Ecuador
As Cotopaxi spews ash, issuing an eerie penumbra over Quito, a young woman confronts dormant familial conflicts. Desperate for a place to store her things as volcanic disaster looms, Caridad turns to her long-estranged father Galo for help. Galo abandoned Caridad’s mother long ago and is eager to make amends, but questions concerning the nature of his transgressions linger, straining communication between father and daughter and casting grave doubts over the possibility of reconciliation.
Is the year 2023. Quito has been walled by Leonardo Ponce, a military dictator that took control of the city in the early 2010’s. A group of revolutionaries led by Marcos and Santiago are on the verge of giving a coup d’état. Just hours before the strike, Santiago steps forward and starts asking tough questions that led everybody to rethink why are they really doing this. Meanwhile at Ponce’s palace, he is trying to decipher what is going on at the city wall. There’s unusual movement and one of the revolutionaries is captured. Ponce tries to get as much information as he can from him. Confined to just 2 locations, Quito 2023 shows the human side of the revolution, the internal conflicts of their leaders and the hopelessness of a region that cannot be governed.
A young man searches for his identity deep in the Amazon jungle, while living among the tribe that murdered his grandfather decades earlier. The Grandfathers is a motion-graphics documentary completing Jim Hanon’s inspiring trilogy begun with Beyond the Gates of Splendor and followed by End of the Spear. These films were produced by Mart Green. Jesse Saint struggles to find his place in a world dominated by the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he could not understand. Years spent living among the Waodani and befriending the three old men who took part in his grandfather’s murder teach Jesse the healing power of dignity, respect and forgiveness. In the jungle, Jesse must confront his family’s past as he determines his own future. This documentary is a moving tribute to a young boy’s quest for significance and wholeness, and its imprint on three old men, who, unwittingly, are on a quest of their own.
Feature documentary about legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle, and her campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries
A drama set in turbulent, turn-of-the-millennium Ecuador and centered on a young man who begins to develop complicated feelings for Juano after he saves him from a beating.
Between The Peaks is an expedition documentary that combines the spirits of adventure and volunteering. In 2013 three friends set out to climb Mt. Aconcagua, in Argentina, then travel north to Alaska’s Denali, and volunteer in every country they passed through on the way. Along with their journey, the guys found themselves stranded on unforgiving beaches, venturing up volcanic cloud forests, exploring the mysteries of the Amazon jungle, crossing borders without documentation, and fighting a whiteout snowstorm above 20,000ft. But they would also encounter unforgettable cultural experiences and discover a new appreciation for a simpler life. This is a film that shows it is possible for anybody to follow their dreams and pursue their passions while making a difference along the way.
Darwin meets Hitchcock in this documentary. Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have created a parable about the search for paradise, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands, which interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers. A gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, and Gustaf Skarsgard.
