Adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean became synonymous with a love of science and the natural world. As he learned to protect the  environment, he brought the whole world with him, sounding alarms more than 50 years ago about the warming seas and our planet’s vulnerability. In BECOMING COUSTEAU, from National Geographic Documentary Films, two-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker LIZ GARBUS takes an inside look at Cousteau and  his life, his iconic films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice — and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth. Director Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?, All In: The Fight for Democracy, The Farm: Angola, USA) joins us for a look back at one of the 20th centuries most influential and consequential figures and one of the early advocates for preserving and protecting mother ocean.

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For news go to: nationalgeographic.com/becoming-cousteau

In Theaters October 22, 2021

For more go to: storysyndicate.com

About the filmmaker – Liz Garbus is a two-time Academy Award® nominee (“The Farm: Angola, USA,” “What Happened, Miss Simone?”), two-time Emmy® winner (Directing, Drama Series, and Directing, Nonfiction Programming), Peabody winner (“A Dangerous Son”), GRAMMY® nominee (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”), DGA nominee (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) and BAFTA-nominated (“Reporting Trump’s First Year: The Fourth Estate”), Garbus is one of America’s most celebrated filmmakers, renowned for her documentary work and also for her breakthrough scripted debut. Her work has been featured in film festivals from Sundance to Telluride to Toronto to the New York Film festival and has appeared in theaters and across streaming platforms, as well as premium cable television. Other credits include “The Innocence Files” (Netflix, 2020), “Who Killed Garrett Phillips?” (HBO, 2019), “There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane” (HBO, 2011), “The Farm: Angola, USA” (Academy Award nominee, 1998) and many others. Her narrative feature debut, “Lost Girls,” premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and was released on Netflix and in theaters in March 2020. Her series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” premiered on HBO in June 2020. Garbus’ recent film “All In: The Fight for Democracy” premiered at the New York Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, drive-in screenings, theaters and digitally on Amazon Prime Video in September 2020. For more go to storysyndicate.com

About the filmmaker – Dan Cogan is one of the most prominent non-fiction producers working today. Both an Academy Award® and Emmy Award® winner, Dan founded Story Syndicate with Liz Garbus in 2019. Previously, Dan was the founding Executive Director of Impact Partners. He has produced more than 100 films and series, including ICARUS, which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, which won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, THE COVE, which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and THE APOLLO, which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary. For more go to: storysyndicate.com/team

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Absorbing, compelling and often surprising… This is a tale free of talking heads and commentators looking back at events they only half-remember and [director Liz] Garbus’ portrait is all the more effective and impactful as a result of that.” – James Croot, Stuff.co.nz

“Liz Garbus’s focused, comprehensive documentary pays tribute to Cousteau’s legacy as an explorer, inventor and filmmaker, but also charts his evolution into a passionate advocate for the environment.” – Allan Hunter, Screen International

“Becoming Cousteau succeeds beautifully in its goal of reminding viewers of Jacques Cousteau’s important legacy of underwater exploration and environmental activism.” – Frank Scheck,

“Breezy, simply presented, and plenty illuminating, Becoming Cousteau shirks the typical talking heads doc format in favour of shrewdly selected archive materials accompanied by compelling voiceover testimony.” – Shaun Munro, Flickering Myth

“A film that serves both as a tribute to an icon and a powerful warning on the devastation of our planet.” – Ricardo Gallegos, But Why Tho? A Geek Community

FOUND is a feature documentary that follows the story of three American teenage girls—each adopted from China—who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confrot the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once in a lifetime journey to China in search of answers. Director Amanda Lipitz (Step) joins us to talk about the logistical, physical and emotional gauntlet that these young women signed up for in order to answer, or attempt to answer deeply personal questions about each of their lives as well as the support and love they show for one another.

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To watch go to: netflix.com/FOUND

For more go to: amandalipitzproductions.com/documentary

In addition to the October 20th launch on Netflix, the film arrives ahead of November – National Adoption Month with November 9th being National Adoption Day.

About the filmmaker – Amanda Lipitz’s second documentary, FOUND, which she directed and produced with Impact Partners and Kindred Spirit Productions, is set to be released on Netflix in October 2021. Her first feature-length documentary, STEP, premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking. Additionally, STEP was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Best Documentary, the African American Critics Choice Award for Best Documentary, the Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the AFI Docs Festival. Amanda co-created and directed Motherhacker, a scripted podcast with Gimlet Media and Spotify starring Carrie Coon, and is currently developing a television adaptation. Known nationally for her films highlighting philanthropic organizations and their impact, Lipitz has made more than 30 shorts for organizations such as the Young Women’s Leadership Network, Citymeals on Wheels, College Bound Initiative, The Tory Burch Foundation, Barnard College, Turnaround for Children, The Gateway School and many more. Broadway producing credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde the Musical, The Performers, A View From the Bridge (Tony Award, Best Revival) and The Humans (Tony Award, Best Play). Off Broadway, Amanda developed and produced Brooklynite at The Vineyard Theatre. On television, Amanda served as executive producer and creator of MTV’s groundbreaking series “Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.” Lipitz graduated with a BFA in theater from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Amanda lives in New York City with her husband, two daughters, and son. For more go to: amandalipitzproductions.com/documentary

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“What Ms. Lipitz does render quite believable is the level of relief, love, joy and even guilt involved in the girls’ coming to terms with their people, and themselves. And how it all might well resolve in tears.” – John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

“It’s stunning to hear that each nanny remembers the girls so clearly. Are these true memories or wishful thinking? Maybe it doesn’t matter.” – Nina Metz,

“Wonderfully emotional and would be a good companion piece with [the documentary] One Child Nation.” – Claudia Puig, FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)

“Its comfort with ambivalence and ambiguity proves a strength, allowing the girls and their loved ones the space to work through confusing or contradictory emotions without trying to tie them up in neat little conclusions.” – Angie Han,

“Rife with poignant moments…” – Lisa Kennedy, New York Times

FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL explores the historic events of January 6, 2021, focuses on the facts of the day itself and the impact on those who were there and illuminates salient questions about the stark political divide in the United States, the culpability of those involved and the fragility of an electoral process that is fundamental to a functioning democracy. FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL meticulously details how the violence quickly escalated, leaving Capitol security forces outnumbered and overwhelmed, and highlights the high-stakes standoff between police and rioters. Tightly focused and comprehensive, the documentary features never-before-seen footage and vivid first-hand accounts from lawmakers, staffers, police officers, protesters, and rioters who stormed the Capitol building where the electoral votes were being counted. FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL unfolds with urgent precision and presents an unfiltered look at the insurrection, standing both as an intimate recollection as well as a stark reminder of the wider ramifications of the events of that unprecedented day, which ended with the deaths of five people and more than 140 police officers injured. FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL features the personal experiences of those on the ground, building out the events of the day with exclusive interviews and footage from multiple sources, including phone videos and surveillance and body camera footage. Interviewees include Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Buddy Carter and Rep. Rosa DeLauro; senators Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin; D.C. Metropolitan police officers Mike Fanone, Jimmy Albright and Daniel Hodges; Commanders Ramey Kyle and Robert Glover; and Capitol police officers Winston Pingeon, Byron Evans and Keith Robishaw; protestors/rioters including Couy Griffin, Dominic Box, Nick Alvear, Eddie Block and Bobbie Pickles; journalists / videographers and Capitol staffers. Director Jamie Roberts joins us to talk about his access to many of the key players inside and outside the maelstrom that threatened to violently thwart the transition of the legitimately elected president at the direction of the defeated president.

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For news and updates go to: hbo.com/four-hours-at-the-capitol

HBO’s FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL was executive produced by Dan Reed (HBO’s “Leaving Neverland”, “3 Days of Terror: the Charlie Hebdo Attacks,” “Terror At The Mall”) and directed by Jamie Roberts. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller; coordinating producer, Anna Klein. FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL will debut on HBO October 20 and be available to stream on HBO Max.

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Perhaps what comes through most vividly, beyond the sheer chaos that day, is the simmering anger that many legislators and others still feel, as well as their lingering shock that such a lapse could have taken place. – Brian Lowry, CNN.com

“The filmmakers will be criticized by some for giving oxygen to such views but the film’s point is clear — the strange calm of the advocates for violence is presented alongside footage of the barbaric fighting, as a subversion of their serenity.” – John Doyle, Globe and Mail

“Four Hours At The Capitol puts us inside the twisted minds of the insurrectionists who attacked the seat of government, but at no point are viewers compelled to sympathize with them.” – Stephen Robinson, AV Club

“[a] terrifying, suspenseful account.” – FINANCIAL TIMES

“A blood-chilling view of today’s political realities and one not to be missed.” – WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Meticulous.” – THE GUARDIAN

In this beautifully rendered tale, LUZZU, follows a hardworking Maltese fisherman, Jesmark (Jesmark Scicluna) facing an agonizing choice. He can repair his leaky luzzu – a traditional, multicolored wooden fishing boat – in the hopes of eking out a meager living at sea for his wife and newborn son, just as his father and grandfather did before him. Or he can decommission it in exchange for an EU payout and cast his lot with a sinister black-market operation that is decimating the Mediterranean fish population and the livelihoods of the local families who depend on it. LUZZU won a Sundance Jury Prize for its nonprofessional lead actor Jesmark Scicluna, a real-life Maltese fisherman, and heralds the arrival of writer-director-editor Alex Camilleri. His gripping film operates in the neorealist tradition of Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rosselini, and the Dardenne brothers and calls to mind the work of his mentor Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, The White Tiger), also a producer of the film. Director Alex Camilleri and actor Jesmark Scicluna join us for a conversation on the challenges of working with a largely non-professional cast, including Jesmark’s brother and staying true to the story of a traditional culture under pressure from global economic forces to change its ways.

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For news, updates and screenings go to: luzzufilm.com

For news, updates and screenings go to: kinolorber.com/film/luzzu

Award: Winner: Special Jury Prize for Acting (Jesmark Scicluna) – Sundance Film Festival

Luzzu will release theatrically in New York (Oct. 15) and in Los Angeles (Oct. 22) from Kino Lorber, followed by a national rollout. 

About the filmmaker – Alex Camilleri is a Maltese-American filmmaker based in New York City. He studied English literature and documentary filmmaking at Vassar College, where he gained recognition for his thesis project, STILL HERE (2010), which won Best Student Documentary at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. His work has screened at Venice, Telluride, TIFF, and New Directors/New Films, and in 2016 he was selected for the Sundance Institute’s Editing Intensive. There, he workshopped KEEP THE CHANGE, which went on to win Best Feature & Best New Director at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, as well as the FIPRESCI prize at Karlovy Vary. He worked closely with acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani on the production of his two recent feature films, including the Golden Globe–nominated 99 HOMES. Bahrani served as the executive producer of PRICKLY PEAR, Camilleri’s first narrative short film, which premiered at TIFF Kids in 2017. He is preparing to direct his feature film debut from an original script.As an editor of industrials, his clients include: Vogue, adidas, Levi’s, Intel, John Varvatos, Chobani, and more.

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“A ravishing portrait of tradition in transition, Luzzu brings Malta to the forefront.” – Carlos Aguilar, RogerEbert.com

“A neorealist telling in the tradition of the Dardenne brothers…Luzzu is beautifully shot..a true discovery in the casting of Jesmark Scicluna, a real fisherman who plays a version of himself…” – Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire

“An honest, affecting slab of working-class portraiture, altogether bracingwith its thorny labor politics and salty sea air.”- Guy Lodge, Variety

“The kind of film Roberto Rossellini would have made if he were still alive today.” – Jordan Ruimy, World of Reel

In A COP MOVIE director Alonso Ruizpalacios takes us deep into the Mexican police force with the story of Teresa and Montoya, together known as “the love patrol.” In this thoroughly original and unpredictable documentary, Ruizpalacios thoroughly blurs with the boundaries of nonfiction and immerses the audience into the human experience of police work within a dysfunctional system. What does it take to be a cop in Mexico City? Two professional actors undergo an immersive process of “training” tobecome police officer, playing the role of Teresa and Montoya, in order to explore this question, while gaining a visceral understanding of an officers responses as they guide us on their journey from the ‘inside’. Director Alonso Ruizpalacios (MUSEO, GUEROS) joins us for a conversation on his mind-bending approach to policing in a city and country where the struggle for police officers is a never-ending question of ethics versus economics, law enforcement versus corruption.

In Select Theaters October 20

To watch beginning November 5 go to: netflix.com/A Cop Movie

Director’s Statement – One of the most compelling things I have discovered in filmmaking is the fact that film always deals with the present. Unlike novels, we cannot narrate in the past tense. The medium is tied to the present. What an obvious thing to say! Yet I believe every filmmaker needs to discover this for himself in order to truly understand how to use real- ity to enrich fiction — to offer new avenues of understanding — and vice versa. Like Walter Murch pointed out, the photographic nature of film condemns it, for better or worse, to be a register of the present moment. In both my filmmaking and stage work, I have sought different ways to test the limits of fiction. Whether it is by mixing actors with non-actors, by combining real events with completely made-up ones and making them undistinguishable, or by breaking the “fourth wall,” my acting background has led me naturally down this path. When this film started to take shape, it soon presented us with the challenge of how to show things that are almost impossible to document about such an impenetrable group as the Mexico City police force. How do we document the endless chain of extortions and all the nuanced behaviors surrounding it that our wonderfully generous characters, Teresa and Montoya, so openly shared with us in the interviews? It soon became apparent that fiction was going to be our aid. The opportunity to use my background in fiction, in order to delve into the world of nonfiction, turned this into a real passion project for me. In the two years that we spent doing the research, interviewing experts on public security as well as chiefs of police, I came to the realization that the notion of representation is an essential part of the police officer’s everyday life. I want to contribute to change our relationship with the police and break the prejudices that remain deeply rooted in citizens’ perception of the police. The immersive process that the actors follow is a way of making the film process itself a demonstration of what police officers go through every day. I hope that this film becomes a catalyst for generating a larger conversation around our relationship with the police and how we can work together to lower the levels of impunity.  – Alonso Ruizpalacios

About the filmmaker – Director Alonso Ruizpalacios is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. His first feature, Güeros, won over 40 prizes in festivals around the world, including Best First Feature at the Berlinale 2014 as well as awards at San Sebastian, AFI, Tribeca, Havana, among many others. It won five Mexican Academy Ariel Awards, including Best Picture. Museo, his second feature, starring Gael García Bernal, won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale 2018, as well as Best Director in Athens and Morelia, and was the first major release in a foreign language from YouTube Originals. It was nominated for 12 Ariel Awards in 2019. His short films Café Paraíso, The Cú Bird’s Last Song and Verde have been Official Selection at TIFF, Clermont-Ferrand, Cannes Critics Week, London Film Fest, Tribeca, and have won over 30 prizes around the world. He is represented by WME.

Coming to NETFLIX November 5

93% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Narrative gamesmanship merges with investigative journalism in this remarkable docu-fiction hybrid, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios.” – Richard Brody, New Yorker

“A formalistically clever and visually dazzling mash-up of interview material and reenactment footage” – Stephen Garrett, Book & Film Globe

“Suffice to say, Ruizpalacios is swiftly emerging as one of the most exciting new voices in Mexican cinema.” – Peter Debruge, Variety

“Like a cop movie written by Jacques Derrida, directed with nods to Wes Anderson and Jean-Luc Godard and then remixed by Abbas Kiarostami in its efforts to tear down the fourth wall.” – Jordan Mintzer,

“Alonso Ruizpalacios voices a profound sense of powerlessness on the part of the police without sentimentalizing the abuses and biases of the profession.” – Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine

On September 5th, 1981 a group of women came together to change the world. These women marched from Wales to Berkshire to protest over nuclear weapons being kept at RAF Greenham Common. The Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp that followed, challenged world leaders, altering the course of history and went on to inspire millions as the world’s first and biggest female-only demonstration, preceded only by the suffragettes.  MOTHERS OF THE REVOLUTION, a feature-length documentary that tells the story of the extraordinary women behind the Greenham Common Peace Camp, heads to the USA this Fall. Narrated by Glenda Jackson and featuring interviews with key participants including Julie Christie and Rebecca Johnson, alongside archive footage from the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, Mothers of the Revolution takes you through one of the longest protests in history, when between 1981 and 2000, thousands of women from around the world came together at Greenham Common to take a committed stand against nuclear proliferation.  Forty years ago, these everyday human beings began with that first step on their march to Greenham Common and became the heroes of a movement that changed the world. Director Briar March (Coffin Club, There Once Was An Island) joins us for a conversation on just how groundbreaking and historically under-appreciated this protest movement is, the varied lives of the working class women who came together for this cause and the lessons that every one of us can and should take away from their remarkable story.

For news screenings go to: mothersoftherevolution-movie.com

Background – The Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp was a series of protest camps established to protest against nuclear weapons being placed at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire,  England. The camp began in September 1981 after aWelsh group, Women for Life on Earth, arrived at Greenham to protest against the decision of the British government to allow cruise missiles to be stored there. After realizing that the march alone was not going to get them the attention that they needed to have the missiles removed, women began to stay at Greenham to continue their protest. The first blockade of the base occurred in March 1982 with 250 women protesting, during which 34 arrests and one death occurred. The camp was active for 19 years and disbanded in 2000.

About the filmmaker – Her filmography comprises three feature length documentaries, Home (2014), There Once was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho (2010), and Allie Eagle and Me (2004), as well as four documentary shorts: Smoke Songs (2012), Michael & His Dragon (2010), Sick Wid It (2010), and Promenade (2011). Her wide interest in multi-media has lead her to work as a television editor, production manager, and cinematographer on both fiction and documentary projects, and she is highly involved in the New Zealand Film and Television community. In 2011-2012 she was a fulltime Instructor in Documentary Film Production at Florida Atlantic University. Briar has since moved to New Zealand and in 2013 worked for Attitude Pictures making television documentaries about people living with disabilities.  Since leaving Attitude she has been completing a feature documentary for Maori Television and Pacific Islanders in Communications.  Briar received an M.F.A in Documentary Film and Video Production at Stanford University, and a B.F.A at Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts. She shares the production company On the Level Productions, with Lyn Collie. In all of her work Briar hopes to challenge and inspire audiences, with a view that cinema is both a tool for social change and an important form of art-making. For more go to: xyz.thereoncewasanisland.com

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“A celebration as much as it is a reflection on the history of the Greenham Common peace camp. Informative, but the fact there is enough material here for a couple of films is a mixed blessing.” – Sam Inglis, HeyUGuys

“[An] earnest, unabashedly emotional chronicle, which throws a long-overdue spotlight on a chapter in the history of civil disobedience.” – Leslie Felperin, Guardian

“Mothers of the Revolution will appeal to any maternal or paternal instinct to protect Mother Earth for future generations.” – Wendy Shreve, Featuring Film

“Mothers of the Revolution reminds us to value all those whose dedication and courage is too seldom recognized.” – Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com

At ninety-three, Mama Icha feels that the end of her life is near. Despite protestations from her family, she spends her days focusing on just one thing: returning to her native village of Mompox in northern Colombia. Mama Icha dreams of passing her final years taking comfort in the landscapes of her youth, walking along the Magdalena River at dusk, surrounded by her relatives and neighbors in the courtyard of the house that she painstakingly had built during her years of absence, with the money she sent from abroad. Thirty years prior, Mama Icha had emigrated to the United States to help her daughter with the care of her children and has remained ever since. Now, against the best wishes of her family in America, Mama Icha boards a plane and flies back to Colombia where she meets her sons, Gustavo and Alberto, who have been in charge of her house while she’s been gone. But upon returning, the idyllic world of her memories is confronted by the harsh reality of deteriorating family relationships and broken expectations. The confrontation is disappointing and forces Mama Icha to consider exactly how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the notion of home that she’s longed for so long. Director Oscar Molina stops by to talk about agism, poverty, family strife and the understandable desire to re-connect with our past.

For news and updates go to: amdoc.org/watch/casademamaicha

For more go to: micasamyhomefilm.weebly.com

POV is pleased to announce the national broadcast premiere of La Casa de Mama Icha, the debut feature documentary from Colombian director and cinematographer Óscar Molina. Debuting as part of POV’s 34th season, the documentary will premiere Monday, October 18, 2021 on PBS at 10 p.m. ET (check local listings) and at pov.org. It will also be available to stream for free at pov.org through December 17, 2021. La Casa de Mama Icha is a co-presentation of POV and Latino Public Broadcasting.

About the filmmaker – Director Óscar Molina is a Colombian filmmaker with a background in journalism and visual arts. He completed his MFA in Film and Media Arts at Temple University. His film work has been broadcast on national television and exhibited in film festivals in Havana, Cuba (1996 and 2000); Rosario, Argentina (2000); FIPATEL, Biarritz, Francia (2000); Bogota, Colombia (2003); Mexican Human Rights Film Festival (2003); Nextframe, US (2009); in dance film festivals in the US and Spain (2010 a 2013), and Cartagena (2020). In 2004 he received the Simon Bolivar National Journalist Prize for his documentary The Enchanted Kingdom. His documentary Ciudad a tres bandas is part of the Colombian Documentary Showcase (La Maleta). He served in several positions developing audiences for film in his country such as the programming director for the art cinema house Colombo Americano (2004-2006), and as a founder and director of Sin Fronteras Film Festival (2007-2008). Since 2011 he has been working on the research, development and production of the ‘Mi Casa / My Home’ trilogy. La casa de Mama Icha is his first feature film.

What connects us? THE UNIVERSALITY OF IT ALL, a feature-length documentary by Andrés Bronnimann, explores this simple yet complex question with profound perspective and intimate detail. Told through the lens of the filmmaker’s longtime friendship with Emad, a Yemeni refugee living in Vancouver, Bronniman examines the subject of human migration and how it relates to such varied topics as climate change, colonialism, neoliberalism, globalization, identity politics, fertility rates, wealth gaps, trade wars, terrorism, and the media. Taking viewers on a journey around the world, the film analyzes various cases of migration using both an economic and historical viewpoint, arriving at the realization of our shared interconnectedness amidst the major events of the 21st century. Armed with only a camera and computer, THE UNIVERSALITY OF IT ALL is the result of two years of passion, sacrifice, and determination by Bronnimann himself. His objective? To inspire young people across the globe to see the connections that all global and local issues have. “I believe that if more people are able to see the similarities and correlations that we all share, than perhaps we can find solutions to the pressing challenges ahead of us,” says Bronnimann. “I want to awaken the critical thinking of my generation, and this film is me doing everything I can to accomplish that.”

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For news and updates go to: theuniversalityfilm.com

Director’s Statement – 21st-century audiences are used to speed and absorbing vast amounts of information, hence the film’s overall style is designed to fit those needs.  “The Universality of It All” has a mixture of styles, techniques, and storylines that make for a fresh and innovative approach to storytelling. Fast-paced editing, aesthetically-striking cinematography, thought-provoking montages, informationally-rich infographics, alternative and experimental soundtrack, et cetera; are among some of the qualities that make this film proper for its day and age. The goal was to create a piece that could entertain, inform, and inspire at the same time; hence all the artistic decisions were based on these three core concepts. The main storyline between the filmmaker and his best friend, is shot with a naturalistic approach that creates a sense of intimacy with the characters. In contrast, the historical and factual sequences are comprised of carefully selected visuals and symbolic cutting that add an extra layer of meaning to all the information given. We can find juxtapositions all across the film, not only in terms of style, but also in terms of narrative, locations, ideas, issues, and characters. 

About the filmmaker – Director / Producer Andrés Bronnimann is a Swiss/Mexican/Costa Rican independent filmmaker based in Costa Rica and France. Throughout his career, he has traveled to more than 30 countries, creating music videos, web-series, and commercials for different brands, artists, and organizations. Both a producer and a writer, a manager and a creative, he’s been involved in nearly every stage in the film production pipeline. “The Universality of It All” is Andres’ debut film, nearly 2 years in the making, where he was the only crew member. For more go to: bronnitv.com

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Devi (Krisha Fairchild, KRISHA) has been breeding legendary pot strains for decades on the remote homestead she built herself. But when cannabis is legalized, she suddenly finds herself fighting for her survival. In tour-de-force performance, Krisha Fairchild (Devi) brings the timely, real-world story of black-market growers battling to survive to the screen. Featuring a heart-breaking turn by John Craven (UPSTREAM COLOR) as an old flame from Devi’s commune days, and Frank Mosley and Lily  Gladstone (CERTAIN WOMEN) as young workers adrift and bringing in the harvest, the film is full of standout performances that bring this very real community of fiercely independent characters to life. Set against the lush backdrop of the redwood forests of Northern California, Mario Furloni’s breathtaking cinematography pulls us into this isolated community in Humboldt County, the mythical birthplace of  weed. Co-directors Mario Furloni and Kate McLean imbue this emotional thriller with a deep and empathetic authenticity. They join us for a conversation on the challenges and rewards of embedding themselves into a notoriously closed community, bringing their experience as documentarian filmmakers into the narrative realm as well as working with a superb group of actors.

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For news, updates and screenings go to: freelandfilm.com

Debuts In Select Theaters October 15th

On Demand Everywhere November 19th

About the filmmaker – Kate McLean (Writer/Director) is a critically-acclaimed filmmaker and documentary producer. Three of her short docs have been in the NYTimes Op-Docs series. She is a producer on BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY (SXSW 2017) and WE ARE AS GODS (SXSW 2020). 

About the filmmaker – Mario Furloni (Writer/Director/DP) is a Brazilian-born director and cinematographer based in the Bay Area. Aside from the films he has directed with Kate McLean, he is the cinematographer and co-producer of the critically-acclaimed documentary THE RETURN, which won the Audience Award at Tribeca 2016 and was nominated for Emmy and Peabody awards.

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“There’s a veracity to Freeland that works, and it’s matched in Fairchild’s emotional performance, one that captures the fear and depression that comes with recognizing the world may be moving on without you.” — Roger Ebert

“Beautifully etched character study” – Sheri Linden, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“[An] introspective, succinct mood piece enriched by Fairchild’s phenomenal lead performance and the artistic vision of two compassionate filmmakers in tune with the essence of their craft” — The Playlist

“[Krisha Fairchild has] one of the most commanding faces in recent American cinema” – Eric Kohn, INDIEWIRE

“Fairchild is magnificent” – Katie Rife, THE A.V. CLUB

An epic collaboration that spans eight countries and 9 individual stories, Convergence reveals the power of compassion and community in the face of a crisis. Beginning at the onset of the pandemic, the documentary follows everyday citizens across the globe as they rise to the challenges of this upheaval in extraordinary ways — from a Syrian refugee fighting the UK government to include hospital cleaners and porters in bereavement pay to a doctor committed to serving Miami’s homeless community. But as this generation defining crisis begins to unmask deep-rooted flaws and inequities worldwide, their diverse journeys tell a more unified narrative about our common humanity and how, by coming together, great change can emerge from chaos. Featuring the work o filmmakers from around the world including; Hassan Akkad (UK), Amber Fares (US), Alexander “Lali” Houghton (Peru), Guillermo Galdos (Peru), Juhi Sharma (India), Lieven Corthouts (Belgium), Mauricio Montiero Filho (Brazil), Mohammad Reza Eyni (Iran), Sara Khaki (Iran) Wenhua Lin (China), as well as producers Don Coogan and Liz Garbus.  Director Orlando von Einsiedel and Director Hassan Akkad joins us for a conversation on capturing the sweep of the pandemic on distressed public health systems from around the world while focused on the deeply humanistic stories of families and health care workers behind the infection rates and deaths.

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Watch on netflix.com/Convergence: Courage in a Crisis

About the filmmaker – Orlando von Einsiedel is the Oscar-winning director of short documentary, The White Helmets. His first feature documentary, the Bafta and Academy-Award nominated documentary, Virunga won over 50 international film awards including an Emmy, a Peabody, a Grierson and a duPont-Columbia Award for outstanding journalism. He is a former professional snowboarder and lives in London, UK. Virunga (2014), The White Helmets (2016), Lost and Found (V) (2019), Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul (2011).

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“A stirring tribute to the sheer incalculable nature of the sacrifice made by countless caregivers.” – Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com

“It’s a humanistic endeavor, essentially, out of which emerge memorable people doing heroic work in inglorious places.” – John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

“It’s one of the best documentaries of 2021.” – Randy Myers. San Jose Mercury News

Viet Film Fest is the largest international Vietnamese film festival in the world, Viet Film Fest (VFF) showcases the best creative work by and about Vietnamese people. Viet Film Fest was created in 2003 with a small audience in auditoriums at University of California, Irvine and UCLA. Situated in the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam, the festival features films by persons of Vietnamese descent or productions that focus on the Vietnamese experience. Now running successfully for over a decade, Viet Film Fest (VFF) has expanded to draw an annual onsite audience of over 5,000 and a global fanbase. Viet Film Fest has drawn Academy Award nominated directors from France and Canada, as well as films from Israel, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Germany. Through the universal language of film, Viet Film Fest brings together multiple perspectives to expand the scope and horizons of Vietnamese cinema. The Viet Film Fest Artistic Director Eric Nong joins us for a conversation on this year’s film line-up, special events, film premieres, special guests and the growth of Vietnamese filmmaking.

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For news, updates and screenings go to: vietfilmfest.com

Virtual & drive-in screenings go to: vietfilmfest.com/festival/full-lineup

Overview: vietfilmfest.carrd.co

About the guest – Eric Nong – Born and raised in Orange County, CA, Eric Nong is a self-taught classic film buff who, since 2012, maintains a blog dedicated to movie write-ups. In addition to his passion for film, he has served as a volunteer and writer for Viet Film Fest 2018. Eric was also a part of Viet Film Fest 2019’s Curatorial Committee and volunteered during the 3-day event. Eric has a BA in Political Science from UC Irvine (also attended UC  Santa Cruz for the first two years of undergrad); MPP from UCI with a focus on education and poverty alleviation. In his spare time, Eric volunteers his time to teach English to Buddhist monks at Chùa Bát Nhã in Santa Ana, California.

Founding organization for Viet Film Fest – Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists, and friends to fill a void and provide a space for artists to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community. The original mission of VAALA was to support Southeast artists, with an emphasis on Vietnamese literature and visual arts. VAALA is a community-based non-profit organization historically run entirely by volunteers. Over the years, VAALA has collaborated with diverse community partners to organize numerous cultural events to connect and enrich communities. These events have included art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays, and annual events such as the Viet Film Fest and the Children’s Moon Festival Art Contest.

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WHAT HAPPENED, BRITTANY MURPHY follows the life and tragic death of actress Brittany Murphy, The two-part series goes beyond the conspiracy theories and headlines and features new interviews and never-before-seen archival footage. Instead of sensationalizing stories, Hill relies heavily on research and takes a nuanced approach to crafting complex stories about women, victims, and contemporary issues. Post-research, she spends a great deal of time tracking down the people able to shed light on the story and works to gain their trust. This allows her to do a deeper dive during an interview and capture the story from all perspectives. In addition to WHAT HAPPENED, BRITTANY MURPHY and her previous Emmy-nominated film, PRIVATE VIOLENCE, Hill has proven to be an investigative documentary filmmaker that gives a voice to the voiceless. Emmy-nominated filmmaker Cynthia Hill joins us to talk about what drew her about Brittany Murphy’s story, navigating the twists and turns the tragic tale took and her commitment to not sensationalize an already salacious story.

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The two-part series WHAT HAPPENED, BRITTANY MURPHY, premiering on HBO Max on October 14. 

About the filmmaker – Over two decades of award-winning filmmaking, Markay Media has proven its ability to tell a damn good story. With accomplished director Cynthia Hill at the helm, this team of spirited documentary professionals specializes in crafting essential, but sometimes overlooked stories with artistry and resilience. Markay Media’s distinctive approach has found a perfect base for content-creation in Durham, North Carolina, where the team harnesses local assets to bring the complexity of the region to international audiences. Pairing outstanding craftsmanship with intimacy and compassion, Markay Media consistently achieves visually rich, empathetic portraits of the American South and beyond. Cynthia Hill was born and raised in conservative rural North Carolina and now resides in the more liberal urban area of the state, she also has a unique “outsiders” perspective that she brings to her work. Hill is the founder of Markay Media, a female run production company based in Durham, North Carolina. Additional titles include A Chef’s Life, Road to Race Day and Somewhere South with Chef Vivian Howard.

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From Academy Award-winning (Free Solo) filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, THE RESCUE chronicles the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand. Award-winning directors and producers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they use a wealth of never-before-seen material and exclusive interviews to piece together the high stakes mission, highlighting the efforts of the Royal Thai Navy SEALs and US Special Forces and detailing the expert cave divers’ audacious venture to dive the boys to safety. THE RESCUE brings alive one of the most perilous and extraordinary rescues in modern times, shining a light on the high-risk world of cave diving, the astounding courage and compassion of the  rescuers, and the shared humanity of the international community that united to save the boys. Co-directors and co-producers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, Meru) join us for a conversation on the many challenges they faced telling a story the world witnessed in real-time and how bringing in the remarkable story of a team of “weekend” cave diving specialist implemented a high risk plan that not only saved the lives 12 young boys and a soccer coach but turned the headlines into a deeply human story of courage, compassion and selflessness.

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For news and updates go to: films.nationalgeographic.com/the-rescue

Watch in LA area at landmarktheatres.com/los-angele /the-rescue

Director’s Statement – Our films attempt to examine questions that transcend their subject matter. THE RESCUE is about an impossible rescue, but really, it’s about moral responsibility. When we have the skill set to rescue someone, do we bear the burden to do so even if we put ourselves at risk? It’s also a story about the common humanity that brings us together rather than what divides us. All these stories are about overcoming insurmountable odds. They feature unexpected heroes. And they invite the audience into specific worlds in a deep and authentic way. In THE RESCUE, that’s the world of cave diving. We wanted to make this movie for many of the same reasons that the story of the Thai children trapped in the cave captivated the hearts and minds of the world in 2018. It was an against-all-odds story that gave you hope. It brought out the best in people who united from many different nations to help these kids. There’s a line in the film that says, “Generosity is the beginning of everything,” and that’s ultimately what the film is about. We were scheduled to go to Thailand in spring 2020, but as the shoot neared, it became clear that it was too risky to travel internationally. We were dealing with different cultures, different languages, different time zones; and there were numerous constraints, but ultimately the story is still moving. The children, the cave divers, the Thai Navy SEALs, the US Special Forces and an entire community all showed us what great courage looks like. There’s a fairy-tale quality to the story. We couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that just as the boys were trapped in place in 2018, the whole world was trapped in place while we were making this movie. And yet, in 2018 the world came together to help the boys. THE RESCUE reminds us that amazing things are possible when people have integrity and a sense of responsibility for each other.  – Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

About the filmmaker – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Director, Producer) is an Academy® Award-winning filmmaker. Most recently Vasarhelyi directed and produced “Free Solo,” an intimate, unflinching portrait of rock climber Alex Honnold, which was awarded a BAFTA and the Academy® Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2019. The film also received seven Emmy® awards. Vasarhelyi’s other films as a director include “Meru” (Oscars Shortlist 2016; Sundance Audience Award 2015); “Incorruptible” (Truer Than Fiction Independent Spirit Award 2016); “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”, which premiered at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals; “A Normal Life” (Tribeca Film Festival, Best Documentary 2003); and “Touba” (SXSW, Special Jury Prize Best Cinematography in 2013). Vasarhelyi has directed pieces for the New York Times Op Docs, Netflix’s design series “Abstract” , ESPN’s “Enhanced” among others. She has received grants from the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bertha Britdoc, and the National Endowment of the Arts. She is a member of the DGA as well as AMPAS. She holds a B.A. in comparative literature from Princeton University and splits her time between New York City and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with her husband Jimmy Chin, their daughter, Marina, and son, James.

About the filmmaker – Jimmy Chin (Director, Producer) is an Academy® Award-winning filmmaker, National Geographic photographer and professional climber and skier. He has led and documented cutting edge expeditions around the world for over 20 years. He has climbed and skied Mount Everest from the summit and made the coveted first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru. His photographs have graced the covers of National Geographic Magazine and the New York Times Magazine. Jimmy co-produces and co-directs with his wife Chai Vasarhelyi. Their film “Meru” won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and was on the 2016 Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature. Their latest documentary “Free Solo” won a BAFTA® and the Academy® Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2019, as well as seven Emmy® awards. Jimmy splits his time between New York City and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with Chai, their daughter, Marina, and son, James. 

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“EXTRAORDINARY. A rousing film that celebrates humanity at its most selfless. Witnessing this profound miracle feels like receiving an overdue supply of oxygen. TRULY BREATHTAKING.” – Tomris Laffly, Variet

“A PULSE-THUMPING, NERVE-INDUCING non-fiction STANDOUT.” – Jake Coyle, Associated Press

“CRITIC’S PICK. A riveting, immersive, stomach-in-your-throat documentary. A true life men-on-a-mission movie intense enough that even Michael Bay and Peter Berg should be able to recognize that no mega-budget dramatization could match up to it.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

“A TENSE, ABSORBING DOCUMENTARY WITH A STRONG EMOTIONAL CHARGE” – Allan Hunter, Screen Daily

Selected for the 2020 Cannes FIlm Festival’s Un Certain Regard, LAMB tells the story of a childless Icelandic couple, Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) living with their herd of sheep on a beautiful but remote farm. When they discover a mysterious newborn on their farmland, they decide to keep it and raise it as their own. This unexpected prospect of a new family brings them much joy. They soon face the  consequences of defying the will of nature, in this dark and malevolent folktale from director and co-writer Valdimar Jóhannsson in his striking feature film debut. Director Valdimar Johannsson joins us for a conversation on the organ for this unusual tale and the willingness of his cast and crew to commit themselves an insidious fantasy that manifests itself with its own set of vindictive rules.

For news and updates go to: a24films.com/films/lamb

To watch LAMB go to: tickets.lamb.movie

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91% on Rotten Tomatoes

“A film that proves just how far disbelief can be suspended if you’re in the hands of a director – and a cast, and an SFX/puppetry department – who really commit to the bit.” Jessica Kiang, Variety

“Lamb is a disturbing experience but also a highly original take on the anxieties of being a parent, a tale in which nature plus nurture yields a nightmare.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

“The majority of the picture is strong enough to satisfy audiences with a taste for folk horror oddities, even if the ending isn’t quite as punchy as one might have anticipated.” – Wendy Ide, Screen International

“An uncanny modern folktale that’s as thoughtfully considered as it is wildly absurd.” – Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

“An emotional film that will stick with you long after it has ended. Powerful performances.” – Nathaniel Muir, AIPT

Shot over three years, JACINTA begins at the Maine Correctional Center where Jacinta, 26, and her mother Rosemary, 46, are incarcerated together, both recovering from drug addiction. As a child, Jacinta became entangled in her mother’s world of drugs and crime and has followed her in and out of the system since she was a teenager. This time, as Jacinta is released from prison, she hopes to maintain her sobriety and reconnect with her 10-year-old daughter, Caylynn, who lives with her paternal grandparents. Despite her desire to rebuild her life for her daughter, Jacinta continually struggles against the forces that first led to her addiction. JACINTA earned its director, Jessica Earnshaw, the award for Best New Documentary Director at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. It has continued an impressive festival run at DOCNYC, AFI Fest, IDFA, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival where it won the Best Documentary award. With unparalleled access and a gripping vérité approach, director Jessica Earnshaw joins us to talk about her deeply intimate portrait of mothers and daughters and the effects of trauma over generations.

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For news, updates and screenings go to: jacintafilm.com

The Hulu Original Documentary will premiere on Hulu on October 8

About the filmmaker – Jessica Earnshaw is a documentary filmmaker and photographer currently based in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on criminal justice, familial relationships and women. Her photography has appeared in National Geographic, The Marshall Project, Mother Jones Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, amongst others. Jessica is a graduate of the International Center of Photography’s photojournalism program (New York). She later worked as a junior photo editor at TIME Magazine. In 2015, she received the prestigious Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation Fellowship & Grant to photograph aging in American prisons. In 2016, her aging in prison work was published in National Geographic, Huffington Post and PDN Magazine and named one of the most interesting photo essays of the week by Buzzfeed. Jessica has worked on stories in the criminal justice space for several years that cover issues surrounding re-entry after life sentences, gender-responsive corrections, and trauma. Jessica’s first feature film, JACINTA, won the Albert Maysles Best New Documentary Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2020. Executive produced by Impact Partners, JACINTA was selected for the Cinema Eye Stay Focused 2021 initiative and nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award. Jessica was recently selected for Doc NYC’s 40 under 40 list.  jessicaearnshaw.com

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“A searingly honest portrait of kinship and addiction… A hard-hitting and heartbreaking documentary… In a playing field usually occupied by men, the fact that‘Jacinta’ focuses on three generations of women whose lives have beenupended by drugs and crime makes it a rare study.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

“[A] gripping, characterful doc debut… remarkably engrossing… As a

snapshot of relapse, recidivism and remorse in a dead-end mill town in

Maine, ‘Jacinta’ is perceptive and persuasive.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety 

“A profound meditation on the troubling intersection between addiction and incarceration… Overflowing with humanity… Earnshaw has made a deeply emotional and poignant film on the personal, familial horrors of addiction.” – Christian Gallichio, The Playlist

“Earnshaw has created a powerful portrait of inherited trauma that’s, ultimately, also a story of love and hope.” – Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Lois Alter Mark

From the acclaimed director comes the deep and resonant story of the Witkins, identical twins born in Brooklyn in 1939. Painter and life-long educator Jerome and renowned photographer Joel-Peter may be brothers, but their lives, art and personalities could not be more divergent. Joel-Peter is a celebrated and highly controversial photographer whose Caravaggio and Dali–inspired arrangements, often constructed with cadavers and body parts, are transgressive and macabre. His identical twin brother, Jerome, is an equally acclaimed figurative painter, whose work explores political, social and cultural themes. Yet, for all their similarities, for much of their 80 years, the Witkins have willfully chosen to remain apart. Filmed over the course of four and a half years at five locations across the United States — including the home where the Witkins grew up in Brooklyn, Joel’s home in Albuquerque, and Jerome’s home in Syracuse near the university, where he teaches fine art – WITKIN & WITKIN , which played such prestigious documentary festivals as Hot Docs, AFI Docs, DocFest and IDFA, chronicles the brothers’ decidedly separate paths as artists and as people, until, at their first-ever joint exhibition they encounter an unexpected change in their artistic trajectories and self-perceptions, as well as their relationships with each other. Trisha Ziff (The Man Who Saw Too Much, Chevolution) joins us to talk about her intimate and intensely human film explores the themes of love, loss and distance, while showcasing the Witkins’ fascinating bodies of work.  

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For updates and how to watch go to: indiepixfilms.com

For news and updates go to: 212berlin.com/project/witkin-witkin

About the filmmaker – TRISHA ZIFF has worked for the last twenty-five years in photography as a writer, editor, curator and documentary filmmaker. Her first film as producer/writer was Oaxacalifornia (US/UK, 1995). In 2008, Ziff co-directed Chevolution, her opera prima for Netflix/Red Envelope, with Luis Lopez. Other credits include director and producer of The Mexican Suitcase (Mexico/Spain, 2011); Pirate Stories (2014), a series of shorts in filmed in London, Palestine, Dubai and Mexico City;  In 2015 she began collaborating with WABI PRODUCTIONS on her films; The Man Who Saw Too Much (2015) winner of Best Documentary and Best Score at the Mexican Academy Awards, Best Documentary at Monterrey International Film Festival, and the Press Award at Morelia Film Festival; Witkin & Witkin (2018), nominated for a Mexican Academy Award; and Oaxacalifornia: The Return (2020).  Ziff is now in development with WABI PRODUCTIONS on FRIDA’S GAZE, (2023) traces the narrative and history of ‘Fridamania’ and BRIDGET’S STORY, a woman worker in the fast food industry demanding $15 an hour minimum wage. Trisha  teaches film and media studies and guest lectures at various universities in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Sundance Institute, California Humanities, IMCINE & EFICINE in Mexico, Ibermedia and the Irish Film Board. She is represented by WABI PRODUCTIONS in Mexico and internationally.

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Their individual processes and influences is great fodder for art enthusiasts, but the brothers’ peculiar and purposeful life-long estrangement is what gives the doc a through line.” – Radheyan Simonpillai, NOW Toronto

“Each unorthodox and unique in his own inimitable way, the Witkins make for compelling viewing in this bold, intimate portrait of their relationship.” – Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Hammer to Nail

“What makes the documentary work is its reflections over expression through art especially for the subjects who happen to be twins.” – Erick Estrada, Cinegarage

“The film unearths the insidious tensions that put pressure on their relationship until it almost dissolved.” – Luis Fernando Galván, En Filme

The unbelievable story of Godspeed, Los Polacos! begins during the Cold War, Poland’s youth looked for any way to break away from the monotony of life under Communist rule. In the City of Krakow, a group of university students formed a kayaking club as a tool to explore their local rivers and avoid participation in Communist parades and rallies. After experiencing the thrill of Poland’s one and only class III rapid, club members Andrzej Pietowski, Piotr Chmielinski (who would go on to be the first person to paddle the Amazon river source to sea), and Jurek Majcherczyk set their sights on the impossible – leaving the Eastern Bloc to paddle whitewater. Godspeed, Los Polacos! tells the story of five university students on the edge of adulthood who skillfully pull the strings of the Soviet system, and find themselves on a kayaking expedition in the Americas with a six-wheeled military truck, homemade equipment, and little to no whitewater skills. The story follows their epic two-year journey that culminates in the record-breaking first descent of the world’s deepest canyon, and finds the kayakers in Soviet cross-hairs after they leverage their new found fame to fight for democracy in the Eastern Bloc. Director Adam Nawrot joins us for a conversation on the story behind the journey of fellow travelers who refused to accept the life they were being told by a soulless government they had to live setting out on an unbelievable trek around the world.

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For news and updates go to: /sourlandstudios.com

Watch Godspeed, Los Polacos!

Director’s Statement – The film is set 40 years in the past, but it could not be more timely. Godspeed, Los Polacos! resonates in the current political climate, and seeks to offer some perspective on the fight for justice in the world. It reminds us that even though the journey is tiring and seemingly never-ending, it will not last forever; and that like the Canoandes, we may even look back on this time with nostalgia, and call it the best adventure of our lives. – Adam Nawrot

About Sourland Studios – Sourland Studios is Adam Nawrot and Sonia Szczesna making movies with their friends. They focus on documentary and commercial content, and tread lightly with a small but precise footprint. When they’re not deep in the edit cave or obsessing over how to most efficiently pack a pelican case, you’ll find them by the trail, in the river, or on belay. Sonia Szczesna is a New Jersey-based producer, photographer, and environmental advocate. Sonia brings her experience as a community organizer and activist into her work in film and photography at Sourland Studios.

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Mesmerizing in its imagery and shot in 51 locations across the country, ASCENSION is a cinematic exploration of China’s industrial supply chain that reveals the country’s growing class divide through staggering observations of labor, consumerism and wealth. The film ascends through the levels of the capitalist structure: workers running factory production, the middle class selling to aspirational consumers, and the elites reveling in a new level of hedonistic enjoyment. In  traveling up the rungs of China’s social ladder, we see how each level supports and makes possible the next while recognizing the contemporary ‘Chinese Dream’ remains an elusive fantasy for most. Producer Kira Simon-Kennedy and director / cinematographer / editor Jessica Kingdon joins us for a conversation on their collaboration and how a century old poem written by her Great Grandfather, Zheng Ze inspired her to make her illuminating and disquieting film about the massive degree of industrialization taking place in the world’s most populace country.

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For news and updates go to: ascensiondocumentary.com

MTV Documentary Films and XTR present the theatrical release of ASCENSION opening on LA October 8th at the Laemmle Monica and Laemmle Playhouse in Pasadena. 

WINNER – Best Documentary Feature – 2021 Tribeca Film Festival
WINNER – 2021 Albert Maysles Award Best New Documentary Director – 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

About the filmmaker – New York-based Jessica Kingdon is a Chinese-American director/producer named one of “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine and selected for the 2020 DOC NYC “40 Under 40” list. Her award-winning short COMMODITY CITY (2017) is an observational documentary about the world’s largest wholesale mall in Yiwu, China. It was shortlisted for a Cinema Eye Honor and has played at over 50 film festivals including Rotterdam, True/False and Sheffield. She co-directed the short IT’S COMING! (2020), which was supported by Rooftop Films, and is currently playing festivals, and ROUTINE ISLAND (2019), which is included in The Eyeslicer Season 2. Jessica’s producer credits include Tania Cypriano’s BORN TO BE (NYFF 2019), Ian Bell’s 808: HOW WE RESPOND (Sheffield 2019), Nathan Truesdell’s THE WATER SLIDE (True/False 2018), and Johnny Ma’s OLD STONE (Berlinale 2016). She is a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective.

About the filmmaker – Kira Simon-Kennedy – Producer, of Jessica Kingdon’s first feature documentary about the changing nature of production, consumption, labor, leisure, and aspiration in the People’s Republic of China. premiering at Tribeca. Co-founder & co-director of China Residencies, A multi-faceted arts nonprofit founded in 2013 to foster sustainable creative exchange between mainland China, Hong Kong, and the rest of the world. China Residencies publishes an online directory of opportunities, funds excellent creative people and projects, and nurtures the next generation of organizers and administrators, And co-founder of Rivet, a unified search platform for creative opportunities worldwide, created in collaboration with Katrina Neuman & Sebastien Sanz de Santamaria.

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“Like its documentary predecessors, Ascension finds aesthetic allure and fodder for debate in the complex symphony of industrialism and the people functioning within its order and disorder.” -The Hollywood Reporter

“The chance to glimpse behind the curtain of an unfamiliar China is just one of the attractions of a thoughtful, eye-opening film…” – Screen International

“In humanizing Chinese people and bringing light to the most pressing issues facing Chinese society, Kingdon has also drawn a connection between the American experience and the Chinese one.” – Noah Schwartz, Film Threat

“It’s a documentary that’s more than just a compilation of ‘slice of life’ footage, because the movie is presented as a mosaic of a culture … It’s up to viewers to look at all the different segments that are presented and see what the big picture is.” – Carla Hay, Culture Mix

FRUITS OF LABOR is the latest documentary from Colombian-American director Emily Cohen Ibañez that follows Ashley Solis, a Mexican-American teenager living in an agricultural town on the central coast of California. A high school senior, Ashley dreams of graduating and going to college, but when ICE raids in her community threaten to separate her family, she is forced to become their primary breadwinner. While most of her friends are thinking about prom and graduation, Ashley finds herself working days in the strawberry fields and the night shift at a processing plant, with little time left for sleep or studies. Tracing the tensions between family bonds and the systems that work to sever them, FRUITS OF LABOR follows Ashley as she tries to hold on to her dreams while coping with obligations to her mother, who is undocumented, and three younger siblings. The family lives in a cramped house with 12 other families, and although Ashley’s mother Beatriz works seven days a week as a domestic, it’s not enough to make ends meet. Yet despite their challenges, both Ashley and Beatriz are committed to changing their lives and the lives of others in their community facing the same struggles. Director, producer, writer and cinematographer Emily Cohen Ibañez joins us for a conversation on the myriad of personal, social and economic pressure that informs most of Ashley’s personal decisions and how the political history and social institutions make Ashley’s path forward fraught with uncertainty,

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For news and updates go to: fruitsoflaborfilm.com

Fruits of Labor premieres on Monday, October 4, 2021 at 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET on PBS, pbs.org and the PBS Video app. Fruits of Labor is a co-presentation of POV and Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES. Fruits of Labor will also be available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

About the filmmaker – Director / Producer / Cinematographer / Co-writer  Emily Cohen Ibañez is a Latinx filmmaker based in Oakland who earned her doctorate in Anthropology (2011) with a certificate in Culture and Media at New York University. Her film work pairs lyricism with social activism, advocating for labor, environmental, and health justice. She has become known for her collaborative methods that challenge the colonial heritage of documentary filmmaking. With parents who migrated from Colombia to the United States and a family legacy of escaping violence from Aleppo, Syria, Emily knows what it means to cross borders and fashion new identities. Her documentary BODIES AT WAR/MINA (2015) premiered at El Festival de Cine de Bogotá and screened in 22 municipalities most affected by landmines in Colombia. Her short films reach wide audiences internationally through The Guardian, The Intercept, and Independent Lens. Emily is a recipient of JustFilms Ford Foundation, Firelight Media Doc Lab, Sundance Kendeda, the National Science Foundation, and was a Fulbright scholar. Her feature documentary, FRUITS OF LABOR had its World Premiere at SXSW 2021, winning multiple awards on the festival circuit and will have its US broadcast on PBS POV American Documentary.

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100% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Emily Cohen Ibañez’s debut feature provides a flavorful glimpse at lives seldom represented in popular media” – Dennis Harvey, VARIETY

“This film really humanizes the Latino family. The film leaves an imprint of sorrow while also giving a sense of hope.” – Donnie Lopez, Black Girl Nerds

“Writer/director Emily Cohen Ibañez provides an excellent up-close and personal account of a teen’s struggles providing for her family.” – Sarah Knight Adamson, Sarah’s Backstage Pass

“Director Cohen Ibañez does not romanticizing the stresses of living in poverty or being on La Migra’s radar, but it balances those concerns with an appreciation of the beauty in Ashley’s world.” – Sarah Boslaugh, TheArtsStl

PHARMA BRO chronicles the shoot star life and times of Martin Shkreli, the 38-year-old financial entrepreneur and pharmaceutical tycoon from Brooklyn, New York, was dubbed “the most hated man in America” by the media after he rose to infamy in 2015 for price gouging the prescription drug Daraprim by 5500% overnight depriving patients of the life-saving medication. Hodge presents a new in-depth look on the all-too familiar media tale in PHARMA BRO a concentrated year-long study of the man who defies traditional categorization. Through traveling to Shkrel, Albania to learn about his heritage and uncover his backstory; visiting hospitals and talking with Daraprim patients; watching countless hours of his live-stream; and uncovering the real story about the Wu-Tang album, Hodge is able to provide new and alternative insight from a variety of sources, who offer commentary on Shkreli and his story of promising financial savant turned pharma opportunist and the fortune he acquired at the detriment of others. Combining live streams, sit-down interviews, news footage, filmed scenes and actual encounters with Shkreli, Hodge presents a prismatic image of PHARMA BRO, the differing sides he consciously (and sometimes unconsciously) presented and a cinematic examination of the qualities that earned him his most hated status. The film features Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, musical artist The Fridge, Journalist Christie Smythe, and Shkreli Defense Attorney Ben Brafman. Director Brent Hodge (A Brony Tale, I Am Chris Farley, Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary) joins us for a lively conversation on why he wanted to go behind the headlines to explore the how and why of the Shkreli’s life as well as his personal commitment to being even-handed in telling the whole story of “the most hated man in America.”

 

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For news and updates go to: 1091pictures.com

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“Who knew such a reprehensible man could be fodder for such a phenomenal documentary?” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat

“This is a wild ride and a stellar example of our schadenfreude watching him go down.” – Anne Brodie, What She Said

“A tale of price gouging galore.” – Harvey S. Karten, Shockya.com

Elvis, Princess Diana, and Pope John Paul II are undoubtedly still alive today, thanks to their devoted followers who love, admire, and consume them. Literally. THE FAITHFUL a new film by writer/director Annie Berman, powerfully explores fandom, memorabilia and the magnetic appeal of three of the most influential cultural icons of our time. THE FAITHFUL, twenty years in the making, leads viewers on an emotional journey leaving them looking inwards, reflecting on their own lives and the connections they cherish. A Pope John Paul II lollipop. An Elvis Presley shower curtain. A Princess Diana teacup. These are just some of the countless pieces of memorabilia that these pop culture icons’ most devoted fans collect and cherish… but why? Berman profiles these figures’ biggest fans and makes numerous pilgrimages to Vatican City, Graceland, and Kensington Palace. As the years go by, the film itself becomes increasingly entwined with Berman’s daily life and identity, much like how these officially-licensed knick-knacks define the fans she filmed. Director Annie Berman  joins us for a conversation on what attracted her to these culturally significant figures, why are people so invested in the lives of these particular icons and how this 20-year journey has impacted he life.

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For news, screenings and updates go to: the-faithful.com

Official Blog: medium.com/the-faithful-the-king-the-pope-the-princess

Opens in Los Angeles: [Tickets and info]
Friday, October 8 – Laemmle Monica Film Center

Q&A with director Annie Berman following the 7:00 PM screening on 10/10 at Laemmle Monica Film Center during the week-long in-theater release.

Monday, October 11 – Laemmle’s Glendale, Royal, Newhall, Claremont 5 and Playhouse 7 (Pasadena) locations

Q&A with director Annie Berman following the 7:30 PM screening on 10/11 at Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.

Virtual cinema release starts 10/15 at Laemmle.com – accessible from anywhere in the U.S.

About the filmmaker – Annie Berman, Producer, Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Narrator, Co-Editor is a media artist living and working in New York City. Named one of Independent Magazine’s “10 Filmmakers to Watch,” her films, videos, performances, and installations have shown internationally in galleries, festivals, universities, and conferences, including the MoMA Documentary Fortnight, Rooftop Films, Galerie Patrick Ebensperger Berlin, Kassel Hauptbahnhof,  Spring / Break Art Show, Flux Factory, Babycastles Gallery, and the Rome Independent Film Festival where she was awarded the Best Experimental Film Prize. Her work has received support from the Puffin Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, Wave Farm, Grant for the Web, the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts, the Center for Independent Documentary, Signal Culture, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and UnionDocs. She holds an MFA in Integrated Media Art from Hunter College, teaches at City College, and is a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective.

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“My favorite film we’ve screened in my five years as associate programmer at USC School of Cinematic Arts!” – Matthew Meier

The genius of George Balanchine (1904-1983), the man who reinvented ballet for the 20th century, is celebrated in this homage to his nonpareil choreography, the basis of his body of work for the New York City Ballet and the technique taught at the world-renowned School of American Ballet. Some of Balanchine’s greatest stars describe the inventiveness, precision, speed, and musicality he demanded: Jacques d’Amboise (“It’s like I was a pupil of Einstein”), Merrill Ashley (“a privilege of a lifetime”), Gloria Govrin, Suki Schorer, Edward Villella, and Heather Watts (“He was some kind of mad scientist”). Balanchine instilled in  each of them an abiding, obsessive love of dance and an almost religious desire to pass along his artistry and vision. The depth of Balanchine’s passion – and theirs – is dazzling, as is much of the never-before-seen footage of him in the classroom. Director Connie Hochman joins us for a conversation on the impact George Balanchine had on the trajectory of ballet in America, the dancers who’s lives he changed and his living legacy in the people who continue to teach new dancers in a manner that reflects their interpretation of the Master’s credo.

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For news and updates go to: zeitgeistfilms.com/film/inbalanchinesclassroom

Opens at Laemmle Theaters in LA – September 24

About the filmmaker – Connie Hochman was a professional ballet dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet where she performed many of George Balanchine’s masterworks. As a child in the 1960s, Connie trained at the School of American Ballet and danced alongside the New York City Ballet, with Balanchine at the helm. During these years, she witnessed a profound bond between the master and his dancer-disciples, which continued to inspire and fascinate her. Decades later, Connie’s childhood memories of Balanchine, combined with a desire to understand more, led her on a mission to solve a mystery. What exactly happened in Balanchine’s classroom, where he developed the dancers and the dancing to serve his choreographic vision? In 2007, Connie began a series of interviews with former Balanchine dancers – ninety in all – to explore the phenomenon of Balanchine’s classroom. Why did he teach and not just choreograph? What did he teach? How did he teach? How did his daily class relate to his ballets? Their remembrances of his unorthodox methods and transformative teaching form the basis of IN BALANCHINE’S CLASSROOM. In addition to the dancer interviews, Connie launched an extensive search for visuals that would bring the story to life. She discovered a trove of never-before-seen archival footage of Balanchine in America. With approval from The George Balanchine Trust, Connie traveled around the country and to Europe to film Balanchine’s former dancers staging his ballets, teaching classes, and passing on their knowledge to today’s generation. This wealth of material formed the foundation for In Balanchine’s Classroom.

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“In mathematics, there was Newton; in psychology, there was Freud; and in American ballet, George Balanchine was a foundational genius.” – Teo Bugbee, New York Times

“This insightful documentary tribute goes beyond the usual biographical tidbits.” – Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue

“We are treated to an impressive amount of never seen before footage from Balanchine’s class archives, as well as rehearsal and performance video featuring the disciples or the man himself.” – Hanna B, Film Threat

In the mind expanding documentary AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness a number of intriguing questions are What is consciousness? Is it in all living beings? What happens when we die? Why do we seem to be hardwired for mystical experience? In these times of existential crisis, there has been an explosion of research into consciousness. After four centuries of silence, scientists are confronting the “Big Questions”, cutting a window into a realm previously held tight by philosophy and religion: AWARE follows six brilliant researchers, approaching the greatest of all mysteries from radically different perspectives, from within and without: through high-tech brain research and Eastern meditation, by scientifically exploring inner space through psychedelic substances and by investigating the consciousness of plants. Scientists are arriving at new insights – some of which have been integral to Indigenous knowledge for millenia. AWARE opens as a science film but emerges well beyond the explicable, ultimately leading one on a voyage upon the ocean of consciousness, a contemplative, sensual, cinematographic meditation. The networks of consciousness are reflected in ‘grand’ imagery revealing the vast interconnectedness of Nature – from the smallest organisms, to the world of plants and animals and on to the cosmos. AWARE invites one to experience the awe and mystery of life as the researchers do, to dive in with them, returning to see the world anew, to review long-held beliefs and assumptions and initiate one’s own oceanic journey. Ultimately, to be aware one is aware. Joining us to talk about this beautiful film are the co-directors and co-writers of AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness Frauke Sandig and Eric Black.

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For news and updates go to: aware-film.com

For more about Frauke Sandig & Eric Black go to: umbrellafilms.org

About the filmmakers – As an independent film production, Umbrella Films produces feature documentaries by the acclaimed filmmakers Frauke Sandig and Eric Black. Their award-winning films have been successful worldwide on public television, educational and entertainment platforms, in theatres and festivals like Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, IDFA, Karlovy Vary IFF, Visions du Réel Nyon, Hot Docs Toronto, Sheffield DocFest, Hof International Film Festival, DokLeipzig, Vancouver IFF, San Francisco IFF, MOMA New York and many others. For more about Frauke Sandig & Eric Black go to: umbrellafilms.org

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The year is 1970. The world-famous Italian director, Luchino Visconti is visiting Stockholm due to his new film Death in Venice, based on Thomas Mann’s 1912 novel of the same name. He is looking for a young boy to play the role of Tadzio, a young polish noble. At this point, Visconti has traveled around the whole world and filmed hundreds of boys and finally, after a number of screen tests, fifteen year old Stockholmer Björn Andresen is given the part. When the film premieres in London 1971, in the presence of Queen Elisabeth and princess Anne, Visconti declares the young Björn Andresen ”the most  beautiful boy in the world”. But the moniker became an epithet that has  come to haunt him for the rest of his life. He became an icon all over the world, and just like his role figure Tadzio, the object for men who desire young boys. Today, almost 50 years later, Björn is struggling with addiction and questions like why he never loved himself. He is also discovering the truth behind his mother’s disappearance and finding the clues to who his father is. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD is a deeply personal and cinematic film about a person reconciling his past and taking control of his life. But it is also a unique look behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest film classics, Death in Venice, the structures of power and the cause of it, which recently has become known as #metoo. Co-directors Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri join us to talk about approaching Björn Andresen gaining his trust enough to once again be scrutinized by the probing eye of filmmakers, this time with very different intentions. 

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For news and updates go to: themostbeautifulboy.com

The Most Beautiful Boy screening at LA’s NuArt Theatre 9/24 – 10/7

About the filmmaker – Kristina Lindström (director) is a filmmaker, journalist, and author. She has worked at SVT as a producer, project manager, and filmmaker. She has directed highly acclaimed documentaries about some of Sweden’s most famous names and faces, including Astrid (2014) and Palme (with Maud Nycander, 2012). Among others, Lindström has been awarded The Publicists big award, the Linné Prize, Kristallen, Stockholm’s Culture Prize, and the Ikaros Award.

About the filmmaker – Kristian Petri (director) is a filmmaker, writer, and culture journalist with a distinctly personal voice that transcends genre and form. Petri won Best Direction at the Guldbagge Awards for his first feature film, Between Summers (1995), which was selected for the prestigious Quinzaine des Realisateurs in Cannes. Many of his films, including The Well (2005), Details (2003), and Tokyo Noice (2002) have been critically celebrated and have been nominated for and received a number of national and international awards.

83% on Rotten Tomatoes

“The Most Beautiful Boy in the World is one of the few documentaries to dwell so gravely and persuasively on how sudden fame can ruin a young life, bypassing any perks of stardom.” – Vogue

“On a very essential level, The Most Beautiful Boy In The World looks human beauty in the eye: both the atavistic emotions it provokes and its impermanence.” – Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International

“What makes this sad film bearable is that, this time, the camera feels more like a friend than a predator. Its presence gives Andresén the strength to confront his past instead of obliterating it with drink.” – Sarah Kent, The Arts Desk

“A deeply empathetic psychological portrait about a shy, sensitive boy who turned into a contemplative, harried man weighed down by things he was once too young to even realise.” – Ella Kemp, iNews.co.uk

“His grief is palatable. If utterly sad, it’s still incredibly immersive, a quality that reverberates throughout, a testament to Lindström and Petri’s directorial talents.” – Daniel Theophanous, One Room With A View