In 2010, Roger Ross Williams won the Academy Award for his documentary short Music by Prudence, becoming the first African American director ever to receive an Oscar. Now he explores the evangelical campaign to change African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting the “sexual […]
Gideon’s Army follows Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick, three young public defenders who are part of a small group of idealistic lawyers in the Deep South challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point. Fifty years after the Supreme Court’s landmark Gideon vs. Wainwright ruling established the […]
Shot over the course of five years, First Cousin Once Removed is Alan Berliner’s intimate portrait of his cousin, friend and former mentor—the poet, translator, and teacher, Edwin Honig—and his journey through the ravages of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. It is an unflinching and beautiful essay on the fragility of being human, hailed by […]
Today drone strikes, night raids and U.S. government-condoned torture occur in corners across the globe, generating unprecedented civilian casualties. Director Richard Rowley takes us on a chilling ride with investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill (Blackwater), tracing the rise of the most secret fighting force in U.S. history and exposing operations carried out by men who do […]
When Orlando’s SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by the Orca whale Tilikum, it was reported as a freak accident. Blackfish digs deeper into the story to trace the history of captured Orcas—including Tilikum—who had killed before. This extraordinary investigation uncovers rare video footage obtained through lawsuits and meticulous research. Blackfish deepens our appreciation for […]
Millions know their voices, but no one knows their names. Award-winning director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 20th century. Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film is both a tribute to the unsung voices who brought […]
Oscar–nominated director Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) offers an inside look at the “West Memphis 3,” exploring how Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. The film chronicles the movement to prove their innocence, which involved everyone from grassroots supporters to celebrities such as Peter Jackson, Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp. Their determination […]
Unforgettable, chilling and emotional, The Imposter tells the gripping true story of a Texan boy who went missing in 1994 and was miraculously found three and a half years later thousands of miles away in southern Spain. Despite glaring inconsistencies in his physical appearance, the boy’s family brought their long-lost “son” home to restart his life in Texas. […]
A feature-length documentary about the remarkable life of Ethel Kennedy, this film is a revealing portrait through the eyes of those who know her best—her family. Directed by her Emmy Award-winning daughter, Rory Kennedy, and featuring candid interviews with Ethel and seven of her children, Ethel is a deeply personal look inside a political dynasty strengthened by family bonds, […]
This deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance was shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat in a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Burnat’s footage was turned into a galvanizing cinematic experience in collaboration with co-director Guy Davidi. Structured around the violent destruction of a succession of Burnat’s video cameras, the film follows one family’s […]