A meditative, immersive tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor and pioneering filmmaker F. Percy Smith. Smith worked in the early years of the 20th century, developing various cinematographic and micro-photographic techniques to capture nature’s secrets in action. Working in a number of public roles, including the Royal Navy and British Instructional Films, Smith was prolific and driven, often directing several films simultaneously, apparently on a mission to explore and capture nature’s hidden terrains. This film is an interpretative edit that combines Smith’s original footage with a new contemporary score by tindersticks to create a hypnotic, alien yet familiar dreamscape that connects us to the sense of wonder Smith must have felt as he peered through his own lenses and seen these micro-worlds for the first time.
You May Also Like
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the “DP” (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
The story of Robert Flanagan, a man who was born with cystic fibrosis and told he wouldn’t live past 20, who through a unique odyssey of masochism, art and love found a way to live decades past his expiration date.
SEED: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared
Gabriel Iglesias entertains a packed house at El Paso’s Theatre in this Comedy Central special. For I’m Not Fat, I’m Fluffy, the comedian reaches new heights of hilarity, providing eerily perfect imitations and tales too tall not to be true. He also adds a new step to his five levels of fatness, and the sixth level is sure to leave audiences rolling in the aisles.
Dr. Anne Innis Dagg re-traces the steps of her groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. Now, at 85 years old, Anne sees a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become. Weaving through the past and present, her harrowing journey gives us an intimate look into the factors that destroyed her career and the forces that brought her back.
Intimate vérité, archival footage, and visually innovative treatments of poetry take us on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary queer poet Nikki Giovanni as she reflects on her life and legacy.
Arguing With Myself, a recorded live performance of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, portrays a comedian whose revival of an old-fashioned art has made ventriloquism more relevant to modern societal concerns. Starring his six main characters, from Bubba Jay, a Nascar-obsessed hick, to Peanut, a flamboyant gay monkey, Dunham’s puppets have dirty but relatively inoffensive senses of humor that mock the American Dream. His skills as a ventriloquist alone make him a fascinating entertainer, and anyone interested in how puppetry and ventriloquism has progressed over the decades would benefit from watching Dunham bring life to his wooden friends.
Ashrita Furman holds the official record for the most Guinness World Records by one individual, including marks for “Largest Hula Hoop,” “Most Apples Sliced in Mid-Air with a Samurai Sword,” and “Longest Distance Bicycling Underwater.” A health food store owner and devotee of meditation, Furman travels the world creating new categories for record achievement. In The Record Breaker we meet Furman, a singularly driven character, and his merry band of compatriots (including Champ the dog) as he’s about to attempt to climb Machu Picchu on stilts.
The strange story of John McAfee, who went from millionaire software mogul to yogi, Kurtz-like jungle recluse to potential murderer, and most recently a prospective presidential candidate for the American Libertarian Party.
A documentary about the same-sex marriage movement, from the final frenetic months of the legal and grassroots campaign.
Michael Moore’s provocative documentary explores the two most important questions of the Trump Era: How the fuck did we get here, and how the fuck do we get out?
An electrifying glimpse into the complex life and thrilling, unparalleled performances of rock and roll’s first and wildest practitioner: Jerry Lee Lewis.