Freedom Uncut chronicles the tumultuous — yet creatively fruitful — period of Michael’s life and career following the release of his 1987 solo debut, Faith, then through the creation and release of his 1990 follow-up Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1. Along with documenting his creative efforts during this period, the doc will also explore his relationship with Anselmo Feleppa — who died from AIDS-related complications — as well as the death of Michael’s mother.

Warren Miller’s Flow State is a place of such singular focus and connection with the environment that, in this place, the faster you ride, the slower time passes. The Flow State exists anywhere crisp winter air shocks your lungs and sunlight refracts snowflakes, allowing you to emerge from this state improved – happier, more confident and more aware of your surroundings. So buckle up, because Warren Miller’s 63rd film will take you into the zone…the moment…the groove…the center…the Flow State.

Kirsty Young celebrates the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip by examining the longest royal marriage in British history through key moments. She looks at how every step of their life together has been played out in the glare of publicity and in service of the nation, while steering it through decades of change.

Between 1926 and 1927, the Italian intellectual and Communist political figure Antonio Gramsci spent 44 days imprisoned on the island of Ustica, off the northern coast of Sicily. Together with his fellow prisoners, he founded a school. This unique institution was open to all, welcoming people of all ages and social backgrounds, even the illiterate. Ustica still remembers this revolutionary school. Ustica, remote and neglected, still waits patiently at the harbor, hoping that the boat from the mainland will come.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is known and loved for his impressionist paintings of Paris. These paintings count among the world’s favourites. Renoir, however, grew tired of this style and changed course. This film, based on the collection of 181 Renoirs at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia,– examines the direction he then took and why it provokes such extreme reactions right up to today. Some claim they are repulsed by Renoir’s later works and some claim they are seduced. What may surprise many is that among the many artists who sought Renoir’s new works out and were clearly highly influenced by them were the two giants of the 20th century – Picasso and Matisse.

The Veterans in this film, different across race, class, and culture – men and women, African Americans and Latinos, gay and straight…flesh out our different storylines. Their differing backgrounds and experiences express the full range of combat soldiery. Challenged by unemployment, rape, child abuse, homelessness, suicidal ideation, drug and alcohol addiction and more, what we witness through them is an emotional hurricane. Though at times terrifying, shocking, and emotionally wrenching, their stories of transformation ultimately prove tremendously uplifting, filled with humor and spirit, buoyed all the more by the expansive hearts of the men and women who serve them.

25 years after Paris is Burning, we dive back into the fierce world of voguing battles in the Kiki scene of New York City, where competition between Houses demands leadership, painstaking practice, and performances on point. A film collaboration between Kiki gatekeeper, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö, we’re granted exclusive access into this high stakes world, where tough competitions act as a gateway into the daily lives of LGBTQ youth of color in NYC. The new generation of ballroom youth use the motto, “Not About us Without Us”. Twiggy and Sara’s insider-outsider approach to their stories breathes fresh life into the representation of a marginalized community who demand visibility and real political power.

The film chronicles Nina Simone’s journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.

In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening – women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. FEMINISTS: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? revisits those photos, those women and those times and takes aim at our culture today that alarmingly shows the need for continued change.

Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the land. Among this ongoing power struggle, Virunga also happens to be the last natural habitat for the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The only thing standing in the way of the forces closing in around the gorillas: a handful of passionate park rangers and journalists fighting to secure the park’s borders and expose the corruption of its enemies. Filled with shocking footage, and anchored by the surprisingly deep and gentle characters of the gorillas themselves, Virunga is a galvanizing call to action around an ongoing political and environmental crisis in the Congo.

Jesse Hughes, AKA Boots Electric, AKA The Fabulous Weapon, AKA “The Devil” – guitarist, beloved frontman of the band Eagles of Death Metal, man of God, and (possibly) aspiring conservative politician. VICE presents The Redemption of the Devil, which follows Jesse as he gets ordained as a Catholic minister, begins an intense relationship with an ex porn star, explores the political arena, and fights for custody of his only child, all while preparing for the fervently awaited release of his first album since 2008 with childhood best friend Josh Homme, frontman of Queens of the Stone Age.

The special is in partnership with The Washington Post and staff writer Christian Davenport, whose depth of experience allowed him to gain inside access to key players.