Impact Partners (Firm)
Description
"A revelatory four-part series from behind the scenes of The New York Times during the first year of the Trump Administration. Through extraordinary access and exclusive interviews, this series chronicles the tenacity of editors, journalists, and reporters who fight every day for the freedom of the press in their tireless pursuit of the truth, no matter the political cost or personal sacrifice"--Container
Description
It is an all-archival documentary about the original performer-president's role of a lifetime. Teasing apart the spectacle at the heart of finger-on-the-button global diplomacy, the film follows Ronald Reagan's rivalry with charismatic Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, tracing how the Communicator-in-Chief uses his public relations chops to overcome Soviet mistrust, the objections of a skeptical press corps and the looming threat of WW III.
Description
Fueled by the belief that control and management of public lands does not belong with the federal government, Ammon Bundy led a group of armed militants in a stand-off with law enforcement from January 2 to February 11, 2016, in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. From inception to deadly conclusion, director David Byars immerses audiences in the rebellion with exclusive access into the Oregon compound.
Description
After being evicted, hardworking single mom Elaine Cheng tries to maintain a normal life for her children, Raymond and Tina. They squat in a Boston apartment as Elaine juggles a number of jobs, including working for a questionable pyramid scheme. When Elaine doesn't return home one night, nobody knows the kids are home alone, and they are left to fend for themselves. Raymond, a budding inventor, realizes he needs to come up with a plan to take care...
Description
In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but it was an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments that brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim. Their rendition of Dave Brubeck's Take five became a sensation,...
7) The C word
Description
Cancer is not a laughing matter, but the archaic way people are beating it is. With a dose of good humor, heart, and a touch of rock'n'roll, this documentary reveals the forces that are keeping people sick and dares to ask: if up to 70% of cancer deaths are preventable, what are people waiting for?
8) Dina
Description
Dina's getting married in a few weeks and there's still so much to do. She has to move her boyfriend, Scott, from his parents' house to her apartment, and settle him in to only the second home he's ever had, all while juggling his schedule as an early morning Walmart door greeter. She has to get her dress, confirm arrangements with the venue, and make peace with her family, who remain nervous for their beloved Dina after the death of her first husband....
Description
"Follows three teenagers who escape from the chokehold of the FLDS, a secretive polygamist sect located on the remote Utah/Arizon border. Joining more than a thousand other exiles, the boys must survive in the alien landscape of mainstream America without parents, money, or education"--Container.
10) 16 shots
Description
"A documentary examining the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued. After the police initially declared the shooting as justified, journalists and activists fought for footage of the event to be released, sending the Chicago Police Department and local Chicago government officials into upheaval as the community demanded justice"--Container
11) Dear Mr. Brody
Description
When 21-year-old hippie millionaire Michael Brody Jr. decided to give away his fortune to anyone in need, he ignited a psychedelic spiral of events. An instant celebrity, Brody was mobbed by the public, scrutinized by the press, and overwhelmed by the crush of personal letters responding to his extraordinary offer. Fifty years later, an enormous cache of these letters is discovered unopened.
12) Spaceship Earth
Description
In 1991, a group of countercultural visionaries built an enormous replica of earth's ecosystem called Biosphere 2. When eight 'biospherians' live quarantined inside, they faced ecological calamities and cult accusations. Their epic adventure is a cautionary tale but also a testament to the power of small groups reimagining the world.
Description
Trailblazing, hell-raising country music legend Tanya Tucker defied the standards of how a woman in country music was supposed to behave. Decades later, as Tanya slipped from the spotlight, rising Americana music star Brandi Carlile took it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya's extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history. This documentary follows Tanya's richly creative, utterly captivating,...
Description
The story of Anita Hill. An entire country watched as a poised, beautiful African-American woman sat before a Senate committee of 14 white men and with a clear, unwavering voice recounted the repeated acts of sexual harassment she had endured while working with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill's graphic testimony was a turning point for gender equality in the U.S. and ignited a political firestorm about sexual misconduct and...
15) Vessel
Description
A fearless sea captain sails a ship through loopholes in international law, providing abortions on the high seas, and leaving in her wake a network of emboldened activists who trust women to handle abortion on their own terms.
16) Night school
Description
Indianapolis has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. For adult learners, Greg, Melissa, and Shynika, finally earning their high school diplomas could be a life-changing achievement. Andrew Cohn's absorbing documentary observes their individual pursuits, and the broader systemic roadblocks faced by many low income Americans. -- Adapted from container.
Description
"Bisbee '17 is a nonfiction feature film by award-winning filmmaker Robert Greene set in Bisbee, Arizona, an eccentric old mining town just miles away from both Tombstone and the Mexican border. Radically combining collaborative documentary, western and musical elements, the film follows several members of the close knit community as they attempt to reckon with their town's darkest hour. In 1917, nearly two-thousand immigrant miners, on strike for...
18) Television event
Description
Television Event is an archive-based feature documentary that views the dramatic climax of the Cold War through the lens of a commercial television network, as it narrowly succeeds in producing the most watched, most controversial made-for-TV movie, The Day After (1983). With irreverent humor and sobering apocalyptic vision, this film reveals how a commercial broadcaster seized a moment of unprecedented television viewership, made an emotional connection...
19) Sembène!
Description
Ousmane Sembène was a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout who became the self-taught father of African cinema who fought enormous odds to return African stories to Africa.
20) Big men
Description
"Big Men is a real-life Treasure of the Sierra Madre, an epic tale about ambitious people who uncover a massive and exquisitely rare pot of gold in one of the poorest places on earth. In 2007, U.S-based Kosmos Energy discovers the first oil in the history of the West African republic of Ghana. What follows over the next five years is a twisting tale of greed and deception, which director Rachel Boynton films with razor-sharp journalistic skill. While...