What are the limits of free speech? Troll Storm is the story of a Jewish woman in Montana, Tanya Gersh, who was the victim of an unrelenting social media campaign of antisemitism and her decision to fight back in court. “The second I decided to fight, I started to heal,” she says in this powerful film. And although the crux of this story takes place several years ago, the new swarm of antisemitism currently crossing our country makes this story feel extremely relevant. Gersh uses interviews with a holocaust survivor as a brutal reminder of where we could end up again if this culture of hate is not faced by our country. In Accept the Call (WFF 2019) director Eunice Lau’s latest film, the parallel between Europe before the rise of the Nazi party and what happened to Gersh is frightening. – Sabina Barach
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In this unfiltered stand-up special, comedian Jo Koy takes on energy vampires, mumble rap, emoji flirting and the surprise of being called a zaddy.
The film looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps with no room for middle ground. Verite stories of individuals and their families, whose lives have been forever changed by vaccine choices, interwoven with interviews from leading experts in the field, will re-frame the vaccine debate and offer, for the first time, the opportunity to have a rational, scientific and factual discussion on how to create a more effective vaccine program in America today.
In this hilarious and heartwarming special, Jo Firestone teaches a comedy workshop for 16 senior citizens, leading up to their first live stand-up show.
Jayne takes us on a review of her last world tour. She takes us through Rome, shares a fantasy about Roman athletes, and then is off to Cannes. She takes a trip to the nudist colony on the Isle of Levant, where she almost kind of joins in. Then it’s off to Paris, where she gets a beauty treatment from Fernand Aubrey, and attends some racy dance revues. In New York and Los Angeles, she visits some topless clubs and listens to a topless all-girl pop band. The film wraps up with some posthumous footage of her family in mourning.
‘Theatre is my life,’ Yıldız Kenter admits in her biography written by Dikmen Gürün. This is the story of a star, who has dedicated her whole life to her theatre company, students, the stage. Recounting the prizes received as well as the prices paid for pursuing your passion, Sweetie is a testimony to the transforming cultural landscape of the country as it tells Kenter Theatre’s story and thus how a private theatre has managed to survive. Including interviews by family members, students, fellow actors, as well as rare archival images and footage, Sweetie is an homage to the ‘North Star of Turkish theatre.’ The documentary was written by Zeynep Miraç, scored by Murat Evgin, and features Dikmen Gürün as advisor.
“Mr Mojo Risin’” is the story of the making of the Doors’ last album with Jim Morrison “L.A. Woman”. 2011 is the 40th anniversary both of the album’s release and of the death of Jim Morrison and this programme goes into detail of how the album came about, its recording and what was happening to the band at the time. The story is told through new interviews with the three surviving Doors: Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore plus contributions from Jac Holzman, founder of their label Elektra Records, Bill Siddons, who was their manager, Bruce Botnick, engineer and co-producer of the album and others associated with the Doors at this time. The show includes archive footage of the Doors performing both live and in the studio, classic photographs and new musical demonstrations from the Doors.
The geographical dead center of North America and the beloved birthplace of Guy Maddin, Winnipeg, is the frosty and mysterious star of Maddin’s film. Fact, fantasy and memory are woven seamlessly together in this work, conjuring a city as delightful as it is fearsome.
An engrossing portrait of the rise and untimely demise of David McComb, the virtuosic frontman of Australian rock band The Triffids.
This documentary charts the complexity and genius of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s legendary career, both on and off the court. Spotlighting a six-time MVP and six-time world champion, the film examines his controversial and landmark moments, his outspoken feelings about race and politics, and the evolution of the game.
The attempted ‘modernisation’ of Melbourne in the 1950s destroyed much of the city, including its elegant cinemas and picture palaces. Now, a new Melbourne-made documentary brings them back to life.
In celebration of the publisher’s 75th anniversary, the hour-long special will take a detailed look at the company’s journey from fledgling comics publisher to multi-media juggernaut. Hosted by Emily VanCamp (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter), the documentary-style feature will include interviews with comic book icons, pop culture authorities, and Hollywood stars. The special also promises an “extraordinary peek into Marvel’s future!” Might Marvel release the first official footage from next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron or Ant-Man? If they do, you’ll know about it here.
After starting a family of his very own in America, a gay filmmaker documents his loving, traditional Chinese family’s process of acceptance.