In the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, grappling with PTSD, filmmaker Luke A. Renner set out on a healing journey. In his pursuit, Luke would eventually uncover an older, deeper, childhood trauma he had lost in time, the insidious reality of psychological damage, and a public health crisis that’s been quietly wreaking havoc on humanity.
A documentary adventure recounting the incredible life story of British-born Amazonian cowboy turned US TV star, Stan Brock, who sacrificed everything to bring free healthcare to people in need. At once a heart-warming tribute to the unifying power of volunteerism, and an exploration of a perennial outsider’s search for meaning through giving of himself. This film is a challenging and inspirational tale of an unlikely man on an improbable and unwavering mission to resolve one of the biggest social issues of our time; the US healthcare crisis.
A road movie with music. A song-soaked, foot-stomping trip straight to the heart of what it means to be Mexican, and to be American, and the complex joy of being both at the same time.
750 miles. Icy water. No motors. No support. Described as the Iditarod on a boat with a chance of drowning or being eaten by a Grizzly bear, this epic endurance race attracts intrepid, unhinged characters who find their edge on this punishing course.
In Case of Emergency paints a startling picture of our ERs stretched to the breaking point and exposes the extent of our nation’s broken safety net. All of our country’s biggest public health challenges—from COVID-19 to the opioid crisis to gun violence to lack of insurance—collide in emergency departments. Nearly half of all medical care in the U.S. is delivered in ERs and nurses are on the frontlines, addressing our physical and emotional needs before sending us back out into the world. In Case of Emergency follows emergency nurses across the U.S, shedding light on their efforts to help break a sometimes-vicious cycle for patients under their care.
Efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how the National Marine Fisheries Service has struggled to balance the vying interests. There are now believed to be fewer than 400 right whales, making them among the planet’s most endangered species. Between millions of lobster lines and warming waters due to climate change, their population has been plummeting, and their survival is threatened. The federal government is proposing regulations which could reduce lobster lines by half in much of the Gulf of Maine and harm the livelihoods of many lobstermen and has sparked a political backlash. The future of the iconic species hangs in the balance.
Chasing giant swells is every surfers dream, but that dream can sometimes swiftly turn into a nightmare. Starring Benjamin Sanchis and Shane Dorian, this film gives you an underground look into the pain and passion that goes into big wave conquest. This is the full story of what it takes to ride and capture the heaviest waves on the planet.
As the author of one of the most influential novels in Latin American literature, Paradiso (1966), the Cuban José Lezama Lima is considered a major figure in his country. In this documentary, the director and writer Ernesto Fundora, carries out a study on the author's life through the testimonies of a long list of writers, artists and personalities close to him. The result is a film that explores his work, but also pays a heartfelt tribute to his immeasurable figure.
Stories of work and play, of love and loss...and bread. Bread has been at the center of human life and creativity for at least the last ten thousand years - it is in our bones and a witness to history. This essay documentary brings bread to the front of the line and explores its relation to politics, poetry and pleasure. The loaf of bread is the vehicle through which we explore stories of sex and death, immigration and refugees, social justice and the counter-culture, and of art, work and pleasure.
Is the country of the future where children get pregnant? Is the largest Catholic country in the world where more than thirty thousand women die as a result of abortion? Is the 10th largest economy on the planet where 27% of women are sterilized? VENTRE LIVRE tells the story of Vera, Ivonete, Carmen, Denise, Maria do Carmo, Marlove - people who were born in the country with the most unequal income distribution on the planet. A documentary about reproductive rights in Brazil, while the future is not yet here.
Do ghosts exist? In this new documentary, a filmmaker travels to rumored haunted places interviewing psychics, scientists, and skeptics in search of the truth. Along the way, his crew captures unexplained phenomena including a box that allows the dead to speak.
Experience the terrifying air and sea war of WWII as it was fought in Europe and the Pacific. Digitally remastered close-up uncensored footage and sound puts you behind the shoot-to-kill gun sights of American and Nazi fighters. See P-51s, P-47s, P-38s and P-40s as they charge into battle. Watch air-to-air pursuits, aerial shootdowns, factory, train and ammo dumps strafing.
With seven Winter X-Games gold medals and a career spanning twenty years, Tanner Hall has cemented himself as an icon and legend in the sport of skiing. Now, at age 35, he’s decided to enter the Freeride World Tour; a five-stop competition circuit in which skiers are judged on their ability to descend through rugged, un-groomed terrain. Having never competed in a freeride competition, Tanner embarks on the latest chapter of his career, struggling against the limits of an aging body while confronting the darkest memories of his past.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to put on a major fan convention, the likes of San Diego Comic Con or MegaCon? Well, look no further as director Steven Shea trains a surprising lens on all the backstage triumph and tragedy it takes to pull off South Florida’s gigantic Florida Supercon. Surviving Supercon follows owner Mike Broder and his wife and partner Sandy Martin—a “mom & pop” duo—who launched the convention in 2006, inspired by Atlanta’s DragonCon and Orlando’s Spooky Empire, as they run their four-day convention over a weekend of monumental victories and disasters. From crazy celebrity stories, to amazing connections in the wake of unsuspecting tragedy, plus inept security teams and anarchic attendees, the film is a love letter to all the passion and madness it takes to brave a sea of Harley Quinns and deliver a seemingly flawless weekend to the tens of thousands of guests who cross the threshold into a convention center where dreams are made.
Over the past few decades, significant discoveries have been made on the very site where the pyramids were built. But now, hundreds of kilometers from the pyramids themselves, we are gaining more insight into just how they were built. Two teams of Egyptologists, one based in the middle of the desert, the other located on the Red Sea coast, are currently discovering more about the Egypt of Khufu’s time, than at the foot of the pyramids. What they found help them figure out how ancient Egyptians worked. This film has been shot from within, immersed for several weeks within these 2 archaeological missions. Authentic archaeological experiments have been filmed in real time, revealing ancient techniques and methods, unlocking certain secrets of these ancient great builders.
The story of one hot night in Alabama as an Independent Pro Wrestling Show rolls into town with its cast of high flying characters in faded tights. This film features former WWF World Champion Iron Sheik, Grits and Gravy crowd favorite Bullet Bob Armstrong, female wrestlers Bambi and Peggy Lee, The Masked Flame and other rising or falling stars. The LA WEEKLY made this riveting documentary their "Pick of the Week" calling it "Fascinating...Unforgettable."
The documentary aims to portray the protagonist while exposing different areas in which he performs. The film not only accompanies him during the creation of murals, exhibits and curatorships in several countries, but also challenges the established social parameters since Elian, who was born with dissident body, has lived and lives outside both ideological and physical norms.
On the liner notes to Freak Out!, the 1967 debut album by Zappa's original band the Mothers of Invention, Zappa listed some seventy-two names on the liner notes and cited them as influences. The Freak Out List intends to explore who these artists are and what influence they had on Zappa's music. This listing encompasses all sorts of music, from classical composer Edgar Varese to R&B star Johnny "Guitar" Watson to jazzman Eric Dolphy to flamenco guitarist Sabicas. You can hear for instance, how the esoteric classical influence of Varese shaped Zappa's long-form epics like "Lumpy Gravy" or how Dolphy's instrumental prowess led Zappa to incorporate jazz-fusion on albums like Weasels Ripped My Flesh! (1970), which even included a song titled "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." Interviews with various Zappa biographers and music historians as well as musicians George Duke, Ian Underwood, and Don Preston, all of whom played in the Mothers at one time or another, help add additional context.