These three shorts from the southern hemisphere tell stories with ecological themes. Ciénaga (13 min, in Spanish; Sebastian Pinzón) looks at a community of fisherman struggling to recover from the legacy of a massacre and environmental damage. Between the Harvest (29 min, in Spanish; Scott Drucker) takes us to Ostional, Costa Rica where locals harvest endangered sea turtle […]
Impassioned individuals are the subjects of this program’s six shorts. Sunshine (14 min, Doug Nichol) looks at an American ad-man in China. The Bowler (14 min, Sean Dunne) introduces us to the ramblin’, gamblin’ Rocky Salemmo. Among Giants (14 min, Chris Cresci, Ben Mullinkosson & Sam Price-Waldman) follows an activist living in a redwood tree to stave […]
Two shorts transport us to Japan. Minka (16 min, Davina Pardo) reflects on the relationship between Associated Press correspondent John Roderick and his adopted son Yoshihiro Takishita. The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (40 min, in Japanese; Lucy Walker) examines the country in the wake of the recent disaster during cherry blossom season, from the Oscar-nominated director of […]
Four shorts reveal hidden aspects of the city. The Dentist (9 min, Alex Mallis) profiles the eccentric gatekeeper to an underworld. Racing Towards Red Hook (21 min, Jessica Scott) follows competitors in an intense fixed-gear bike race. Vulture Culture (21 min, Eric Rockey) looks at a community of recycling radicals in Bed-Stuy. Home Game (37 min, Suzannah Herbert) […]
Co-presented by HBO Documentary Films. The Sound of Music is delightfully reinterpreted in this poignant chronicle of Mumbai slum children who are selected to perform the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical at the city’s elite performing arts center. Director Sarah McCarthy brings new meaning to songs like “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” as the children find inspiration in the music […]
Legendary actress Charlotte Rampling reflects on her career through conversations with artist friends and collaborators, including writer Paul Auster, photographer Peter Lindbergh, and poet Frederick Seidel. Intercut with footage from Rampling’s famous and infamous roles in films such as Georgy Girl, The Night Porter, Stardust Memories, The Verdict, Swimming Pool and Heading South, this unique portrait celebrates one of […]
As Werner Herzog demonstrated in Grizzly Man, he has a talent for reinterpreting another filmmaker’s footage. Now in Happy People, he takes on the work of Russian director Dmitry Vasyukov, following Siberian fur trappers through four seasons as they carry out traditions that have lasted for centuries. Herzog condenses the film from four hours and adds narration to […]
OPENING NIGHT GALA Werner Herzog explores the human consequences of a triple homicide in Texas. He interviews the victims’ families and the convicted killers—including a 28-year-old man on death row, eight days before his execution. Once again, Herzog turns ominous territory into an enlightening journey. After the film’s debut at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, critics hailed […]
Hoop Dreams director Steve James delivers another non-fiction epic set on the streets of Chicago, following an organization called CeaseFire, comprised largely of former gang members who are trying to break the cycle of urban violence. James, teaming up with producer Alex Kotlowitz, author of the acclaimed book There Are No Children Here, immerses us into a world […]
Following his Oscar-winning Man on Wire, director James Marsh turns to another iconographic story rooted in 1970s New York. “Nim Chimpsky” was the chimpanzee subject of a Columbia University experiment led by psychologist Herbert Terrace that sought to discover how much chimps and humans could communicate through sign language. Marsh does a masterful job of interviewing a vast array […]