Descendants of Cudjo Lewis and Gumpa Lee, survivors of the last American slave ship, embark on a journey to fulfill their ancestors’ dream of returning to their ancestral home, accompanied by National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts.
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Emmy-winning Israeli filmmaker Maya Zinshtein (Forever Pure) returns to the Festival with this riveting exposé that investigates the unlikely connection between Jews and evangelical Christians in the U.S. and Israel, and the startling hypocrisy at its core. From conversations with a devout pastor and his congregation in rural Kentucky to meetings with religious leaders in Washington D.C. and Israel, Zinshtein closely follows Chicago native Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the influential advocacy group the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, in her fundraising and coalition-building efforts. What she uncovers is a shocking alliance rooted in apocalyptic prophecy and driven in unprecedented ways by Donald Trump’s White House.
Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.
Escapes blazes a path through mid-20th-century Hollywood via the experiences of Hampton Fancher – flamenco dancer, actor, and the unlikely producer and screenwriter of the landmark sci-fi classic Blade Runner. Fancher recounts episodes from his life — romantic misadventures with silver-screen stars, wayward acts of chivalry, jealousy, and friendship — matched with a parallel world of film and TV footage wherein Fancher plays cowboys, killers, fops, cads, and the occasional hero. Escapes shows how one man’s personal journey can unexpectedly shape a medium’s future.
David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) tackles another venerable, beloved, and long-standing institution: the Mustang, crown jewel of the Ford fleet. Only this institution is in turmoil. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Mustang approaches and the car industry struggles through the deepest trough of the financial crisis, Ford launches a redesign. Now the jobs of workers at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, the expectations of the thousands of Mustang devotees, and the livelihood of the city of Detroit are all placed squarely on the shoulders of Dave Pericak. As chief program engineer, he will guide the 2015 Mustang from assembly floor to showroom—if only he can get that vibration out of the steering wheel.
A standup show by Johanna Nordström
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson’s Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson recording the album and interviews with confidants, musicians, choreographers, and such music-world superstars as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey.
A documentary about Botham, Brearley and two stunning Ashes wins of 1981.
James Castrission and Justin Jones, dare to not only tackle the perilous journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and return, but to do it completely unassisted – no sled dogs, no wind kites, just two men dragging their food, their shelter and themselves across 1140 kilometres of barren ice. And back again. As they battle frostbite, hypothermia, crevasses and starvation over three months of torture in the harshest place on Earth, Cas and Jonesy discover their limits, the nature of sportsmanship and the boundaries of the human spirit.
From humble roots as pastor’s sons in New Jersey, through their meteoric rise to fame, the Jonas Brothers’ bond was unshakeable-until a surprising and painful breakup led Joe, Kevin and Nick down very different paths. With deeply personal interviews, previously unreleased footage and exclusive music, this is the Jonas Brothers as never seen before.
Join the majestic Olympic elk as they traverse the alpine path from their winter home in the lowland shadow of Washington’s Mount Olympus, to the fertile grazing grounds of its towering peaks.
