Social & External
An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.
A feature-length documentary that explores the lives of four remarkably different people who share a common thread - they're all vegan. The movie traces the personal journeys of an ultramarathon runner who has overcome addiction to compete in one hundred mile races, a cattle rancher's wife who creates the first cattle ranch turned farmed animal sanctuary in Texas, a food truck owner cooking up knee-buckling plant-based foods, and an 8-year-old girl who convinces her family of six to go vegan.
This film describes a psychological state "kin to moonstruck, its images emblems (not quite symbols) of suspension-of-self within consciousness and then that feeling of falling away from conscious thought. The film can only be said to describe or be emblematic of this state because I cannot imagine symbolizing or otherwise representing an equivalent of thoughtlessness itself. Thus the actors in the film, Jane Brakhage, Tom and Gloria Bartek, Williams Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Olovsky and Phillip Whalen are figments of this 'Thought-Fallen Process', as are their images in the film to find themselves being photographed."
One Man's Way is a 1996 documentary in which Peter Singer documents the efforts and philosophies of animal rights activist Henry Spira, who is often remembered as the most effective animal activist of the 20th century. Henry Spira is most notably known for his tireless efforts to expose the the cruel animal experimentation that goes on behind doors, especially in the cosmetic industry.
A filmmaker's lifelong dream quickly becomes his worst nightmare when he attempts to make a low budget horror film about an aborted fetus that seeks revenge on its family.
Director Peter Judson's semifictitious tale opens a revealing window into the indie filmmaking process, capturing the trivialities, aggravations and enthusiasm that go into completing a picture. Using footage from an indie movie set, e-mails constructing a plotline about distributor difficulties and interviews with indie mainstays such as Steve Buscemi and Sam Rockwell, the film provides a riveting look at one producer's rejections and rewards.
An ex gang member's love for pigs spurs him on a life-risking mission to uncover the truth behind 'bacon'. Director and Activist Joey Carbstrong goes undercover with fellow activists to infiltrate and expose the deeply ingrained corruption and heartbreaking abuse that lies at the heart of the UK’s ‘pork industry’.
'25' are two unknown, indie songwriters in a bare bones studio on a train in the industrial West of Melbourne - Australia’s music capital. They plan to write, record then release a fresh song every two weeks of the year. Cath loves pop; Nick loves garage rock. She wants jazz flute; he wants a dirty guitar. Is this ever going to work or are they totally deluded? Is it an impossible goal?
When an Iranian-Canadian filmmaker hears the story of Master Ghadamyar- a Kurdish 120-year-old Tanbur player, he takes off on a mission to discover more about this spiritual master's musical and enchanting life. The film follows his journey to Western Iran, where he unearths the ancient traditions and teachings of Ghadamyar's faith known as Yarsanism, and its relationship to the mysterious Tanbur as a meditative instrument. The film takes audiences on a musical and visual quest among rugged landscapes of Western Iran to experience undiscovered voices and spiritual awakening. We witness the collective prayer of Yarsani Tanburists, as a practice to maintain their spiritual identity and search for inner beauty.
In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust, and ran without gasoline... Ten years later, these cars were destroyed.
Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues define our generation. The film exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels.
Near-silent and shot via a cell phone, a war veteran observes the world which has been colored by his experiences in Afghanistan.
You find yourself turning 30 without being initiated into the mysteries of love. What happened? LOVE ALIEN is a filmmaker's radical, subjective look at his life's problem. Accompanied by his camera, he explores the unknown world of lovers. On this journey he encounters relationship counselors, wardrobe consultants, partygoers, Valentine's Day shoppers, a neighbor's cat, his own family - and women. A filmmaker's cinematic attempt to find his first girlfriend.
In 2007 Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras is celebrated... and complicated. Following a cast of characters, parades, and parties across an enduring color line, we see that beneath the surface of pageantry lies something else altogether.
On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.
A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
Transformed by the love of a kitten, a tough New York City construction contractor is inspired to rescue abandoned animals, become a vegetarian, and take his message of compassion to the streets. A construction contractor who grew up on the mean streets of Brooklyn, Eddie Lama is probably the last person you'd figure to be an animal activist. Indeed, Eddie was raised with a deeply ingrained aversion to animals, as he explains in the award-winning documentary "The Witness." But when a pretty woman asks him to take care of her kitten, he finds himself reluctantly agreeing as a ploy to get a date, not knowing that his life is about to change forever. In the end, it is the kitten who captures his heart, opening his eyes to the wonder of other living creatures and awakening him to the richness of the human-animal bond.
Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over.
At the edge of the Yangtze River, not far from the Three Gorges Dam, young men and women take up employment on a cruise ship, where they confront rising waters and a radically changing China.
An absentee father and his bipolar son are forced to live together as they struggle with a recent family tragedy. The tension and anxiety boil as they live and try to cope in a tiny apartment. As time passes, they realize their shared pain is not their only source of grief, as they find the outside world is a cruel and unjust place.
30 years ago, on June 23rd, 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released on the SEGA Genesis, beginning a new era of gaming. Since then, Sonic has been running through countless zones, beating badniks, and saving the world with the help of his friends. This performance is to thank you, all of you, for being there every step of the way, and to remind us all of the amazing journey we've been on. Happy 30th Anniversary, Sonic!
An outlaw is left for dead by his gang after being shot. A year later, he is released from jail with one thing on his mind: Revenge.
A tale of an overzealous movie director and his unappreciative leading actress that go on a location scouting mission. What they find will change their lives forever.
Harry, an ordinary man, undergoes an unexpected spiritual awakening, which triggers a peculiar physical manifestation, that provides him with a profound insight into the human experience. However, he quickly discovers his journey has only just begun and he must now navigate a society where individuals prioritize their personal interests.
A lonely fisherman drowns and his elderly brother Efraim is left to do an inventory of the estate. He discovers that his brother had a son, Karl-Erik. Keeping it a secret, he travels to Stockholm to employ the young man as a hired hand. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.
Two madmen wish to avenge the historical Peruvian ship "Monitor Huascar" under the command of Capitain Grau: a hero, and a symbol of the 19th century war lost to Chile.
It has been three years since the end of the series. Ryo works for NASA as an engineer on a large rocket project. Anise, fellow Borgman and lover, has been reduced to flipping burgers in a restaurant. So naturally, when she gets a letter offering her a professional job in a big, Japanese, high-tech project, she jumps at the chance. Ryo, however, is as indecisive as ever and so she leaves for Japan without him. Chuck Sweager, the third Borgman, is a police officer, as is his girlfriend Miki...
High school student Ayumi kills herself and leaves behind a cryptic message that says "will be killed by boyfriend." Ayumi's classmates Satomi and Yuka investigate her suicide and quickly links her death to a popular cellphone dating simulation game called Keitai Kareshi. The main features of the game include a 'love gauge' that determines how well the player is faring and the ability to chat with other players. Satomi, Yuka download the game to their phones and begin interacting with their new virtual boyfriends. Soon after, Satomi shares the game with her co-worker who -- not long after the love gauge on her cellphone hit zero - dies from electrocution. Meanwhile, Yuka sends the game to her manager who turns up dead the following day following a mysterious accident. The mystery deepens as Satomi discovers the image of Naoto, a senior student whom Satomi secretly admired, on her friend Hisami's cellphone.
A young woman, her sister-in-law and her ten year old daughter are violently traumatised by invading Austrian soldiers. Later, in Verona, both woman discover they are pregnant. After a suicide attempt, one has an abortion the other keeps her child - and both faces struggles with friends and family as they return to their homes.
A deaf criminal with a traumatic past and his son must fight their way out of their small Indonesian village after witnessing a horrible murder, pitting the gangster against the mob outfit that employed him.
For the first time 'Madonna: Sex Bomb' tells the full story of this amazing woman who defied all the critics to reach unsurpassed stardom. Packed with interviews, this documentary film points the cameras where they have never previously preyed, showing Madonna's dramatic rise from obscurity, to her metamorphosis into the icon she is today. With over twenty years at the top, Madonna has achieved what most can only dream of. Changing both her image and musical direction with alarming regularity, she has managed to stay ahead of the game for more than two decades. From her early days growing up in Detroit, to her introduction to the industry as a struggling artist in New York, through her world domination as a global superstar, her incredible energy and ambition put most of her contemporaries to shame.
Set in the Middle East in 1919, a group of European Jews planning on settling in the Sinai Desert are attacked by Bedouin tribesmen. As they fight for their lives they realize that they are beginning a struggle for a new Jewish nation. This film chronicles the beginning of the modern Jewish struggle for a homeland.
When her sister turns up dead, Julia (Linda Jones) tries to convince the cops that a notorious gangster is to blame by going undercover as a prisoner to unearth the only witness to the crime. Problems arise when the sexually perverse warden (Rita Silva) adopts Julia as her new plaything and throws her noble mission off-course. Ajita Wilson and Alessandro Freyberger co-star in this erotically charged thriller.
Dragon Shumway's advertisement for his Complete Sword Collection.