After an unsuccessful attempt at establishing himself in the early 1970s music scene, Jamaican-born reggae legend Stranger Cole opens a record store, the first Caribbean business in Toronto's Kensington Market.
Stranger Cole
as Self
Through the story of Rocky, a rescued orangutan whose intelligence and empathy rival our own, Orang. Utan. explores the radical question of whether great apes should be considered persons. The film ultimately reframes that question into an urgent plea to save orangutans from disappearing forever.
Documentary gathers together portraits of craftspeople in Stolipinovo - a large, racially segregated urban district in Bulgaria. The film shows a cross-section of a community: young, old, modern, traditional - all with something in common, the desire to live and work in a dignified way, through hand-worked crafts. People in the film are both fragile and powerful in their raw honesty against the backdrop of increasingly precarious conditions of labor. "Inherited Crafts" carries a self-reflective style, being made by Osman Yuseinov, himself a craftsman, a master jeweler, working and living in Stolipinovo.
Zeca Baleiro guides us on this musical journey to his home state. With testimonies and performances by local artists from different musical genres, we discover a pulsating and little explored sound panel.
In this heartfelt short film by Jesse Collier Sutterley, Roosevelt Farrow, born in 1929 at the start of the Great Depression, shares his lifelong dream of becoming a U.S. Marine, despite the racial barriers of his time. Raised by his grandmother in humble conditions, he was inspired by the sight of Marines visiting his community. Farrow’s determination led him to join the Marine Corps, where he faced the challenges of Montford Point boot camp, eventually becoming an expert marksman and retiring as a Gunnery Sergeant. Although he never saw combat, a fact he attributed to his wife’s prayers, he realized the significance of his journey when he witnessed black officers rising in the ranks. Farrow's story is a testament to perseverance and the pursuit of one's dreams, encouraging others not to give up on their aspirations despite austere beginnings and social injustice.
In the following conversation, recorded remotely in 2020, filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Ari Aster discuss the mission, evolution, and ongoing work of The Film Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving motion-picture history that Scorsese established in 1990.
A look at the Lake District and its famous poet.
Silent Impulses is a documentary portrait of a young woman who openly deals with taboo sexual deviations. The film reveals her inner world, the way she deals with this issue and how it affects her relationships and perception of herself.
A son makes a surprising discovery on his elderly parents' answering machine after his father's passing.
A scenic documentary record of a climb up to Mount Assiniboine, the 'American Matterhorn' in the Canadian Rockies.
Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creators of the hit television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, reflect on the creation of the masterful series.
In the estuaries and lagoons of the Northern Territory, freshwater and saltwater crocodile are hunted for their hides by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous hunters. This film shows Aboriginal people using age-old hunting techniques to land crocs either for food or for skins. The methods employed by the professional hunters, who earn as much as 3000 pounds during the season, are also depicted, followed by a brief look at how the hides are skinned and prepared before being transported to the leather factories of Sydney and Melbourne.
After constantly moving, two students finally find the opportunity to start a family by adopting a stray dog.
A documentary about the making of, and legacy of, the Forbidden Planet movie.
Edited by famed filmmaker Kathleen Collins, Statues Hardly Ever Smile follows a group of middle school children during a six-week project at the Brooklyn Museum, where they collectively discover and respond to the Egyptian collection. With narration by a member of the museum’s education department, we witness the group’s daily exercises and reflections as they create a theatre piece centered on the relationships developed with the objects and each other.
Underwater and microscopic photography by F. Percy Smith tell the story of a newt's life.
Nisei Soldier focuses on the heroism of American men of Japanese ancestry who fought bravely during World War II, despite the intense moral dilemmas they faced. Leaving their families imprisoned in "relocation centers", many young Nisei (second generation American-born Japanese) proved their loyalty in WWII by enlisting in the all-Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment which fought in Europe. Because of the Regiment's incredible bravery in battle, liberation of French towns, and high casualty rate, it became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. The film asks: What sustained these young men forced to battle on two fronts at once -- against fascism abroad and intense prejudice at home? More than a war story, Nisei Soldier is a tale about personal honor, family loyalty and love of country -- and what it means to be an American.
After reading I Am the Sultan of the Law of Existence by Youssef Idris, a five-day journey through Egypt’s Western Desert, traveling from north to south., covering 2,800 km and shooting for 35 hours, the expedition became both physical and existential. The desert’s vastness and silence echo the text’s meditation on the relationship between man, nature and the universe, transforming the landscape into an active force that reshapes perception and confronts the nature of existence.
A short documentary exploring the reason behind the return of analog media, specifically vinyl. The documentary focuses on Gabriella, the main participant, and her experiences and personal viewpoints.
