Search
Tom “Putuparri” Lawford is a man caught between two worlds: his past and present in modern society, where he battles with alcoholism and domestic violence; and his future as a leader of his people, reconnecting with his ancestral lands, learning about his traditional culture and shouldering his responsibility to pass this knowledge on to the next generation. Director Nicole Ma spent more than a decade documenting Putuparri’s journey, travelling with him and his family on numerous occasions to Kurtal, in the Kimberley’s Great Sandy Desert region – traditionally a site of great significance as a place where people ritually make rain – as they fight for their native title claim over the area. Set against the backdrop of this long fight for ownership of traditional lands, the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported Putuparri and the Rainmakers is an emotional, visually breathtaking story of love, hope and the survival of Aboriginal law and culture against all odds.
Drew is a nerdy teacher that can’t even control the students in her classroom. When threatened by the classroom bully, Drew does what she knows best… back down. Not even words of wisdom from the principal can muster a show of strength from a wimp who seems destined for a second-rate life. And this is before the zombie apocalypse. With populations being overrun by the rapidly spreading plague of zombies, Drew flees to the sanctuary of the country where she is quickly overcome by a lack of survival skills, the relentless Texas heat and, of course, zombies. But Drew must learn that that running from her problems is much like running from zombies. They find you. They always find you. Along her odyssey, Drew encounters a cast of characters that both help and hamper her path to finding the strength within herself that will make or break her ability to survive these terrible new times of unending death… and her annoying new companions.
What is art and how does it relate to society? Is its value determined by its popularity or originality? Is the goal profit or expressing one’s personal vision? These are some of the questions raised as we follow fiercely independent New York artist Robert Cenedella in his artistic journey through decades of struggling for creative expression. A student, protégé and friend of German artist George Grosz, Cenedella is now passing on the legacy of Grosz’s approach to art, in the very same room where Grosz taught. In portraying Cenedella’s determination to buck the system of what’s popular while critiquing that popularity in his attempt to turn the art world upside down, ART BASTARD is a funny, touching, and insightful look inside the maverick mind of a true original.
During the “Made in Germany” tour, Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund filmed two acclaimed Rammstein concerts in March 2012 – each for an audience of 17,000 at the Bercy Arena in Paris. In the resulting film (with 16 songs from the entire repertoire), Jonas Åkerlund takes a radically new approach to capturing the emotion and thrill of Rammstein’s live performance. Jonas Åkerlund: “We shot two nights in Paris, and we had 30 cameras, so that gives you 60 angles, plus we shot a dress rehearsal for close-ups. That gives you a massive amount of footage. This is a whole Rammstein-show, and I take the footage and cut it with the same precision that I would a 3-4 minute music video. Even with a big crew of editors, it took us over a year to nail down the edit. Looking at it now – that is the strength of this project. It really brings the show alive and shows what Rammstein is all about.”
An intimate journey through the formative years of [Lynch’s] life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema’s most enigmatic directors. David Lynch: The Art Life infuses Lynch’s own art, music and early films, shining a light into the dark corners of his unique world, giving audiences a better understanding of the man and the artist.
The Surire Salt Flat is located at an altitude of 4300 m in the Chilean High Plateau and is one of the most remote places in the world, keeping the treasure of untouched nature with all its beauty but also holding an allurement: a huge amount of borax, promising the mining industry profits at unknown levels. Surire, metaphorically tells us in an outstanding visual way the story of our planet – about the very important subjects of the disappearance of traditional indigenous culture, untouched nature, the environment, and the clash of new and old.
After his mother unexpectedly dies, 17-year-old Ethan discovers he is the owner of his mother’s horse – a horse he never even knew existed. He travels cross country to live with his grandparents and investigate the mystery. His grandmother is supportive but his angry grandfather Otto doesn’t seem to want him around. Next door live three children who are taking riding lessons at the same farm where his mother’s horse is boarded. Their lives intersect as Ethan deals with his grief over his mother’s death and the children deal with a neighborhood bully whose father works at the horse farm. The journey for Ethan, Otto, the three children, the bully and her father all revolve around a gentle and faithful horse called Bear who deeply touches all their lives. This is a delightful redemption-themed family movie that will appeal to children, teens, horse-lovers and people of all ages.
Johnny Cash: American Rebel is built around 12 essential Johnny Cash tracks spanning four decades that each deliver the passion, musicality and messages against war, injustice, racism and prejudice, including “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Jackson,” “San Quentin,” “Man in Black,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Ring of Fire” and “Hurt.” Each song illustrates a chapter in his life, as well the story of an ever-changing America from the 1950s to modern day, as told through interviews, archival concert footage, photographs and personal artifacts from the Cash family.
Stelios Dimitrakopoulos has 32 hours left before he loses everything. From the jazz bar he painstakingly keeps running for years, to his own family. The Romanian gangster who lent him money, now demands the debt to be paid. The middle-man and former friend, makes Stelios take care of illegal errands. His wife is seriously thinking of abandoning him, and a night club owner, not thinking about the consequences, finally starts to stand up for himself. Christmas is coming, the clock is ticking, and the tree in Stelios’ house must be decorated.
The time: 1814. The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo. A much accomplished artist of his time and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Bodhidharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Third of Tetsuzo’s four daughters and born out of his second marriage, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father’s talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. Her art is so powerful that sometimes leads to trouble. “We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, I guess we can always manage, in a way or another.”
The American Dream Is the cultural motif that has inspired North America for the last century. Work hard, save, sacrifice and you will get ahead. America offers the freedom of upward mobility. But over the last decade the American Dream has been called into question. For many, it no longer seems to be working. The MILLENNIAL DREAM is a feature length documentary that explores the values that may replace the cultural motif known as The American Dream. As the Millennial generation becomes the most significant portion of the work force what will change about what we want from our jobs, what education will look like, what kinds of companies will succeed in the new economy and what kinds of living communities will be desired? And what can cities and regions do to attract the new economy? Interviews with experts such as Seth Godin and the personal reflections of young workers will stir debate and dialogue around what might emerge as the Millennial Dream.
PRAYER NEVER FAILS is a gripping legal drama about an up-and-coming small town high school basketball coach, well on his way to a championship caliber season, when he is fired after he prays with one of his players who is in great need. The movie is powerful, and at its essence, epitomizes Stepping Out On Faith, Facing Failure, Staying In Prayer, Following Your Calling, and Honoring the Will of God.
In a country famous for its success in international beauty pageants, three young women are fighting to participate in their nation’s most celebrated cultural institution. But obtaining a place in the Miss Venezuela contest is no easy task. Women must endure grueling diets, consent to intensive plastic surgery, and find the resources necessary to transform themselves from ordinary citizens into famous and illustrious Misses. To Be a Miss is a character-driven documentary that takes the viewer through the inner workings of Venezuela’s renowned beauty factory, revealing the risks and rewards associated with this multi-billion dollar industry while exposing what nationalism, personal ambition, and the influence of mass media has meant for women in the country.
Ignoring the admonitions of locals, journalist John Miller heads out alone to explore the remnants of Buffalo City, once the busiest town in the area but now merely a pile of dilapidated ruins amidst the encroaching swampland. Are the tales of strange apparitions and deadly encounters merely musings from tale-telling old timers, or will Miller uncover something darker, something that may cost him his life?
Nychos is an illustrator, Urban Art- and Graffiti artist who became known with his street concept RABBIT EYE MOVEMENT (REM) 10 years ago. The icon of the movement is a white rabbit, which has been breeding since then and has been popping up in the streets all over the globe for the past decade. This is exactly what Nychos thrives for – he travels the world to spread his art and his REM concept. Within the last two years Nychos was accompanied by filmmaker Christian Fischer who recorded these journeys to create a full lenght movie. ”The Deepest Depths Of The Burrow” is a documentary about art, lifestyle and subculture.
On the same day, in the same accident, Wei loses his pregnant wife and Ming her fiancé. In Buddhism, one is given 100 days to mourn for the dead. Like two mice lost in a labyrinth, Wei runs around in circles while Ming calmly creeps down a determined path. But the pain and sorrow linger on. With the 100th day approaching, they wonder if they’ll ever be able to say goodbye.
Pixel Veil presents “The Alchemist’s Letter,” a richly inventive and visually stunning dark fairly tale. When Veridian, an estranged young man, receives his late alchemist father Nicolas’ inheritance (voice of Academy Award® nominated John Hurt), he is exposed to the ill-fated reality that his father built a tumultuous gold making machine powered by his own memories. The film takes us on an enchanted journey through the vessels of the machine where we explore the contents of the alchemist’s most precious memories, all in an attempt to give his son one last life lesson and save his relationship with his daughter (voice of Eloise Webb) from following down the same fateful path.
The Who’s epic 50th Anniversary Tour finale show, recorded at Hyde Park. Experience all the greatest hits including ‘Who Are You’, ‘My Generation’, ‘I Can See For Miles’, ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘See Me Feel Me’, ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’. Plus Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Iggy Pop, Robert Plant, Johnny Marr and others share their stories of the band’s history and influence as legendary pioneers of British Rock.
The film follows a group of friends and their highs and lows in pursuit of romantic redemption. It takes place over three years and is divided into eight parties : New Year’s Eve, one housewarming, Midsummer, a wedding, a surprise party, a name of celebration, anniversary and birthday parties. The friends are all late thirties or early forties. They fought all with their own idea of what the perfect love really is, and must re-evaluate their perception in the course of history.
In a California memorabilia shop in 2010, collector Randy Guijarro bought a tintype that looked to be a familiar figure, Billy the Kid – playing croquet with his gang known as The Regulators. As the gravity of the discovery began to set in, Guijarro initiated a chain of events that would lead him on a painstaking journey to verify the photograph’s authenticity.
Comedian Jim Breuer returns to EPIX for his second hour-long special, taped in front of a home crowd at the Paramount Theater in Long Island, New York. As he inches closer to 50, Breuer focuses his own absurd lens on the circle of life-from the hilarious indignities of getting older to the perils of parenting.
Four inseparable teenagers in a small town in Brittany (France). As lifelong fans of the West Coast, they think are real gangstas. Together as a “gang”, they are invincible, respected, fearless and nothing can reach them, certainly not the teasing and contempt of their fellow classmates. So when Fle-O, the leader of this merry gang, learns that he has to leave his town and his friends at the end of the year, his whole world falls apart leaving him vulnerable when the most popular kid in school decides to make fun of them in front of everyone. Humiliated, our protagonists decide to take their revenge through one last expedition together that will lead them further than they would have imagined. Through incongruous situations and successive meetings, they will grow and learn.
Off-Road Racing. It’s a form of racing that tests man and machine against the unknown. The terrain, the trails, the courses and everything around it is constantly evolving. Off-road racers must be incredibly versatile and able to excel in any type of terrain. See what things are like, From The Other Side….
A star-studded lineup of music, film and television stars will join the celebration of Mickey Mouse on Mickey’s 90th Spectacular. The two-hour television event honoring 90 years of the internationally beloved character will feature appearances by actress, activist and mom Kristen Bell (Disney’s Frozen), actress and Hollywood Records/Republic Records recording artist Sofia Carson (Disney’s Descendants, Freeform’s upcoming Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists), two-time Emmy® Award-winning actor Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development), and actress Sarah Hyland (ABC’s Modern Family), as well as special musical performances by Josh Groban, NCT 127, Leslie Odom Jr., Meghan Trainor and Zac Brown Band. Mr. Iger will make a special appearance during the evening’s festivities.
Mastering classic pinball arcade games requires focus, agility and dedication. Robert Gagno has all these traits. It might explain why he surged from a complete unknown to one of the world’s best players in five years. The achievement is even more impressive considering he was diagnosed with autism at age three. His success on the pinball circuit made him part of a community that provided acceptance and encouragement. With his parents’ support and determination, Robert has exceeded every expectation placed upon him. As he approaches adulthood, his next challenge is to become more self-sufficient and gain his independence. From high-stakes tournaments across the continent to his day-to-day search for employment, we follow Robert’s persistent progression to overcome obstacles and manage the highs of success and lows of falling short. In Wizard Mode, flashing lights and triple combos highlight an outstanding individual who continues to beat the odds and set records.
After her car breaks down on a rainy night, Miss Liang enters a nearby coffee shop called Cafe 6. The owner of the shop finds out that Miss Liang has just gotten into a fight with her boyfriend who is currently overseas, so to kill time, he shares a story of his time back in 1996. During that year, Guan Min-lu and his good friend Xiao Bo-zhi always hang out together. Min-lu is secretly in love with Li Xin-rui while Bo-zhi is attracted to Xin-rui’s best friend, Cai Xin-yi. The four young teenagers share a good relationship with each other and spend their days happily every day. But as their graduation day draws near, they wonder if they can still stay committed with each other after going their separate ways.
Love is blooming at Sakuragaoka High School. Natsuki Enomoto has finally mustered the courage to confess to her childhood friend, Yuu Setoguchi. However, in the final moments of her confession, an embarrassed Natsuki passes it off as a “practice confession.” Oblivious to her true feelings and struggling with his own, Yuu promises to support Natsuki in her quest for love. While Natsuki deals with her failed confession, fellow classmate Koyuki Ayase struggles with his own feelings for Natsuki. Despite his timidness, he is determined to win over her heart.
In a seasonal special, Gordon Buchanan meets the animals who live in nature’s winter wonderlands. He reveals their survival secrets, from the polar bear mother who gives her cubs the best possible start in life to the owl that finds food hidden beneath a blanket of snow, plus the plucky penguins that huddle together to keep warm. Gordon also unwraps the lives of our favourite Christmas characters – those wonderful reindeer and our very own robin redbreast!
Life on Earth is an eternal mystery, and some say it’s beyond our grasp. While some are content to live an ordinary life, others cannot accept the notion of death and will do anything to prevent their demise. Retired Lt. Arland Frye is a man who has had terrifying experiences and seen life changing horrors that led him on a dark journey into the unknown. Experimenting with Brujo magic and the occult, Lt. Frye is now on his deathbed and crosses over into another realm where the dance between life and death is a hallucinatory experience not just for him, but for those he chooses to take with him.
Selections include Kelley’s Plasticon Pictures, the earliest extant 3-D demonstration film from 1922 with incredible footage of Washington and New York City; New Dimensions, the first domestic full color 3-D film originally shown at the World’s Fair in 1940; Thrills for You, a promotional film for the Pennsylvania Railroad; Stardust in Your Eyes, a hilarious standup routine by Slick Slavin; trailer for The Maze, with fantastic production design by William Cameron Menzies; Doom Town, a controversial anti-atomic testing film mysteriously pulled from release; puppet cartoon The Adventures of Sam Space, presented in widescreen; I’ll Sell My Shirt, a burlesque comedy unseen in 3-D for over 60 years; Boo Moon, an excellent example of color stereoscopic animation…and more!
Seung-ju, robbed clean of his wallet and phone by four high schoolers! Jung-taek, swept into the chase only to have his gun snatched away by the same teens! An erratic pursuit by two men, stripped of their “precious” possessions and completely run down and four teenagers, running the grown-ups through a proper drill right in the middle of the night.! The furious chase has begun!
Michael Winterbottom, celebrated director of 24 Hour Party People, The Road to Guantanamo, and The Trip, joins forces with actor, comedian, and provocateur Russell Brand for that most unlikely of documentary approaches: an uproarious critique of the world financial crisis. Building on Brand’s emergence as an activist following his 2014 book Revolution, where he railed against “corporate tyranny, ecological irresponsibility, and economic inequality,” The Emperor’s New Clothes pairs archival footage with comedic send-ups conducted in the financial centers of London and New York. Brand spotlights not only how the crisis affected the working class around the world, but also how the uber-wealthy benefited from the downturn. With Winterbottom providing his signature ingenuity and pinpoint directorial control, they generate a riveting, boisterous, and, at times, cathartic riff on the extreme disparities between the haves and have nots in contemporary society.
A bored teen piano prodigy has her life turned upside down one day when she learns her parents are divorcing. After a horrible accident that drives her to run away, Claire befriends a young refugee from war torn Afghanistan. As the two of them dream of being renegade outlaws, his hidden truth starts to come out as Claire discovers he is a drug courier and the mobsters he ripped off want their drugs back leading the two on a harrowing journey.
One week before proposing to his girlfriend, Kyle, a down-on-his-luck romantic, discovers that she’s been sleeping with another man. Unemployed, saddled with debt, and depressed, Kyle embarks on a funny yet affecting journey to recovery that involves living in his car, bottom-of-the-barrel jobs, therapy, online dating, and Kyle’s own wild, fantastical, and snarky imagination.
Ryan, a well-intentioned, young police officer with a troubled past, is just out of training when a Senior Officer singles him out as a perfect candidate for an undercover sting. Ryan is transformed into Max, a young criminal with a force-ten temper who infiltrates a notorious gang of bank robbers, headed by the enigmatic and elusive master-thief known only as “The Monopoly Man”. Struggling with his identity, Ryan is drawn closer to the gang and finds himself crossing the line to the point of no return as he takes part in their biggest heist yet. When the gang are caught and locked together in a cell, with rumours of a “snitch” in their midst, Ryan must maintain his criminal persona just to stay alive.
When the son of a successful judge is killed by two police officers and the system sets them free, a hardened veteran detective finds some incriminating files on the officers and the judge teams up with another mourning father to take the law into his own hands.
During an exclusive tour, a power breakdown inside a secret prison known as the Death House sends two agents fighting through a labyrinth of horrors while being pursued by a ruthless army of roaming inmates. As they fight to escape, the agents push toward the lowest depths of the facility where they learn a supernatural group of evil beings is their only chance for survival.
Unadventurous office worker Hannah and her childhood friend Trixie’s world is turned upside down when the ghost of her late sister appears; guiding them on a road trip to scatter her ashes at a destination she once sought but never found. What starts off as a simple journey turns into an unpredictable adventure and the two friends must overcome their sheltered existence and find out who they really are and what they are truly capable of.
As four teenage graffiti artists run from the police, they hide in an old abandoned schoolhouse. They quickly discover that someone else is already using the building for their own dark purposes.
