than we do, but many of his concerns are very relevant to life today. Maintaining a democracy in the face of diverse ethnic values, educating the young to participate fully in the life of their community, and expanding individual perceptions through participation in the arts were among the issues he examined.
As America chooses its next president in the midst of a historic pandemic, FRONTLINE investigates whose vote counts — and whose might not.side the reality of labor trafficking in America. In this documentary with Columbia Journalism Investigations and USA Today, New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb reports on allegations of voter disenfranchisement, how unfounded claims of extensive voter fraud entered the political mainstream, rhetoric and realities around mail-in ballots, and how the pandemic could impact turnout.