Puerto Rico, the last relic of colonization in the western hemisphere, has been a dependent territory of the USA since 1917. Los Macheteros and one of its leaders Juan Segarra have been fighting for its full independence for many decades.
East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison-the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system-is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days. The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correction Facility who enter into this arduous and intensive program. Written by Balcony Releasing
How does a nation slip into war? Dateline-Saigon profiles the controversial reporting of five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists -The New York Times' David Halberstam, the Associated Press' Malcolm Browne, Peter Arnett, and legendary photojournalist Horst Faas, and UPI's Neil Sheehan -- during the early years of the Vietnam War as President John F. Kennedy is secretly committing US troops to what is initially dismissed by some as 'a nice little war in a land of tigers and elephants.' 'When the government is telling the truth, reporters become a relatively unimportant conduit to what is happening,' Halberstam tells us. 'But when the government doesn't tell the truth, begins to twist the truth, hide the truth, then the journalist becomes involuntarily infinitely more important.'
Norman Porter, a convicted double murderer from Massachusetts, served 25 years in prison before escaping to Chicago where he spent the next two decades living under the name JJ Jameson. He was apprehended in 2005, thanks to a relentless police investigation, just after being named Chicago’s “Poet of the Month.” The film interweaves varying perspectives on an elusive and enigmatic persona, from the eccentric characters living in the heart of Chicago’s beatnik-artist community, to the victims’ embittered families in Boston, and the vigilant officers behind the 20-year hunt for a killer.
Circus Without Borders tells the inspiring story of two youth circuses from remote corners of the world – an Inuit village in Canada, and Guinea in West Africa. The film traces their intersecting journeys as troupe members confront heartrending challenges and become internationally-known performers who return home to transform their communities. We record the troupes’ triumphs and struggles, many of which are the enduring legacy of a history of colonization.
The story of Bill McGowan, who took on the most powerful monopoly of his time - ATT, and its Bell System of local phone companies - and won against all odds.
This compelling and thought-provoking documentary provides riveting portraits of a diverse group of six men who once were women and chose to change their gender. The award-winning film is an unforgettable story of self-discovery and challenges all of us to re-examine the foundations of our ideas and feelings about gender, sexuality, and identity.
Whitey Bulger: the Making of a Monster is the definitive biographical documentary about Whitey – a story that takes viewers into the heart of darkness of the legendary crime boss and cold-blooded killer. It digs deep into the mind of a psychopath, exploring the roots of his insatiable need for power and control. The documentary debunks the myth of the “Robin Hood of South Boston,” painting a deeply rendered portrait of evil.
