THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH is the first in a three-part documentary series entitled ‘Creating Freedom’ exploring the relationship between freedom, power and control in Western democracies. The series draws together interviews with some of the world’s leading intellectuals, journalists and activists to offer an alternative perspective on today’s society and the future we’re creating. We do not choose to exist, or the environment we grow up in. Our starting point in life is one of passive reliance on forces over which we have no control. THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH shows that from birth onwards our minds are a battleground of competing forces: familial, educational, cultural, and professional. The outcome of this battle not only determines who we become, but the society that we create.
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‘Forced Perspective’ is an intimate portrait of iconic Cleveland artist Derek Hess by filmmaker Nick Cavalier. The film is a journey through Derek’s struggle with alcoholism and bipolar and how these demons effect the artwork, presenting a voyeur into Derek’s personal life, revealing his process and philosophy. This film showcases the evolution of a celebrated artist, his effect on music and culture while highlighting the link between creativity and mental illness.
What if working together for the good of all was the most common business model? Watch, as several organizations strive towards building a more cooperative future. By putting humanity before the bottom line, they are finding their place in an economy previously dominated by profits and big business.
Air Sex: The Movie is a documentary about the American social phenomenon known as The Air Sex Championships. Think Air Guitar, but instead of pretending to play a musical instrument, participants pretend to have sexual encounters with an imaginary partner (or partners). Entering its sixth year as a nationally touring roadshow, and billed as the world’s first “spart,” Air Sex combines the pageantry and prestige of sports with the creative arts of storytelling, pantomiming, and improvisation. Directed by Jonathan Evans (Sunken City), the film follows Air Sex tour producer/host, New Orleans comedian Chris Trew (America’s Got Talent, Comedy Central), as he attempts to convince crowds of excited, confused, and inebriated audience members to sign up and become part of the bizarre spectacle.
Brother Number One is a New Zealand documentary on the torture and murder of New Zealand yachtie Kerry Hamill by the Khmer Rouge in 1978. It follows the journey of Kerry’s younger brother, Rob Hamill, an Olympic and Trans-Atlantic champion rower, who travels to Cambodia to retrace the steps taken by his brother and John Dewhirst, speaking to eyewitnesses, perpetrators and survivors.
From the UFC Octagon in Las Vegas and the anthropology lab at Dartmouth, to a strongman gym in Berlin and the bushlands of Zimbabwe, the world is introduced to elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes—each on a mission to create a seismic shift in the way we eat and live.
In 2005, rock legend Paul McCartney crossed America with his record-breaking, sold-out US tour. Better than a front-row seat, this feature-length concert film takes viewers onto this stage and beyond, capturing Paul’s out-of-this-world performance.
Silent Impulses is a documentary portrait of a young woman who openly deals with taboo sexual deviations. The film reveals her inner world, the way she deals with this issue and how it affects her relationships and perception of herself.
The death of former premier league star Jlloyd Samuel leaves his wife questioning whether she knew her husband when shocking revelations of a double life emerge.
The story of Edgar Väär (1929 Kuressaare, Estonia – 2015 Toronto, Canada), a freelance cameraman, who earned his nickname ‘Fast Eddy’ by reaching the scene of events before police and CBC crime reporters. A major part of his filmed footage has aired on TV. The rest of the footage, over hundreds of thousands of film stock, that he didn’t manage to sell to news broadcasters, are piled up in Eddy’s downtown Toronto penthouse rooms and basement. Do old news have value to be sold? What does the end of a person look like who has documented the ends and destructions of many others in the infotainment industry?
In his need for self-identity, a filmmaker confronts his mother, a former political activist in the Philippines, about his feelings of abandonment as a child.
In Pride And Prejudice: Having A Ball, social historian Amanda Vickery leads the action as a team of experts recreate a Regency ball in honour of the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s popular novel. Joined by Alastair Sooke and a coterie of professionals – a food historian, a costume expert, music history academics and a choreographer who trains a team of dance students to take to the floor– cameras will follow the recreation inspired by Austen’s Netherfield ball. This intimate country house ball drives the plot of the Pride And Prejudice, and is a key turning point in the romance between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy.
A special from Lizzy Hoo about life, family and following your dreams, but only if they’re worth it. With tales about her former office life, her brother’s backyard trout-farming dreams, and father-daughter trips to Malaysia with her larger-than-life father Chan. Lizzy’s show is an hour of big laughs and good times from a comedian whose profile has exploded in a few short years.