NYC PREMIERE A casualty of the digital revolution, Polaroid instant film and cameras were meant to fade quietly into oblivion when the company stopped production in 2008. Following three enthusiasts bent on keeping the instant dream alive, director Willem Baptist takes viewers on a hallucinatory quest to discover the secret chemical formula for Polaroid film. […]
WORLD PREMIERE The Mauritania Railway is a 704-kilometer line linking the iron-mining center of Zouerat with the port of Nouadhibou. Atop a hopper car, we journey through vast Saharan landscapes with the people who rely on the train for their survival.
NYC PREMIERE Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival, People’s Republic of Desire explores the phenomenon of China’s live-streaming showrooms, where ordinary people can find legions of fans and financial rewards. Hao Wu profiles two unlikely stars of this online world—a karaoke singer and a rags-to-riches comedian—as they seek fame, fortune […]
NYC PREMIERE An experiment in virtual education, the School in the Cloud learning lab is a high-tech, self-directed education center built in an Indian village accessible only by boat and rickshaw. The brainchild of 2013 TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra, the lab connects children in remote areas who have never encountered the Internet before with […]
NYC PREMIERE A short documentary following Tim, an Asian-American 18-year-old, who has 3 million followers on Instagram and spends most of his time online. Although Tim usually shares funny memes on his massively popular page, he occasionally posts about mental health. As the film explores his reason for these posts, we discover that he has […]
This program presents two films appearing in our Short List: Shorts section recognizing some of the top documentary shorts films of the year. END GAME DIRS: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman A moving film about the passage from life to death, End Game is a portrait of the last days of those in palliative care in […]
NYC PREMIERE Romance traditionally has been the domain of humans. Silicone Soul, however, shows it is possible between men and the life-size dolls. Disarmingly candid interviews highlight the bonds formed between synthetic beings and lonely souls who have struggled to find the “one,” while other subjects profiled reveal unexpected attachments to eerily lifelike dolls. Melody […]
On Governor’s Island, an ambitious program works to restore once-bountiful oysters and the environmental benefits they bring to New York Harbor. Take Back the Harbor highlights students at a remarkable public high school where environmental stewardship is part of the curriculum. Courtesy of Discovery/Motto Pictures.
WORLD PREMIERE John Davis and Lorrie Brown, who run an architecture firm in Ojai, Calif., knew they were constructing a home in a dangerous spot when they decided to live on 27 acres in the hills of Ventura County, where the Thomas Fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures last year. But unlike many of their […]
USA PREMIERE A traffic separating device is installed in the middle of Stockholm. It is supposed to keep normal cars away and only let buses pass. It turns into a disaster as normal cars continue to go there and hundreds of cars get destroyed every week. Tragic and funny situations occur and we filmed the […]