WORLD PREMIERE In 1962, spurred by the Cold War, President John F. Kennedy famously made the bold proclamation that NASA would send astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade, not because it was easy, but because it was a challenge. The Space Race inspired a generation to pursue careers in science and […]
Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar) explores troubling links between race and incarceration in America. The film’s title refers to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery in 1865, but with the loophole clause ‘except as a punishment for crime.’ In lively interviews across the political spectrum – including Michelle Alexander, Angela Davis, […]
James Baldwin left behind notes for an unfinished book about three martyrs of civil rights: Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. Now filmmaker Raoul Peck (Lumumba) draws upon Baldwin’s unseen text and his other writings to craft this stunning film essay that connects their crusades to today. The poetry and precision of […]
More than 20 years after the media spectacle of the “trial of the century,” O.J. Simpson continues to fascinate the public. In this expansive, ambitious and provocative project, Ezra Edelman revisits not only the murder of Simpson’s ex-wife and its infamous aftermath, but the story of O.J.’s entire life, before and after. Encompassing America’s complicated […]
Robert Mapplethorpe emerged from the vibrant 1970s New York art scene where he bonded with Patti Smith and partnered with art collector Sam Wagstaff. Mapplethorpe’s photography spanned explicit gay sadomasochistic sex, but also stunning pictures of flowers. In 1989, the year he died of AIDS, he was denounced in Congress by Senator Jesse Helms. Filmmakers […]
Enigmas, innovations and histories. Explore a deepsea mystery surrounding unexplained ocean sounds in The Bloop (USA, 7 min., Cara Cusumano). Bad Dog: A Penitentiary Tale (USA, 12 min., Sean McCoy) tells the true-crime story of a black lab accused of murder. Go behind the counter of Crown Candy (USA, 10 min., David Wilson, Kamau Bilal), […]
NYC PREMIERE A 33-year-old computer programmer named Tim Berners-Lee changed the world forever when he invented the World Wide Web in 1989. His visionary decision to make it a free and accessible resource sparked a global revolution in how we communicate and participate in public life. After 25 years outside the spotlight, Sir Tim Berners-Lee […]
NYC PREMIERE In 1924, a black Labrador retriever named Pep was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary. Through dramatic re-enactments and newly discovered footage, this short documentary explores the facts and folklore surrounding Pep’s incarceration.
WORLD PREMIERE A portrait of a one hundred year old candy store and lunch counter in north St. Louis.
WORLD PREMIERE Controlled by the Department of Correction, Hart Island has been New York City’s “potter’s field” for nearly 150 years — the final resting place for the city’s poor and disconnected. It is said to be the largest tax-funded cemetery in the world, holding more than one million people. Many New Yorkers do not know […]