Opening Night Cocktails and Special Screening of, She Wore Silver Wings: This is the true story of the WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots) told by an original WASP. Brave women pilots who, for the first time in the history of the United States, were recruited to volunteer their services in WWII by ferrying bomber planes, test flying new and repaired planes, and towing targets in the air for artillery practice. How the WASPs were formed, the incredible challenges they faced and the cause of their early demise. These heroic young women of the 1940's opened the door for today's military female pilots.
Thursday May 27, 2010 6:00pm - 10:00am EDT
Romano's Macaroni Grill8700 Northwest 18th Terrace, Doral, Florida 33172 USA
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Monica Rosales, Executive Director of DocMiami/Moderator; Vanessa Dalama, DocMiami Filmmakers Coordinator; Maritza Guimet, President of Florida Media Market
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Monica Rosales, Executive Director of DocMiami/Moderator; Brenda Nieborsky, Film Festival Service Director of Openfilm; Erik Marum, COO of Bigstar TV; Julio Nieri CEO of Cinemania.
DIRTY BUSINESS: 'CLEAN COAL' AND THE BATTLE FOR OUR ENERGY FUTURE is a documentary that reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and tells the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative future powered by green energy. In the Digital Age, half our electricity still comes from coal, and guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film examines what it means to be so dependent upon a nineteenth century technology that is the largest single source of greenhouse gases.Can coal ever be made really 'clean'? Is renewable energy ready for prime time? Goodell seeks answers in a series of stories: citizens fighting to build a solar power plant instead of a new coal plant in Nevada; a Kansas cowboy saving his cattle ranch with wind power; doctors tabulating the true cost of coal pollution in the damaged health of newborns in China, where a new coal plant goes up every week; innovators making a southern Rust Belt factory so energy efficient that it will steal jobs back from China.DIRTY BUSINESS details the devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia, and coal boss Don Blankenship defends the practice. The industry's $40 million 'clean coal' campaign promotes an unproven technology that would entail mining ever more coal - and more environmental destruction. The film asks: can we rethink the way we produce and consume energy - and summon the political will to do it - in time to avert environmental disaster?
Friday May 28, 2010 10:00am - 11:25am EDT
Wildwood
Antonio Tenorio is a B1: he's totally blind and carries on his judo kimono the red circle which symbolizes it. The documentary follows this professional judo player as he prepares to compete for a fourth Paralympic gold medal, in Beijing. Filmed in Brazil, France and China, 'B1' is an international journey through the perspective of a blind judoka, one of the few in the world to compete both in Paralympic and regular championships, discovering the man behind the high-performance athlete and investigating cinematographically his sensibility.
The documentary 'Who Will Stand' is not a pro or anti-war film. It is about the post war plight of the severly wounded. It is about the challenges of those who must go on and try to find some sort of quality of life after a life changing injury.The producers of this film have discovered is that the support system surrounding these soldiers is failing miserably. They were given the tools to fight and survive in the worst of conditions only to fail at making a living once they returned. We are obligated to give a fighting chance to those who fought so honorably for us. This is their story.
The definitive and true-life story of Nancy Kwan who as a young Eurasian girl from Hong Kong captured the hearts and minds of cinemagoers around the world in her stunning motion picture debut in THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG (1960). Nancy Kwan's story is both fairytale and poignant as it takes it's audience on a personal journey, a woman's journey, which is as equally compelling, as it is inspiring!
Friday May 28, 2010 10:00am - 11:45am EDT
Coco Plum
The film 'The Holy Wives'brings out the life of three different communities who have been victimized in the name of caste based sexual exploitation in India.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Ece Karayalcin, Professor of Miami Dade Community College/MODERATOR; Claribel Torres, Associated Press, Manager, Video Business Development; Leticia Maria Piloto, Attorney and Owner of Piloto Law Office; Mary Nunez, Sony Music Entertainment, licensing Music Director.
An encounter with a flamingo at an ancient salt lake in Cyprus. For centuries the island has seen visitors and invaders. Today a man visiting sings: Pharmacist, oh pharmacist, oh pharmacist, I want medicine for myself, I want medicine for myself, My heart, my heart, my heart is beating like this, My heart is afflicted because of you.
Is it worth millions of dollars to fund a program that encourages people to like science? Are audiences hungry for stories about scientists, mathematicians and technology? Ten years ago, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation posted very clearly on their website, 'Sloan does not make grants in the arts.' In present day, Sloan gives millions of dollars to theater, film, festivals, playwrights, and choreographers to encourage them to create works of art that embrace science, technology, and the study of economics. This documentary traces the history of this program, starting with the very first grant given by this science funding giant to Ensemble Studio Theatre, a scruffy New York City workshop oriented theater. The piece includes interviews with physicist Brian Greene, Sloan program director Doron Weber, television writer Jackie Reingold (Law & Order, In Treatment), and playwright Cassandra Medley, and looks at the origins of 'The Science Play.'
Friday May 28, 2010 12:30pm - 1:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Veszprém is a picturesque but small place, very much like Hungary, with a hardworking population who go about their everyday lives, suffering the lows and enjoying the high points. There is a team of sportsmen in Veszprém with players all the way from Cuba, Serbia, Croatia and Romania who put their hearts into the game for the glory of the town. This team is one of the best handball teams in the world, a team where everyone is local no matter where he was born, where he was raised. A Romanian player by the name of Marian Cozma was a local as well but he was tragically murdered at popular bar in town on February 8th this year. His teammates and friends, the Croatian Ivan Pesics and the Serbian Zarko Sesum, tried to help their dying colleague and very nearly got killed in the process but they both survived despite sustaining serious injuries.A gang of thirty men appeared at the club that night. No one knows why they chose that particular place or what they wanted. So many people are frightened, they are frightened of the fact that anything can be done in this country.This film has been made in an attempt to help us understand our world and the reality in which we live. It doesn't investigate or accuse and neither does it seek those responsible. The murderers must to be punished but the responsibility is ours.
As autism has exploded into the public consciousness over the last 20 years, two very different views of the condition have arisen: is it a devastating sickness to be cured? Or is it a variation of the human brain -- just a different way to be human?After his son's diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner visits the front lines of the autism wars. We meet the 'recovery movement,' which views autism as a tragic epidemic brought on by environmental toxins. We meet the 'neurodiversity' movement, which argues that autism should be accepted and autistic people supported. And we meet a too often ignored group: autistic adults.It's these adults who show just how tricky it is to judge an autistic person's life. Is an autistic woman who directs academic research about autism recovered? What if the same woman has trouble speaking and uses text-to-speech software to communicate? Is an autistic man who lives in his own apartment recovered? What if his mother must hire people to do his laundry and take him out in the evenings?This wide angle view of autism makes clear what's at stake in the autism wars. Will we live in a world dominated by autism conferences where vendors hawk vitamins and hyperbaric chambers to parents desperate for a cure? Or will we provide the support that autistic adults need to lead the best lives they can? And can these two worlds possibly co-exist?
Friday May 28, 2010 12:30pm - 1:55pm EDT
Coco Plum
A story about four very different characters, three of them men, one a mountain. A dramatic and awe-inspiring feature documentary following three of the world s greatest ski mountaineers to the Mount St Elias in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent of the world. Set against the backdrop of Alaska s dangerous beauty, Mount St Elias is about a visionary borderline experience where unparalleled physical and mental pressure pushes them to the absolute limit. They find themselves in puristic situations, in which heroism cannot easily be distinguished from folly. Situations which can only be mastered if rationality is abandoned and in which courage as well as trust in their own abilities and last but not least luck are used as guidelines. Two Austrian ski alpinists Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann as well as the American freeski pro Jon Jonhston are facing this breathtaking challenge. A team with individual abilities, but also a team of leaders, knowing they literally cannot survive without teamwork and cooperation. Especially Axel Naglich, he unconsciously takes the role of the protagonist due to his authentic personality and, within the permanent struggle not against nature but against himself, polarizes as a strong character. A movie that finally shows why it is the mountains which unite lethal danger and delirious happiness.
Witness the drama as teen aged musicians compete over one summer to create original classical music compositions for a full professional orchestra. This compelling film features five young people racing the calendar for the chance to have the music they have written performed in front of a live audience. Many composers must wait a lifetime to have their music performed. But one man's passion for great music has led him to create a unique opportunity for these talented teens that could make their dream come true before they graduate from high school! There's no other competition like it in the world.From a free workshop on composing classical music to a live concert with a professional orchestra, follow four boys and one girl as they try to meet the challenge, transforming ideas into music in only three months' time. Each faces personal obstacles as their parents support them in taking on a very daunting task. This documentary reveals the intimacy of the creative process and the discoveries young artists make in their journeys toward musical expression.Five teens have the same dream, but only one will win. At the film's climax, find out what happens when a professional orchestra plays new music created by a young composer. The drama reveals why art requires the risk of doing something you have never done before. This film will captivate music lovers and anyone who enjoys a challenge.
The true story of how Tre'Shawn and his three brothers were nearly starved to death by their adoptive parents in New Jersey. Tre'Shawn defies all odds and manages to survive the ordeal, graduate from high school with honors and finally get adopted by a loving family. A horror story with a happy ending.
From Elvis to Obama, Tribute Artists or Celebrity Impersonators as they are commonly known have been entertaining the masses for decades. Gathering under one roof, these men and women, professionals and beginners alike, come together annually at the Sunburst Convention. De Niro, Bush, and Oprah are names that have inspired thousands if not millions of people to dream of greater possibilities in their own lives, but some have chosen to become these very names or at least to impersonate them. When fans cannot get close to the real thing, these professionals step in and fill the void. 'Just About Famous: Celebrity Impersonation' will go behind the persona and delve into the minds and hearts of the people who make a living impersonating others. How did they get started? How has this path changed their lives? Why they do what they do? From Kenny Rogers being accosted at K-Mart for an autograph to Elvis being announced every time he enters the Home Depot leaving him to ask the ultimate question, 'Can't I just buy some lumber?' Each impersonator has a story to tell. As the old adage goes, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' Take a trip into the intriguing, enlightening, and often times surreal life of the celebrity impersonator...
It Is Epilepsy: The Challenges and Promises of Automated Seizure Control' provides an overall look at epilepsy and the impact it can have on the lives of those who suffer with seizures and on their families. Then, 'It Is Epilepsy' features the promise and hope found in the latest research on predicting and automatically controlling seizures.Epilepsy remains a stigmatized and hidden disease. In 'It Is Epilepsy' patient and family stories show the despair and frustrations suffered by millions of people who live with this disease. A classical music metaphor is used to help explain and demonstrate what happens in the multi-tasking brain as a seizure takes over. Clinicians describe the different types of epilepsy and current treatments.But it is the unpredictability of seizures that can be the most crippling and have the most impact on safety, life span and quality of life. An extraordinary, multi-disciplinary team of scientists - neurologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, neurosurgeons and engineers - have developed a system that predicts seizures. In addition they are currently developing a method of preventing seizures from even taking place. This research will provide hope to the millions of people who suffer with or are affected by epilepsy.Lack of public awareness of epilepsy is one of the biggest roadblocks to expediting research which will ultimately improve life for all who are affected by this disorder. 'It Is Epilepsy' tells this important story to the public and helps shed light on epilepsy, the hidden disease.
Friday May 28, 2010 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
No-one in Britt's family ever spoke about her uncle, and they hadn't seen him for thirty years. He was the 'black sheep' of the family. He owed everyone money and before he left he actually pulled a gun on Britt's dad. At least that is what Britt had heard. Thirty years and 1000 miles later, Britt discovers her uncle had finally found a new family in an aboriginal community in a remote corner of Australia. 'My Uncle Bluey' is a personal story about the things that tear families apart, what brings them back together, and how your family is your family. Always.
Two goofy Australian musicians, Marty Singh and Aidan Prewett, take to the American Blues Trail to confront the mysterious legend of the crossroads. As they drive from New Orleans to Chicago, they meet with a number of Blues personalities as they try to grasp the inconsistencies and contradictions of the legend of Robert Johnson, one of the original Blues men. Johnson's legend states that he soul his soul to the Devil in exchange for extraordinary guitar talent, way back in the "
The filmmaker, a Romanian expatriate, returns to her homeland for healing, for answers, and for truth. She left the country seven years prior to pursue the 'American Dream' but has always felt that Romania is home, and is the source of her dreams and aspirations. She returns to the country now to explore the current reality of a nation struggling to shrug off the debilitating impact of decades of Communism, and to confront the emotions of returning to the family and friends she left behind. Discovering that the majority of her friends have chosen the same path as her - to leave Romania - she travels throughout the country interviewing family, colleagues, and teachers to understand what's happening.
The documentary 'BoardHeads' defines what boardriding is about, and brings to light a new awareness and appreciation for this global tribe. A boardhead is someone who rides skate, surf, snow, windsurf, wake, kitesurf or other boards on any possible surface. Starting with a history of the evolution of boardsports, the film takes you around the world and into the lives of some inspirational riders. The rugged, soulful voice of veteran actor Michael Madsen helps guide viewers on a journey into boarding culture and the empowering experiences shared by this worldwide community. From voices of pros, enthusiasts and novices, this informational and uplifting movie presents powerful life lessons. The sense of freedom one gets from being on a board and 'sharing the stoke' is echoed throughout all boardsports, giving the audience a sense of unity and community. The deeper messages are subtle using board riding as a metaphor for living a full and complete life. One of the powerful message that emerges: there is a global connection all humans share with one another whether riding a board or not. Locations include the Brisbane River in Australia; cities, mountains, lakes and beaches from Hawaii, South Africa and California, to Miami and the Caribbean...even Thailand, New Zealand and Europe. It's refreshing to see a community redefining itself to serve a greater purpose of compassion, connection and contribution to humanity. 'BoardHeads' captures this culture in an entertaining and uplifting style. Madsen's final voiceover sums things up perfectly: 'We're all just boardheads at heart!'
The documentary Card Subject To Change will bring you deep inside the underground andextraordinary world of Professional Wrestling. Card Subject To Change follows several wrestlers working on the local 'independent circuit' of pro wrestling. It's been compared to the Minor Leagues of professional baseball, but 'Indy Wrestling' is truly unlike any other business in history. Card Subject To Change profiles the lives of some of wrestling's most compellingpersonalities. From a talented up-and-comer to a legend who has changed the scope of the industry. They all come together and perform in VFW halls, high school gyms, and Elk's lodges across the country. Card Subject To Change also features interviews with some of the most legendary names in the history of wrestling and classic footage that has never been seen before.
Friday May 28, 2010 1:50pm - Sunday May 30, 2010 3:24pm EDT
Cypress
In money all that is solid melts into air. Be it sex, potatoes or weapons, the alchemical substance called money can transform anything into anything. Humanity's most brilliant and fatal invention is also the one with the furthest-reaching consequences, says former central banker and money researcher, Bernard Lietaer. 'It turns the mind into a pretzel.'A magical substance that can mean anything and yet has no value itself.It is created from nothing, multiplies exponentially and takes its value from its scarcity. Poverty guarantees its value: If everyone had enough money, it would have no worth.We are told, it's a medium of exchange, but only 2 % of the trillions daily blast around the globe are used for the exchange of goods and services.The philologist Jochen Hörisch dissects financial terminology and discovers religion. And no wonder. Both are matters of faith.Bernard Lietaer is convinced that the current challenges to humanity cannot be solved within the monopolistic monetary system.His vision is being realized in a favela on the edge of Brazil's Fortaleza. A second, homemade currency, the Palmas, has given this poor quarter a flourishing economy. There are already forty such banks successfully operating in Brazil, and new ones are being founded constantly. Self-printed money doesn't only function, it often functions better than its counterpart. Thousands of complementary currencies around the world are proving this now.Paul Singer, Brazil's State Secretary of Solidarity-based Economy puts his finger on it:We have to regain power over our money.
We follow the stories of five men and woman - each of whom has had their lives affected by breast cancer - as they climb a 13,000-foot mountain. The climbers include an oncologist who decided to specialize in breast cancer after witnessing the amazing strength of her patients; and a father-daughter team who have lost a family member to breast cancer and climb in her memory. Together, these climbers head up Mount Borah in Idaho, as part of Expedition Inspiration, a non-profit organization that takes breast cancer survivors up mountains after their treatment. The climbs are a way for the survivors to reclaim their bodies from the deadly disease, and a way for family members to honor the memory of those they have lost to breast cancer. We interweave the story of this Mount Borah climb with the life story of Laura Evans - the woman who founded Expedition Inspiration.
Friday May 28, 2010 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Shot in 2006 but edited this year right on time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, this is a funny and lighthearted behind-the-scenes look at the adventures of a TV crew from Miami running around Germany while covering that country's 2006 soccer World Cup. It features a parade of colorful and wacky fans, an inquiring HD camera-in-hand producer, a very funny cameraman and some of the US Spanish language TV most popular sports reporters. Seat back, relax and let us take you back to an unforgettable summer in Deutchland.
Not My Son' follows Birmingham resident Carolyn Johnson-Turner, founder of Parents Against Violence, or PAV, and its members over the course of several months.Parents Against Violence Foundation was founded on March 1, 2004 by Johnson-Turner as a result of the anguish she experienced when her 20-year-old son, Rodreckus DeAndrew Johnson, was shot and killed while attending a birthday party.PAV members, mainly women who have lost loved ones to gun violence, are on a personal mission to prevent other deaths. At the same time, their anti-violence activities serve as therapy to deal with their overwhelming grief.'The core of 'Not My Son' can be viewed as a microcosm of the violence occurring among young African-American males in the nation's urban areas,' said Dwight Cammeron, producer/director of 'Not My Son' and documentary television program director for the Center for Public Television.Students often work on films and other projects in CPT. Ginger Jolly, a second degree-seeking student in telecommunication and film from Russellville, served as co-producer and co-editor of 'Not My Son.''This documentary was an eye-opening experience, not only in witnessing a mother's anguish and determination but also in how powerful and moving a documentary film can be,' Jolly said.
Friday May 28, 2010 2:10pm - Wednesday April 28, 2010 3:15pm EDT
Cypress
A look inside the Clinic of Hope in Yaounde, Cameroon which is successfully treating people with HIV/AIDS, many types of cancer, Hepatitis B and C, and other viral-related illnesses with a revolutionary therapeutic vaccine, called VANHIVAX. If this therapy is so good, why haven't we heard about it?Recently, three independent film makers from Venezuela travelled to Cameroon to find out. They investigated and filmed a medical doctor, Professor Victor Anomah Ngu, and his team who have been treating, and, in some cases (25), curing HIV/AIDS (defined as a sero-conversion from HIV+ to HIV- on the standard Elisa test) for more than 18 years at the Clinic of Hope. His treatment is a therapeutic vaccine called VANHIVAX.Intimate access was granted to film the Professor, his clinic, and, in a few cases, patients, and case histories. What unfolds in the film is that a seemingly practical, effective, and cheap solution does exist to one of the 21st century's deadliest scourges. The destiny of VANHIVAX is currently caught in the crosshairs of major forces: Cameroonian poverty prevents large scale monitoring of patients for a long period of time, thus not much clinical evidence of the vaccine's efficacy is available. Cameroonians, like many other Africans, have to find their way through the HIV miasma with codes of practice and attitudes from traditional beliefs, Church doctrine, and a government trying to cope with an increasingly ill and dying population. And then there are the pharmaceutical companies...
There are certainly some effects of globalization on culture in any developing country. Does the American football represent a good example for cultural interaction? Is it an outcome of globalization that American football is now played in Turkey? Is it cultural development or cultural destruction? Does it mean losing their own cultural identity for the ones who play it in Turkey? Is the English language penetrating into the lives of the people too much? What are the ways to protect the domestic culture? The Sultans of the Bosphorus takes a close look at the cultural interaction through American football in Turkey.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Maritza Guimet, Executive Director of Florida Media Market/Moderator; Neal Hecker, Vice President of Programming of WPBT Channel 2 PBS Miami; Emilie Kleinmann, Acquisitions and Sales of Ondamax; Melissa Mackenzie, Senior Vice President of Maverick Entertainment Group; Patricia Boero, Executive Director of Latino Public Broadcasting.
HOT FLASH HAVOC is a feature length documentary film that intends, in an intelligent, honest, humorous and straightforward manner, to expose the confusion, myths and misconceptions regarding a woman's 'change,' medically referred to as menopause. This perfectly normal passage in a woman's life can be, for many, fraught with fear and anxiety due to a lack of information or an overabundance of misinformation and misunderstanding about the aging process. HOT FLASH HAVOC describes the journey through perimenopause, menopause and into post-menopause by examining in-depth personal experiences of women and featuring relevant perspectives by world renowned medical experts. With the goal of informing, while at the same time entertaining, HOT FLASH HAVOC will shed some much needed light on this important and emotional subject. There are currently over 1 billion women in menopause and over 1.5 billion women in perimenopause. Hot Flash Havoc aims to capture and inform an audience of not only women, but their husbands, partners, friends, co-workers and families.
Friday May 28, 2010 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Lourdes sees the grave of the dictator Salazar. Nelson sees crimes. Antonio sees a deadly road. Isabel sees loneliness. Each window tells a story, draw together the social portrait of Portugal.
Albert is at his window. Watching the snow dance through the cold winter. Eight years old and feeling the pressure of the world. His mother is sick and in chemo therapy. Albert would rather not talk about it. Meanwhile his parents want him to start choir school.
In 2005, D-Q University, California's only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle. Since then, the school's board of trustees, past students, and community members have tried to reopen the school against all odds. This 30-minute video documentary is structured around a group of occupants who illegally live at the closed D-QU campus amid threats of arrest by the school's board of trustees. Finding D-QU looks at the often-conflictive relationship between the board and the occupants. This current struggle frames the history of the school, beginning with D-QU's establishment in the midst of civil rights activism in the late 1960s. The documentary outlines the original vision of D-QU as a space for self-determined higher education and the hope this dream brought to its many students. The film illustrates the ways in which D-QU's ongoing struggles reflect pressing issues in other American Indian communities.The film provides a lens through which to critically examine the wider American Indian movement toward self-determination and sovereignty in its historical context and as it exists today. Finding D-QU focuses on the historical struggle to maintain a self-reliant educational institution for Indian students and the hardships, successes and failures that come with the movement to reclaim education for Native people. The documentary explores questions concerning past struggles at D-Q U, the current situation and the possible future of California's tribal college. The history of DQ-University reveals that the original people of the America's continue to struggle to decolonize their culture, traditions and educational systems.
The Great Football Giveaway is football's feelgood film of the year. An extraordinary tale of a man who gives up everything to give away footballs to children across Africa. What starts as a simple idea to take a bag of balls to Malawi, turns into an epic journey through 5 countries across Africa with over 15,000 footballs to hand deliver direct to some of the world's poorest children. Paul Clarke, founder of The Great Football Giveaway, encounters extreme poverty in Malawi, landmines in Angola, confronts the effects of genocide and meets child soldiers in Rwanda, and smuggles balls across the border into war-torn Congo. This is a journey of discovery, not just in the opportunity for sport to make a difference but in Paul's own belief and conviction that a simple idea can have huge impact on children's lives, no matter what the circumstances.
Forty year old Devin Dearth is a successful businessman, loving husband, father of three, and champion bodybuilder. He and his family reside in the small community of Central City, Kentucky where they live the picture book 'American Dream'. That is until Devin suffers a devastating stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his right side, unable to walk, with difficulty speaking, double vision and unable to care for himself or his family. As Devin moves from from ICU to in-patient rehabilitation, and eventually into home care he and his family quickly discover the cinfines of the American health care system.Due to the lack of resources, both financial and scope of care, Devin's window for recovery begins to close. In search of an answer, Devin's brother Doug proposes they travel to Tianjian, China, to participate in a stroke rehabilitation program which integrates Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine to successfully treat stroke victims. A program both affordable and promising. They decide to take the leap.Upon landing in China, there is an aura of determination and surrender surrounding Devin as he is immediately immersed into a treatment program and philosophy like nothing he has ever known. Up until now his adversaries had seemed greater than he, but now, with this new team of compassionate mysterious, medical alchemists, they no longer seem insurmountable.We follow Devin on this unconventional journey, where his courage, faith, patience and desire to overcome are tested on a daily basis.
A look at the bond that is formed between doctor and the patient who has been in an accident. Three patients share their story on how their relationship with Dr. Alejadro Badia has changed their lives. Dr. Badia talks about the patient's gesture of gratitude.
In 2004, the first women rugby class was organized in Tehran.Few months later, Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran.Over a 7000 Km journey, we meet some of the women who are trying to learn this new game, despite the Talibanization programs, introduced by the new president.Salam rugby, is not only about rugby..
Domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph, convicted of bombing the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, abortion clinic attacks, and gay nightclubs, also had ties to the racist, anti-government, 'Christian Identity' movement rooted in mountainous, Western North Carolina. Around the same time, militia leader Steve Anderson was also found holed up in the Appalachian area of Cherokee County, NC -- three years after shooting a Kentucky deputy. This provocative 30-minute documentary highlights African-American filmmaker and recent yankee-transplant Ken Wyatt's quest to understand why a section of his new home state of North Carolina seems to be so 'reactionary-extremist-friendly.' Popular belief is that Rudolph had assistance from local sympathizers for almost seven years. In fact, some locals expressed verbal support for him in local media and even sold T-shirts reading, 'Run Rudolph Run.' Considering that while in hiding in Western NC, Rudolph allegedly prayed for an apocalyptic race war. PRAY FOR ERIC explores the question -- Do some Western North Carolinians still consider Rudolph to be a 'folk hero/God's warrior' or has the media undeservedly given them a 'bad rap?' What obstacles does Wyatt confront in his pursuit to find out the truth about his new neighbors? Is Western North Carolina really a safe haven for reactionary extremists with like-thinking locals, or is it truly as warm and serene as the landscapes shown in their tourist brochures?
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Javier Mitchell, President of National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Miami Chapter/MODERATOR; Jose Luis Martinez, Creative and Business Development of Miami World Cinema Center (MWCC); Juan Carlos Zaldivar (Award Winning Filmmaker), Phonograph Films; Alyn Darnay (Award Winning Filmmaker), Chaos Films; Adriana Bosch (Award Winning Filmmaker), Bosch Productions.
Away from professional stadiums, bright lights, and manicured fields, there's another side of soccer. Tucked away on alleys, side streets, and concrete courts, people play in improvised games. Every country has a different word for it. In the United States, we call it pick-up soccer. In Trinidad, it's 'taking a sweat.' In England, it's 'having a kick-about.' In Brazil, the word is 'pelada,' which literally means 'naked'--the game stripped down to its core. It's the version of the game played by anyone, anywhere.Pelada is a documentary following Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college soccer stars who didn't quite make it to the pros. Not ready for it to be over, they take off around the world, chasing the game--the global phenomenon spanning gender, race, religion, and class. The film tells the stories of the players they meet along the way.At San Pedro Prison in Bolivia, an inmate says, 'Here we have nothing. Our life is to play.' In Nairobi, a moonshine brewer confides, 'Down here, everybody thinks you're just another drunkard, but then when you get to the field, people say, 'Oh, that person can play.'' A day after a terrorist attack, Arabs and Jews occupy the same court in Jerusalem but refuse to play on the same team, saying, 'There are people who act like football is above politics but this is bullshit.' From women in hijab playing in Tehran, to eighty-year-olds who play barefoot in Brazil, Pelada is the story of the people who play.
The film 'Wakulla Springs, A Watery Treasure' is a 30-minute documentary that takes a entertaining, quirky and educational look at the world's largest freshwater single vent spring, its history, the labyrinth of tunnels that lead to it, the unique river boat guides and the environmental challenges it's facing that originate beyond its protected boundaries of a Florida State Park.
SHADES OF GREEN documents what is happening in South Florida as it takes the needed steps towards a sustainable future. Whereas South Florida is a unique location with regard to climate; the importance of a region area taking advantage of applicable renewable energy resources and customizing green strategies is highlighted. Introduction to key organizations informs viewers of the players involved with the shaping of policy. The continuum of Smart Growth, New Urbanism, and Green Building will be established with examples to show the importance of re-creating great cities to become greener while curbing sprawl. Local officials present current initiatives. Green buildings including homes, offices, and retail space are featured to show examples of LEED certification and what one can do to decrease their carbon footprint.Interviews with a variety of local leaders and professionals are integrated to address the consequences of Global Warming in South Florida and the importance of conservation, lowering automobile dependence, environmental and economic benefits of living a green lifestyle, and water issues and solutions. SHADES OF GREEN: Sustainable Initiatives is an educational outreach tool illustrating how individuals, businesses, and governments can save resources, energy, and money - while benefiting the environment and health of all living things.
Women With Altitude is a documentary about American and Bolivian women's strength to move beyond domestic violence. Seven women set out from San Francisco to climb high-altitude (5,500-6,000m) peaks in the Bolivian Andes. But they are not just seven women, they are survivors and activists on domestic violence. The climb becomes a breathtaking visual metaphor for the strength women find in themselves to overcome colossal ordeals in their lives. They discover their Bolivian counterparts face an uphill battle of their own, lacking a single shelter in La Paz, the capital of more than 1 million inhabitants. But three local activists prove resilient and resourceful, on the issues as much as on the snowy trek.Beset by winter storms, dissension, rockfall, and altitude sickness, braving the failure and fatalities of other teams on the mountain, the Women With Altitude go for the final 20,000 ft summit with the help of world-famous climbers Willie and Damian Benegas and the Bolivian mindset of querer es poder--you're stronger than you know.
Friday May 28, 2010 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Indiewood Pictures in Association with Destiny Pictures presents the award-winning MY RUN, the inspirational documentary of Terry Hitchcock, narrated by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton. After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult lives of single-parent families. The film is directed and produced by Tim VandeSteeg and produced by Mark Castaldo whom will both be present at this event along with Terry Hitchcock himself!
Friday May 28, 2010 7:30pm - 9:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Trumpet player extraordinaire, arranger/composer, producer, and educator. Melton has performed with some of the top names in JAZZ including the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Woody Herman Orchestra, Bobby Watson, Jaco Pastorius, George Cables, John Hicks, Charlie Mingus Dynasty, and Gunter Shuller, among many others.
Friday May 28, 2010 9:00pm - 11:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Paula Rego is that great rarity a Britain artist with an international reputation. Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, describes her as a major figure who has 'taken her own childhood experiences, memories, fantasies and fears, and given them universal significance'. For Germaine Greer her work is both feminist and subversive; 'It is not often given to women to recognise themselves in painting, still less to see their private world, their dreams, the insides of their heads, projected on such a scale and so immodestly' Art critic Robert Hughes says simply that Rego is the 'best painter of women's experience alive today'. For 20 years Jake Auerbach's films have captured artists and their work. His subjects range from heroes of the past; Sickert, Titian and Rodin (a film described as 'the best film on sculpture ever made' by Sir Anthony Caro) to contemporary masters like Kitaj, Auerbach and Freud ('A beautiful and telling film, and somewhat disturbing too' The Guardian). Though described as arts films Auerbach says his documentaries are 'portraits of extraordinary people who make marvellous things, many of whom happen to be artists'. 'Paula Rego: telling tales' follows Rego over 12 months. During six interviews she talks with humour revealing the private stories that are woven into her pictures; she faces her demons, the demons that drive her to make work which keeps her 'monsters' at bay. The result is an intimate and funny film that allows us to peek into the private world of Paula Rego.
Saturday May 29, 2010 10:00am - 10:40am EDT
Redwood
Across Europe thousands of very young Roma children are being forced onto the streets to beg and steal. Romanian Gypsy organized criminal gangs take advantage of the fact that in most European countries the age of legal responsibility is 14. They traffic these children on a massive scale and make millions of Euros by ruthlessly exploiting them. Award-winning filmmaker Liviu Tipurita spent seven months investigating this new criminal phenomenon in Spain, Italy and Romania. In this documentary, he reveals how law enforcement agencies and social services are seemingly powerless to prevent it. Liviu goes inside the closed world of Romanian Gypsies - the poorest and most marginalized community in Europe - to expose the shocking plight of these children. He captures on camera the racism the Gypsies are being subjected to and the efforts made to integrate them into the wider society, as well as the involvement of the families in the exploitation of the children. Liviu raises sensitive questions about a culture of crime that perpetuates a cycle of abuse and exploitation and calls for immediate action to help these children.
Saturday May 29, 2010 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Wildwood
With growing urbanisation across India, many towns and cities are crying for more water. Is the shortage due to a lack of resources or due to poor management? Located in Bangalore, India's IT capital, the film traces the journey of water into and out of urban homes. Along this journey it looks at access to water for the poor, the politics of water pricing, urban India's continuous exploitation of natural resources and explores possible alternatives for a sustainable water future.
The award winning 5...6...7...8 is the inspiring story of Nova Jazz -- an elite girls dance company. The dancers, ranging in age from 10 to 18, are based out of The Pulse Performing Arts Studio, in Bedford Hills, NY. The film begins as a 'year-in-the life' of Nova Jazz, but quickly evolves into an intimate portrayal of five key members, and the woman who makes it all possible. 5...6...7...8 delicately crafts the story of each character as the year progresses, culminating in the triumph of the final concert performance.
Saturday May 29, 2010 10:00am - 11:40am EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
In the 1960s, the Greater London Council started building Thamesmead, a utopian new town on the outskirts of London. It was designed to solve London's social problem, but crime, poor facilities and badly built housing turned the dream into a nightmare. It's now best known as the bleak backdrop to 'A Clockwork Orange.' In 2008, forgotten films about the master plan and the town's early days were discovered. This documentary, in 2009, follows a series of screenings of these films to the residents of Thamesmead today. In doing so, it tells the social history of one of London's most controversial and misunderstood areas.
Saturday May 29, 2010 10:00am - Sunday May 30, 2010 11:00am EDT
Coco Plum
When documentary film maker Peter Boyd Maclean embarks on a fly on the wall film about an artist preparing for a multi- media performance, he can't help but get more than just involved. In fact he turns the camera on himself and makes a parallel film about the artists and his own struggle for Identity.
Saturday May 29, 2010 10:40am - 11:20am EDT
Redwood
Croatian live act Dogma had huge success in Asia with thier album Land of Utopia, first trance album in Chinese spoken area. European promotion of this album held in 1998. in Zagreb, in club Mungos, one of the most popular underground clubs for electronic dance music in Croata. DJ Ludvig, Stelar and DJ Go Cut became croatian DJ superstars and they started to organize club events under the name of ASTRALIS! First Astralis party was event held 12th of April 1998. in the biggest club in The Zagreb, called 'Club THE BEST'. Nobody know what will happend, many of clubbers laughed about the idea to organize party in this club...But, 2000 people showed at this event, and new wave of the club scene started...suddenly, electronic music become no1 and DJS become superstars...This is a true story spoken by DJs who started new era of croatian clubbing, true story about devotion to the music, about love, sexy, parties, traveling, movement....
The documentary explores the damaging effects of the film business on the environment. Greenlit follows Miranda, an indie producer, to the realization that making movies has a tendency to be extremely wasteful. The documentary explores films that have wreaked havoc on our environment and poses the question: What can we do to soften our carbon footprint as filmmakers?Miranda follows the cast and crew of the indie feature film, The River Why, starring Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), as they bring aboard a Green Consultant, Lauren Selman, and watch her struggles to 'Green' their film. The task proves to be extremely challenging, even in a town as eco-conscious as Portland where one would think the film crew would be receptive to environmental issues...but instead we see how film crews and film unions maintain that there is no place in the line of filmmaking for someone who's job description is Environmental Consultant. Both entertaining and humorous, this documentary is filled with compelling and important facts about filmmaking and sustainability.
Saturday May 29, 2010 11:10am - Friday May 28, 2010 12:10pm EDT
Laurel
Odd People Out is a documentary about the process of marginalization and repression of the gay community during the first two decades of the Cuban Revolution, through the eyes and voice of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. He is the main character in an account by other writers and artists who were part of his life, and who were also punished and persecuted by the Cuban regime. A counterpoint to Schnabel´s fictional biopic Before Night Falls, Odd People Out constructs a kaleidoscopic depiction of Reinaldo's life, of the Cuban gay community that surrounded him before the revolution, and of the hardships he endured after it.
Saturday May 29, 2010 11:30am - 4:55pm EDT
Cypress
Running by Sight follows painter and photographer Tim Hussey through a year of inspiration and production. Filmmaker Adam Boozer captures the spirit and struggles of a contemporary artist living in the Southeast, while recounting past experiences that brought Hussey to gain national recognition. Running by Sight documents the developing body of work and elements of influence that have shaped Hussey's career.Film includes interviews with:Shepard Fairey : Artist / Designer Jill Hooper : Painter Mark Sloan : Director / Halsey InstituteKevin Bradley : Yee-Haw IndustriesLain York : Director / Zeitgeist GalleryJanice and Manuel Zeitlin : CollectorsMike Seekings : Collector Rebekah Jacob : Rebekah Jacob Gallery
Saturday May 29, 2010 12:30pm - 1:20pm EDT
Redwood
In 1978, Bengt and Eva Svensson are approved as adoptive parents. They travel from Sweden to Colombia to pick up their beloved son, who they name Anders Svensson. In his early twenties, Anders begins searching for his roots. He changes his name back to his birth name Emilio Cuesta and, to the great disappointment of his adoptive father, moves back to Colombia. Bengt realizes he has to find a way to salvage the relationship with his adoptive son. He buys a ticket for Colombia. When he arrives Emilio has just learned of a town north of Bogotá where he may have biological family. The countryside road trip that ensues turns out to be a powerful inner journey for both Emilio and Bengt. A journey that will change their relationship forever.
Saturday May 29, 2010 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
Wildwood
This film follows the stories of several Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers of various socio-economic backgrounds. Stories of severe physical and psychological abuse-as well as rape and beheadings-are illustrated to outline how human rights are violated, standing as appalling consequences of human trafficking. Overseas Foreign Workers not only live as outsiders in their host country, amidst unfamiliar languages and cultural traditions, but are also unprotected and unrecognized by the laws of host countries such Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and China, among others. Overseas Foreign Workers are easy targets for exploitation and abuse, enduring long work hours and earning low pay, all under deplorable living conditions. This film will explore how the Philippine government, a Third World country, has actively encouraged its citizens to leave their country to get back $18B from such foreign workers. In the end, the story of OFWs is one of extreme sacrifice. This film will also raise provocative questions about certain ominous economic, political and social trends that, if left unchecked, portend the danger of causing a vast section of First World countries to fall back into 2nd or 3rd World status. The film will hopefully spark a wakeup call, among American citizens and leaders of the Free World, to take the actions necessary to protect American and European prosperity from slipping away.
MOMz HOT ROCKs is a feature length original music documentary on the emergence of mom rock bands 2004-2007. Introducing Joy Rose, mother of four, lead singer of Housewives on Prozac and founder of MAMAPALOOZA, the Mydols; Placenta; Frump; Black Flamingo; CandyBand and more in a cross section of US cities. MOMz captures the 2004 beginning of the continually increasing media attention as these bands first meet each other and converge in NYC for Mamapalooza in May of 2005 through 2007 when they have become a voice of a growing social and political movement.Both a documentary and a music video, an entertaining look into how women--MOMz, take on the world, manage their lives, raise great kids, and make music that rocks your socks off.
Saturday May 29, 2010 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Cypress
Enjoying his fast paced, opulent, enlightened life, successful young entrepreneur, Louis Lautman's curiosity and fascination of business achievement at a young age launched him on a journey to seek out and interview the world's most successful young millionaire entrepreneurs to discover and expose 'The Secret' behind their success. Louis knew that some young entrepreneurs still struggled and was committed to sharing the strategies these young geniuses lived by to create a thriving life of prosperity, wealth and abundance at a young age. Louis being a master net worker assembled forty Young Millionaire Entrepreneur geniuses, connected with them and inspired them to sit down with him to share their stories from beginning to present. They all detailed how they took their ideas from their head out to the world and how they overcame all the challenges along the way. Each of these experts serves as a sounding board for young entrepreneurs across the globe. Their products and services have touched the lives of millions and now so do their inspiring stories.Like every hero, Louis was thrown into crisis as he was presented with evidence that the fundamental premises that ran his life were untrue. The 'reality' of how young people are supposed to grow up; the 'belief' that after high school you go to college; and the 'fact' that if you work hard and long at your job you will get ahead- are all shown to be habitual mental constructs that limit life and induce a slow-moving, apathetic, tedious reality.
Saturday May 29, 2010 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
With the future of 'The World's Playground' hanging in the balance, an amusement park operator, a local historian, a boardwalk souvenir boutique owner and others work to save Coney Island from becoming an ersatz copy of its former self, an empty lot, or even worse, a shopping mall. Last Summer at Coney Island is a feature documentary, exploring the power of place and asking what value we put on cultural history and affordable recreation.
P.A.T.H.' (which stands for Preserving, Archiving and Teaching Hip-Hop History) is the new film by award-winning filmmaker Dan Perez. It documents the P.A.T.H. Hip-Hop Academy, the first ever summer camp of it's kind in Miami. P.A.T.H. is the brainchild of popular Miami hip-hop artist Brimstone127 who after eight years, finally found a home for his program at the Miami Light Project, a not-for-profit cultural organization. During the four week camp, teenagers from ages 13-18 studied Hip-Hop history, the art of deejaying, emceeing (rapping), B-boying and B-girling (break-dancing), and urban art. Several of Miami's most talented artists and performers served as instructors. The list included urban artist Krave, DJ Immortal from the late Jam Master Jay's Scratch Academy, International B-Girl Beta Rawkz and Soulflower, Miami's 'Empress of Hip-Hop', who has shared the mic with emcees such as Erykah Badu, KRS-ONE and Outkast. The camp also featured an impressive lineup of guest speakers such as Grandmaster Dee of Whodini, DJ Epps, popular Miami artist Lebo, Faisal Tavernier of Urban America Newspaper, Hip-Hop theater performer Teo Castellanos and International motivational speaker Kirk Nugent, to name a few.The film demonstrates how powerful Hip-Hop's original elements can be as an educational tool for today's inner-city youth while calling to question the state of today's rap scene and the stereotypes it's artists have created.
The Wayman Tisdale Story' gives a detailed account of the life of former basketball star and jazz musician, Wayman Tisdale. Told through his own words in two exclusive interviews captured in May of 2009, Tisdale leads a journey through his own life story, from his childhood as a preacher's son to his recent battle with cancer that led to the amputation of his right leg. Tisdale's life approach of compassion, courage, and optimism is embodied in this program. While walking down the stairs of his home in Los Angeles, Tisdale fell and broke his leg. As doctors at UCLA ordered X-rays of every bone in Tisdale's body, they wondered how a former pro athlete, who had never broken a bone in twenty years, could so easily shatter his leg. Eight weeks later, the doctors called him with the news: he had cancer. Several operations and two rounds of chemotherapy followed. In order to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of his body, Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated in August of 2008. As an athlete who was once one of the world's most gifted leapers, Tisdale was now presented with a debilitating condition. Through his faith, music, and positive outlook on life, Tisdale was able to effectively look past his own condition and direct his energy towards helping others through The Wayman Tisdale Foundation. The foundation was established to assist individuals in need of prosthetic limbs who cannot afford them.
Saturday May 29, 2010 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Wildwood
This feature documentary is an inspirational look at the world of Pro-Am Ballroom dancing as seen through the personal stories of two amateurs and two professionals. It is 'Dancing with the Stars' with real life people. Lydia saw an ad in the local paper for dance lessons that would lead her to meet Angelo an over-sized dance instructor that would change her life forever. John has danced since he was six years old before burning out as top-flight professional only to rediscover his love of dancing while being a judge and a teacher. Tilly is ninety-one years old and is inspired to keep on living after the tragic loss of her daughter who leaves her a trust fund allowing her to continue to dance. Beautiful Larinda discovered her destiny while dancing with a complete stranger in college and now she not only teaches amateur men but also coaches a championship college ballroom team. These four stories are woven around the ins and outs and the ups and downs of real life ballroom dance competitions that take place all over the country every weekend. We hear from judges, teachers, organizers, hairdressers, DJ's, MC's and mostly from the dancers themselves who describe what its like to be in their shoes. 'I Can Dance' takes you into a wonderful carnival-like world full of great dancing and wonderful characters.
Saturday May 29, 2010 1:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Coco Plum
Gus an American Icon is a honest look at the life and times of Gus Giordano in a biographical / testimonial way, mixing outstanding still photography from his life , several extracts of his choreography, a full performance of "Wings"
For more then six decades, Pierre Boulez has had greater influence on the development of contemporary music than anyone else. Already in younger days, he gained a reputation as a doughty champion of the avant-garde. With his compositions, interpretations, and ideas he indelibly shaped the international music scene - not only as a composer and conductor, but also as a music philosopher and teacher. For the past five summers, Pierre Boulez and highly gifted young musicians from all over the world have converged for intensive rehearsal weeks during which they learn from the maestro and one another, discuss and play selected compositions, and finally present subsequently the fruits of their labour in a number of outstanding concerts. To convey the fascination for contemporary music, the documentary captures the perspectives of Pierre Boulez and the young conductors, composers, and musicians involved. Their infectious enthusiasm gives viewers an emotional access to the world of new music. Accompanied with retrospective accounts, this endeavour narrates significant experiences and encounters in Boulez' career and gives a graphical depiction of the way he passes these experiences on to his current students. Consequently, this makes selected works by Stravinsky, Stockhausen, and Boulez more approachable. On a different level, it demonstrates how strongly personal experiences leave their mark on individual action, aesthetic sensitivity, and our perception of others. This film is a homage to the composer, conductor, and teacher Pierre Boulez.
IN MY MIND is high-energy performance-based nonfiction telling the story of rising jazz pianist Jason Moran's 50th Anniversary tribute to Thelonious Monk's historic 1959 Town Hall concert in New York City. Lending its title to the documentary, Moran's concert was commissioned due to the unearthing of photographer and audiophile Eugene Smith's recordings from wiring his building for sound in the fifties and sixties to document the 'Jazz Loft.' Monk is brought back to life through his own voice.Staying true to Monk's ingenuity, Moran makes his own rules - combining improvisation, collaboration, performance art, multimedia, and history to reinvent a legendary show and uphold the integrity of the music. The film does the same, using Moran's performance as the bass-line to a jazz story spanning fifty years. Eschewing simplification, the stellar performance is infused with interviews from each player, exhibiting in detail the rarely exposed process of artistic and musical collaboration, and tackling what makes playing Monk's music so daunting, fun, and momentous. Moran invades the audience with jazz by taking it off the stage and into the lobby in his encore; the film brings viewers intimately on stage and into the spaces and minds of the performers.Featuring Moran and the Big Bandwagon, collaborating visual artists Glenn Ligon and David Dempewolf, Monk's original french horn player Robert 'Brother Ah' Northern, and Eugene Smith's archives, IN MY MIND reveals the layered personalities of music and artists from two of the finest jazz shows, half a century apart.
They've traveled from all over the land of the free - from New York, California, North Carolina, Texas - up to the neighboring true north, all so they can experience a right non-existent in the United States. Marriage is not an option for American couples who are gay, but some feel nuptials are worth traveling for - even if their new status has no legal meaning at home. In this first-ever, intimate, and honest portrayal of seven American couples who come to Toronto to get married, their motivation is captured in their candid sincerity. They represent the modern American - they are teachers, doctors, psychotherapists, engineers, entrepreneurs - and they come with their friends, parents, and children. Through unfettered access to the couples on their special day, their true emotions are revealed - in this document of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
A movie about extreme fandom, mid-life crisis, the joy of making music, and the madness of the Davies brothers. Geoff Edgers is compelling.' -- Tom Perrotta, author of Election, Little Children.'Should warm the hearts of anyone who ever swooned to 'Lola' or 'Waterloo Sunset.' -- Ty Burr, The Boston Globe.'Do It Again' takes us from Boston, where newspaper reporter Geoff Edgers launches his crazy idea to reunite the Kinks, to the backstage hotspots where Geoff can try to live out his rock band fantasies and work toward telling the story of his favorite, underappreciated rock band, The Kinks. Along his journey, we'll encounter Sting, Zooey Deschanel, Clive Davis, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul Weller and Peter Buch. We watch Geoff struggle with his own, impending sense of mortality as well as his special way of putting his rock hero subjects on the hot seat. What happens when you ask Sting, off-the-cuff, to play a Kinks song with you? And will Geoff ultimately succeed in his goal? We'll find out when he heads to London for the annual Kinks convention and encounters the leaders of the band, Ray and Dave Davies.
Saturday May 29, 2010 2:10pm - 3:30pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Beats of freedom is a story of Polish rock and independence. Narrated by a well known British writer and journalist- Chris Salewicz- this documentary film is a journey through 3 decades of Polish rock music. Chris meets the legends of Polish music scene showing us the unique footage of their first concerts as well as archives of Polish history under the Communism.It's a film about the music that not only brought people beats of freedom but was one of the domains of the Polish cultural life having little more independence.
Toyland takes you inside the high stakes world of the 22 billion dollar toy industry, where fun and fortune awaits those who know how to get inside the mind of a child. Meet the people behind the biggest playthings in history as we follow the ups and downs of game designer, Tim Walsh as he tries to takes his own invention to market. From paper to prototype, we follow Walsh along his winding road to Toy Fair, the largest trade show for toys in the western hemisphere, with frustrating pitches to Hasbro, Spin Master, and others along the way. Will his toy light up the imagination of kids everywhere or never see the light of day?Perform a song that sells a million copies and you're on the cover of Rolling Stone. Write a book that sells a million copies and you're on the New York Times best-seller list. Design a toy that sells over 100 times that amount, and you're unknown. Toy and game designers provide fun, fantasy and some of our most cherished childhood memories, all in total anonymity... until now. In the documentary film TOYLAND, director Ken Sons takes you to the magical place where fun is born: inside the playful mind of toy inventors.
Saturday May 29, 2010 2:30pm - Sunday May 30, 2010 3:35pm EDT
Wildwood
In times of crisis people seek strong leaders and simple solutions. But what happens when their solutions are identical to the mistakes that caused the very crisis?'Overdose' is the story of the greatest economic crisis of our age - the one that awaits us.The documentary traces the origins of the financial crisis and explores the eerie similarities with today's situation, where states like Greece, Iceland and even the U.S. seems to be in danger of collapsing.Among those interviewed are experts who were mocked when they predicted the current crisis. Other interviewees include Nobel laureate Vernon Smith and former US Comptroller General David Walker (I.O.U.S.A). The film is shot in the Unites States, Sweden and Germany and makes extensive use of music, archive footage and graphics.
The Legendary Dee Palmer and his Fantastic Band is an autobiographical documentary told through the eyes of Dee Palmer, born in 1915. Dee has spent his whole life trying to bring joy to other people through music. He gave up the life of a professional musician in 1948 and returned to his hometown, DeKalb, Illinois to direct the local community band, a position he has held for over 60 years. Through the use of animations, stock footage, and selected performances of the band the filmmaker presents a visual interpretation of Dee's memories, along with an engaging concert experience.
Without bees, Albert Einstein said, 'man would only have four years of life left.' Seen through the eyes of passionate beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers we examine the global bee crisis and explore the profound world of bees. In an alarming inquiry, 10,000 years of beekeeping is unveiled, highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost. Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and the heart-felt struggles of colorful beekeepers from around the world, QUEEN OF THE SUN weaves a dramatic story complemented by unusual animation and stunning cinematography, uncovering the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.
Saturday May 29, 2010 3:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Coco Plum
Audience with the Queens - a glimpse into the lives of Drag Queen performers in Key West, Florida A story that follows the lives and experiences of a diverse group of drag queens.This film gives the 'audience' insight into what Drag Queens are all about. It gives real perspective about the person and personality of a Drag Queen. This film will definitely entertain the 'Audience' and make them want to find out more about the fascinating characters that star in the film
A documentary on the unique sexual culture of the Mosuo people, a small minority in the South-West of China, and one of the last remaining matriarchal societies in the world. Without a formal marriage contract, the Mosuo traditionally build relationships based on free love and sexual satisfaction. But can the sexual liberty and power of the Mosuo women survive as modern Chinese society slowly encroaches their ancestral land? We follow Bima, a young Mosuo woman, and learn of her reality and of the dangers that threaten her inherited way of life.
Saturday May 29, 2010 3:35pm - 4:02pm EDT
Wildwood
There was no 'music' in pre-colonial Tanzania. There was 'Ngoma' (drums): a harvest ngoma, another to raise the evil spirits. No matter the ceremony, whatever the cause, Ngoma set the beat, involving people in tradition and message. To this day, Ngoma is all about involvement, about joining rather than watching. Spectator and performer become one, and the beat rolls on. 'Musiki' as a spectacle was born of cultural exchanges with the outside world. Musiki brought a new musical dimension to Tanzania- music solely for entertainment, music that people came to hear. From there it grew into what it is today: thriving industry in a cosmopolitan nation.So where do these two concepts, 'Musiki' and 'Ngoma', meet in a modern Tanzania? A panorama of Tanzanian music history and industry, Mwamba Ngoma looks at the role of communication in social change within the context of a project that harnesses the entertainment value of music to serve social purpose.
Nobu fever,' erupted immediately after Nobuyuki Tsujii's June '09 victory at the Van Cliburn Piano Competition.Tsujii, who is clearly relishing the newfound notoriety, said 'I don't think I myself have changed because of the 'fever.' But it has come as a surprise. I did not know I had become so famous and now, with so many offers to perform, I have to say 'no' for the first time.'Though classical music is more popular in Japan than in many other countries, there has never been anything like the mania there over a homegrown concert musician before, his agents said.National newspapers reported his Cliburn win on the front page -- the fact that China's Haochen Zhang shared top honors was hardly mentioned. More than 30 TV crews covered Tsujii's airport arrival, according to reports from Japan.Japan's Chopin Piano magazine issued a glossy, 78-page special issue about Tsujii's victory, and a publisher announced that his achievement would be noted in a new public-school textbook.Regarding his career, Tsujii expressed the hope that someday his style would be so distinctive that his renditions of Chopin or Beethoven would be recognized as carrying his personal stamp.His goal, he told the Japanese media, is to be viewed by audiences as a professional who can deal with a tough schedule, a less than perfect piano or problems with the hall's acoustics and yet turn in a first-class performance.
This extraordinary documentary series sees two visionary filmmakers Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto, set off around the world to create the biggest global music jam in history. The journey across 50 locations also features interviews with some of the world's leading actors and greatest thinkers of our day, and some of the most interesting unsung heroes they met along the way, weaving original musical collaborations with soul-searching conversations and stunning imagery. This is a poignant, emotional and entertaining time capsule of humanity at its most inspirational. Covering universal topics such as God, Sex, Death and money this is a powerful statement of our collective insanity, and includes insightful contributions from Billy Connelly, Bob Geldof, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Fry, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle and Susan Sarandon to name just a few. Artists such as Michael Stipe, Will Young, Carlos Santana, Maxi Jazz, Alanis Morissette and K D Lang among many others, contribute to create what becomes the musical soundtrack to each theme.
Saturday May 29, 2010 4:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
SPECIAL SCREENING OF EPISODE 4, "DIVAS AND SUPERSTARS", this documentary focuses on the Latin pop explosion of the turn of the century and the success of artists like Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Shakira in the English-language market. As studios concentrate on star-driven pop, Latino youth gravitate toward urban fusions - Spanish rap and Reggaetón, as well as Rock en Español. Latin Music USA is a film about American music. Fusions of Latin sounds with jazz, rock, country, rhythm and blues - music with deeper roots and broader reach than most people realize. It's a fresh take on our musical history, reaching across five decades and across musical genres to portray the rich mix of sounds created by Latinos and embraced by all. The four-hour PBS documentary series was produced by a team led by WGBH, in co-production with the BBC, Latin Music USA invites the audience into the vibrant musical conversation between Latinos and non-Latinos that has helped shape the history of popular music in the United States. Fittingly, the series launches in Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions of Latinos to the United States and to celebrate Latino heritage and culture.
Saturday May 29, 2010 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
From Evolution to Revolution "Rock 'n' Roll Made in Mexico " is the story of Mexican rock told by intrepid filmmakers Lance Miccio and Rock icon Fito de la Parra . The journey from innocence of Bubble Gum Music to the Avandaro field on September 11th 1971 where hundreds of thousands cheered bands like Three souls in my mind (El Tri) . After a major propaganda push by the Mexican Goverment against the Avandaro event declaring it an evil gathering of radicals and anarchists and then banning rock and roll from 1970 on until 1985 forcing Rock and Roll underground where it thrived in the barrios of the under ground concerts which drew thousands.
Saturday May 29, 2010 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Rich Ferguson is a poet with a sound, not the scratch of pencil on paper or the tick of fingertips on plastic, but the sonic of syllables warm and warn rubbing up against trip hop beat and street atmosphere. Imagine Kerouac kissing Massive Attack with a side order of Swordfish Trombone. All this and more can be heard on Richs latest opus, Where I Come From, produced by Herb Graham, Jr (John Cale) with Jeremy Toback (Brad) on bass and Butch (Eels) on drums. Rich has graced radio stations across the nation, including WBAI, KCRW, KPFK, and World Radio. He has shared the same stage with Bob Holman, Patti Smith, Exene Cervenkova, David Thomas (Pere Ubu), Holly Prado, and many more. He has performed at the Redcat Theater in Disney Hall, the South by Southwest Music Festival, the North By Northwest Music Festival, the Henry Miller Library, Tongue and Groove, and Beyond Baroque. In short, hes been around.
Saturday May 29, 2010 9:00pm - 11:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
For the past five decades Colombia has been home to an internal armed conflict that has lead to the second largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The past 20 years of conflict have claimed the lives of approximately 70,000 people, the majority of them civilians who were not taking active part in the hostilities. More than 4 million people have been internally displaced and others have 'disappeared'. The exact number of Colombians who have fled the country because of this war is unknown. At present, there are approximately 200,000 peoplewho have crossed the border into Venezuela seeking protection.This documentary features testimonies from women who have been forced to flee Colombia's domestic conflict and have sought asylum in Venezuela. After suffering multiple internal displacements, once their lives are in danger, many decide to finally cross the border. The film weaves together testimonies of the women themselves and informative interviews from local priests, NGO workers and government officials to provide a broader perspective on this often underreported issues.
Last June, the world was shaken by the 10th Iranian presidential election. The events following theelection received great media attention. In what were the most violent days since the Islamicrevolution, over 65 people were killed, and the world began to wonder just what could cause suchwidespread anger against the government.'Red, White and the Green' is a documentary which takes place during the last three weeks leadingup to the June 22nd Election. It features over 55 minutes of never before seen footage in the Iraniancapital. The most moving aspect of the movie is the great optimism, which most people showtowards the upcoming election, not knowing the great horror that is around the corner for most ofthem.During the film, the director interviews various prominent figures, several of whom have beenimprisoned since the election. The list includes dissident journalist Isa Saharkhiz and renounceddirector Jafar Panahi.
The documentary Return tells a story of a struggle lived out by countless men and women released from prison. As former inmates set out to return to the outside world, the ability to find work and a place to stay is a challenge not easily met. Many leave possessing only a bus ticket, lacking the proper documents, cash, or background that grant true freedom in our society.Gwen and Jill are about to begin their journey into the outside world. For these women the future is a great unknown. Thomas and Carol offer a picture of what life after prison can be. Theirs is a story of hope and struggle. Years after leaving their prisons behind, they have striven to forge new lives for themselves, becoming the transformed people they are today.The common thread of all four individuals is the assistance of volunteers from outside the prison world, complete strangers who stepped in to help. They strive to bridge the gap between the convicts and the world they left behind. With the help of these mentoring volunteers the obstacles so highly stacked up against Gwen, Jill, Thomas and Carol may be more possible to conquer.The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world.These figures are ignorable when we do not know the individuals whose lives they represent. Return introduces four people who each have a story to tell that takes them past the faceless figures of the current incarceration debate.
David Liebe Hart is a self-described actor, artist, puppeteer, singer, and songwriter who has been trying to make it big in Hollywood for over 30 years. While on his quest for success in Los Angeles, David provides his insights on race, religion, the economy, extraterrestrials, the entertainment industry, and other topics. David is joined by his two friends: his musical collaborator Adam Papagan and celebrity impersonator James Quall. 'The World According to David Liebe Hart' is a unique documentary about an extremely fascinating and unique individual.
It's 1941. While Nazi's cheer, tiny villages throughout Eastern Europe are being overrun by the SS, the German Army. Caught in the middle of this horror is Fanya Gottesfeld (Heller), a 15-year old teenager. Today at 83, Fanya shares the details of her ordeal with inner city teens. They understand the choices she was forced to make and they can relate to the unexpected love she found in the midst of chaos and horror. Fanya's story is unique in that she does not tell the preferred narrative, Instead she gives a raw and emotional account of her relationship with a Ukrainian solider (a Nazi collaborator) who saves the family from certain death. But in the end, this relationship leaves Fanya with questions she continues to struggle with today. At 83, Fanya contemplates a return to her hometown of Skala, in present day Ukraine, accompanied by Father Patrick Desbois. Father Desbois is a French Catholic priest who has has identified more than 600 common graves of Jews, most of them previously unknown. The film follows Fanya as she wrestles with the past and focuses on the importance of her work today. It is a raw and emotional look at survival through an unfiltered lens.
Sunday May 30, 2010 10:00am - 11:10am EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
In the 21st century many ancestral beliefs are struggling to survive in a hostile, fast-changing world. In southeast Ivory Coast, some Akan communities still make contact with the spirits through Komians or animistic priests who go into a trance and are possessed by the spirits of the Forest and the Waters. Jean Marie Addiaffi (1941-1999), a writer and intellectual from Ivory Coast, fought to conserve the Akans' oral literature, myths and legends, and the knowledge and uses of the plants. In the film 'Return to the land of souls', Yéo Douley, a disciple of Jean Marie Addiaffi , will set out on a journey to visit his master's grave and carry out a ritual libation. On his travel, he will attend the initiation rites of three people chosen by the spirits and witness one of them proclaimed as the new Komian or high animistic priest. Development of the screenplay took into account how the camera approaches what is being narrated, striking the right balance and contrast between the atmosphere of the animistic experience and travel ling through the country. The screenplay makes it clear that the shots of animistic rites should give the impression of glimpsing a forbidden world, by foreshortening and trying to capture the essence of the moment as closely as possible.
este film es el viaje de un hijo en busca de la memoria de su padre asesinado. es también la historia emocional de un pais que no quiere recordar. es el diario íntimo de una familia estallada que intenta superar una tragedia...
Sunday May 30, 2010 10:00am - 11:20am EDT
Coco Plum
PASJA / PASSIONSYNOPSISThis is a story of an extraordinary ,,life voyage' (full of passion) of one of the last hermits, and Poland's oldest. Joseph (Józef) lives his own ascetic life not bothered by the changes going on around him. He seems to be like an extinct species in modern material world. He adheres to the principles and restrictions which he has imposed upon himself and which consequently have left an indelible mark on his fate. He is unaware of the fact he has become a symbol of the place he has inhabited for nearly sixty years- this is an unusual location: Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (in Poland).
No popcorn on the floor' takes us behind the scenes of the independent cinema in the south-western French town of Bayonne - the Atalante. The Atalante is a state of mind, the fight against the industrialisation and merchandising of the 7th art; the room for showing is just next the room as an Irish pub, where spectators open up their hearts, imagine a new world, rebel or simply come for a slice of humanity . As the year unfold we find the manager, Ramuntxo, facing up to his responsibilities. Choosing the films to schedule, managing the staff and the finances, telling the right words to comfort everybody, screaming to make himself heard, he fluctuates between laughter and tears, between boundless energy and moments of doubt even wanting to let go of. By his side, Jean Georges, a good-natured projectionist lives surrounded by his reels in the half-light of a tiny projection booth.
This documentary journeys to the kitchens of Peru's coast, highlands and jungle, as well as Peruvian expat communities in Paris, London, Amsterdam and New York for answers.From the most humble family kitchens to the poshest restaurants, from stories of pioneering Peruvian chefs abroad to those who preserve ancient recipes at home, we find that Peru's cuisine is deliciously integrating for its people, who have historically been marked by ethnic and economic differences.Renowned chefs such as Gastón Acurio, Ferran Adrià, Juan Mari Arzak and Bernardo Roca Rey share their views on Peru's cuisine alongside those unsung chefs, who also dream of Peru's cuisine as a motor of development.
While American cities and campuses were rife with protest, racial rioting, and civil disorder, 150 students from poverty backgrounds were assembling on the Yale Divinity School campus. Not your ordinary student body, it was an eclectic and electric bunch; African-Americans from Bedford Stuyvesant, Harlem, Chicago projects and the rural South; White kids from rural Appalachia; the cities of the East Coast, and the Mid and Far West; Native Americans from reservations in South Dakota and New Mexico; and Latinos from California and the Southwest. It was a microcosm of America, gathering to create a new and very different kind of school, a living laboratory in the problems and promise of the American democracy.'Walk Right In' tells their story. It chronicles their experiences before, during, and after that eventful summer; detailing their interaction with other students, teachers, an alien setting, and a demanding curriculum. It tells of the friendships and bonds that were established, as well as the conflicts. Students came for the first time to enjoy learning. They gained a new sense of possibilities. The summer program generated an authentic conversation on race. Students of different backgrounds came to respect and learn from one another. The program made the 'Great Books,' of Western literature relevant to the times and lives of its students, bringing sensitive issues of race, tolerance, and personal identity to the fore. They searched together for that which eluded the nation, a working definition of 'community', the shared values that ground people and bind them together.
Sunday May 30, 2010 11:20am - 12:50pm EDT
Coco Plum
Rarely one pays attention to the rivers which cross large cities.The camera follows a fictitious character, in voice over, who comes back to Rome and decides to cross the city along the Tiber in one day. It is a historical walk which starts in the north of the city in residential districts then continues through buildings dating from Fascism, the sites of the shooting of the film 'Bicycle Thieves' of Vittorio de Sica, until the relics of the commercial ports near the seaside. Built like a 'road movie' the contrast between the today's abandoned river banks and the frantic life of ancient times is striking. Between the remains of industrial archaeology, the districts being renewed and the spots that inspired Pasolini's early novels, one collects in one day many impressions which give a different view on the city.
In the midst of Haiti's lush mountains and historical relics is an epidemic of over 500,000 orphan children who wander the streets day and night. Known as the 'soulless' and forgotten by their own people, they do what they must to survive each day. Strange Things follows three teenage boys - Denick, a prolific and charming 14 year old; Nickenson, a tough but sensitive 16 year old; and Antoine, an energetic paint-thinner abuser - who reflect on their country and their lives, while sharing a common dream of education, government assistance, and social acceptance. Shot in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien over a period of two years, Strange Things is a cinematic feature-length documentary that captures the spirit of human survival and transports you to Haiti's strange contrasts, breathtaking landscapes and rich history, through the eyes of some of Haiti's most unforgettable characters.
Sunday May 30, 2010 11:50am - 1:05pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
An ordinary title and an extraordinary story. These tales were secretly written by 30 prisoners of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. For their own children. They also illustrated them beautifully. These tales are the subject of the film.The concentration camp was so full of evil that one could start doubting the existence of good. But it survived, if only in seemingly trivial booklets about little chicks and flowers. There were about thirty daring men who wrote and illustrated them in the proximity of crematorium chimneys. That was when they decided to create tales for their children. These tales kept them alive. One of these prisoners was a director`s father.
Wild about Harry' is the story of an improbable hero, the nation's only Chinese-American Sheriff, a brash 350-pound cowboy who sang with Willie Nelson, threw parties on the White House lawn with Bill Clinton and used his political power to raise big money, most of which he gave to charity. Born in the back room of a Chinese laundry in New Orleans, Harry Lee followed the ritual of expectation set by his immigrant parents. One of eight children and the eldest son, Harry became a successful businessman, attorney, elected official, civic leader and philanthropist. The man elevated political incorrectness to high art, and yet, as an elected public official, was wildly popular. Not incidentally, he was a good lawman whose accomplishments enabled him to stay in office for 29 years.Harry Lee embraced life with gusto. He was loved, honored, vilified, satirized, but never ignored. 'Wild about Harry' also reflects on the environment that helped create Harry Lee, the peculiar world of Louisiana politics and the colorful characters who inhabit that world. Some of those characters are currently serving time in federal prisons. Harry donated the money to make this story of his life. He and the producers agreed that any profit from the distribution and/or exhibition of the film would go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Harry died fromLeukemia before the completion of the film.
Venezuela's unique system of music education takes children from violent slums and turns some of them into world-class musicians. 'El Sistema' shows how Venezuelan visionary Jose Antonio Abreu has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children over the past three decades.This lyrical and moving documentary takes us from the rubbish dumps and barrios of Caracas to the world's finest concert halls. Children from streets dominated by the gun battles of gang warfare are taken into music schools, given access to music, and taught through the model of the symphony orchestra how to build a better society. Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier's film finds hope and joy in unlikely places.
Each of us is Confronted with death at some point in life. How do we deal with our grief if death takes us completely by surprise? How do we deal with our grief if death takes us completely by surprise?
Where I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story' is remarkable untold story of a man who changed history. The story is told in the first person by Academy Award winning actor Anthony Hopkins. Hank was a convicted gun runner, Las Vegas visionary, crusading newspaper publisher, target of the Watergate burglars and Mafia assassins, hero of Israels War of Independence. He was a genuine American hero whose story has never before been told including his early days working for Bugsy Siegel, his secret life in the underground Haganah, his public battles with organized crime, Senator Joseph McCarthy and Sen. Patrick McCarran, racist casino owners and the IRS. Hank was living testimony that one man could change the world and change the world he did.
A search, a journey, a life's dream fulfilled. Seventy seven year-old Alice Zuckerman never gave up hope that she would find her family, lost after the Second World War. When scribbled notes on torn paper reveal clues to her past, Alice reunites with her newly found family and takes us on a moving journey through old Eastern Europe, a world that seemingly disappeared through Nazism and communism. Yet Alice finds it remains vital in the hearts of the people she meets along her journey. This heart-warming story of self-discovery and family reunited against all odds is proof as Alice Zuckerman says, that after everything she has witnessed in her life, 'Hope is the last thing to die'.
This film gives a glimpse of the transition from the segregated school system to the integrated school systems of Manatee County, Florida through the eyes of two legends from historically All-Black Lincoln Memorial High School, Coach Eddie Shannon and former Oakland Raider, Henry Lawrence. In 1969 the two of them played a role to help integrate All-White manatee High School as Lincoln memorial High School was closed down. The confusion, sadness, and anxiety of the transition is illustrated through their stories.
Sunday May 30, 2010 1:15pm - 2:20pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
A documentary about Nicolás Guillén Landrián (1938-2003), one of the greatest Cuban Filmmakers. Most of his documentaries were censured, apparently because he was not considered of the quality required to represent the Cuban Film Industry. He was sent to jail twice and also to a mental institution, where he was given electric shock treatment. Irreverent, experimental and in some way sarcastic, some of his films have survived censorship. He died in Miami, before this documentary was finished.
The stories of seven persons, Jews of the Persian origin, immigrated from Iran to Israel in the last 30 years. The circumstances of their life are different, however they share the painful feeling of nostalgia and loss of the land they once lived and loved. Their fatherland became for a meanwhile to the biggest enemy of their new country. Fear and hope contradict each other in their thoughts and feelings. They are all seeking for the ways to balance their past and present.
Lebenverse is a multi-medium 'living verse' that engages the issues of historical construction and its entangled relations with individual memory, social identity, political agency, and personal media. The documentary moves from the intersection of the first Persian Gulf War and the Rodney King incident to current digital landscape issues surrounding Iraq War videos, the Oscar Grant Oakland BART murder case, and the Iranian 'twitter revolution'. In exploring these events, the project maps out the development of video technologies from an evidentiary tool against state violence towards a more robust social space for political solidarity and participation. Beginning in Los Angeles, I drove across the country to film and explore sites of personal and historical memory, from the small Georgia military town of my childhood to the Carolinas, Washington DC, New York, Ohio, and Chicago. Conducting interviews with veterans, scholars, and activists along the way, the film creates a dialogical space for intervening in our assumptions of media and power. In weaving these multiple perspectives together, my partner's memories and photos of living near the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and my visual and vocational infatuation with the US military during the first Persian Gulf War creates a self reflexive thread of personal experiences. So in exploring these geographical spaces, the film grounds the issues of identity, politics, and history within material conditions of socio-economic life while questioning our developing relationships with new media technologies and online social spaces.
A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES is a feature documentary about Versailles, an isolated community in eastern New Orleans that has been settled by Vietnamese refugees since the late 1970s. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Versailles residents impressively rise to the challenges by returning and rebuilding before any other flooded neighborhood in New Orleans, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill just two miles away. A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES will recount the empowering story of how this group of people, who has already suffered so much in their lifetime, turns a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future.
The most important political and social events that occurred during the administration of the constitutional government with popular backing, headed by Juan Bosch, in the Dominican Republic, during the first seven months of the year 1963. The military coup d´etat that overthrew the Bosch government, the foreign policy of United States President John Kennedy, and relationship of the United States with members of the military who overthrew regimes throughout Latin America, are subjects that occupy a large part of this documentary, made entirely with original images and sounds from that era.
Batey Mosquito' documents the daily life of a a small village inhabited by the workers of a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic. It follows a handful of families, relying solely on their voices and day-to-day actions to reveal their struggles and their hopes. Through a combination of candidly captured color cinematography and dignified black and white still portraiture, 'Batey Mosquito' weaves the tale of a community and its unwavering faith through bleak conditions.
To be alive. To be alive. An intolerably immense undertaking...'Risa, Yumi, Shogo, Hiromi, Aimi, Kosuke... they are Japanese people who are doubtfully trying to build their own life. Facing conventional life and violence of modern society, they find strength and understanding in Osamu Dazai's ambiguous writings. They live along with the great Japanese writer who committed suicide 60 years ago.Coming close to their questions and struggles, the two French filmmakers drive us through the world of Dazai.
Narrated by Chief Martin Brody himself, Roy Scheider, this feature-length documentary focuses squarely on the many ways Jaws has helped to shape the film industry and pop culture. Highlights include rare and unseen footage, coverage of JAWSFest '05 and all-new interviews with Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, John Williams and virtually all surviving members of the cast and crew. Interviews with prominent filmmakers such as M. Night Shyamalan, Kevin Smith, Bryan Singer, Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth and others whose careers have been duly influenced by the movie will give the viewer some insight as to why Jaws has earned a well-deserved place among the greatest classics Hollywood has ever produced.
Sunday May 30, 2010 2:20pm - 4:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Speakers Corner: You Have The Right To Remain Vocal' is a 1 hour documentary film that serves as a modern commentary on the origins and fragility of freedoms of speech and assembly. Since 1872, people have gathered at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park to exercise their rights to free speech in all its forms. The filmmaker weaves interviews with park speakers, hecklers, local politicians, historians, linguists and sociologists involved in this modern phenomenon to create a powerful critique of the true nature of democracy in our society.The film examines in detail a place where socialists, Islamic fundamentalists, labor politicians, historians, utopians, Zionists, white supremacists and Christian evangelicals all congregate weekly in a single small location. All are freely expressing and debating their views, there is no violence, and thousands of people show up to participate - every Sunday. This is the essence of Speakers Corner, a small area of Hyde Park, London, which was protected by a British Act of Parliament in 1872, to allow people complete freedom of speech in a public place. This is the only such bastion of free speech in the world and stands as a powerful metaphor for global democracy and our future.
Within The rive, among the trees' is a 70-minutes long documentary made by the filmmaker Jorge Bodanzky. It is the result of an expedition to the Alto Simoes that ministered video, circus, photography workshops to the creeks communities inside the reserves. The film was made by them, from the recently-learned technology, with an insider view aiming abroad, without interpreters.
The Mariel boatlift represents one of the largest exodus' in the history of Cuba. This film was created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Mariel when more than 125 thousand Cubans fled the island towards Florida in an exodus which took place over the span of six months. This year commerates the 30th anniversary of this historic event presented by Univision 23.
A LONG HAUL is a documentary depicting the struggles of a charter boat captain whose seasonal summer business has fallen prey to a bad economy, high fuel prices, loss of customers and depleted fish populations He is forced to moonlight as a captain on a broken down commercial fishing trawler to make ends meet. If successful working for the trawler's owner, the captain will be able to run the boat during the winter when there is no charter business at all. Desperate to climb out from under a heap of personal debt and under pressure from the owner to get the boat fishing and make money, the captain sets sail for a three day offshore trip to net squid. At the captain's side is his loyal first mate, and a 13 year old boy from a wealthy family working for the captain as a summer job..The boat has not been fished in months and is has become saddled with mechanical problems which compound the pressure on the crew to catch squid. Over the next three days, the crew will face sleep deprivation, rough seas, mechanical problems and the difficult task of finding and catching squid.
Footsteps in Africa, A Nomadic Journey' is a cinematic feature length ethnographic film of 67 minutes. It is an exciting visual narrative, art documentary accompanied by a diverse musical score. Shot in January 2006 as a road trip film in the Sahara desert of Mali, Kiahkeya performers and a renegade camera team lived with the nomadic Tuareg/ Kel Tamashek tribes in remote areas of Mali near Mauritania, and visited Tuareg Festivals.The thematics of 'Footsteps in Africa, A Nomadic Journey' question the modern way of life which separates man from nature. The Nomad is aware of how modern man forgets that all of humans material possessions are just a false sense of security and freedom. The Tuareg choose to live in austerity, a truth of extremes that is the poetry of the Tuareg way of life, living in solidarity with the rhythems of nature.'Footsteps in Africa, A Nomadic Journey' documents a universal tale of humans finding their path/freedom in life by living in simplicity with nature. Documented in a moment to moment manner the viewer experiences their mode of life, their relation to the earth and their perception on time. The viewer witnesses the Tuaregs mode of life, a survival from the soul. 'Footsteps in Africa, A Nomadic Journey' captures the people in their element, investigating their music, their dance, their survival skills, and the rituals that the Tuareg carry within to keep their culture and heritage alive.
The fate of Cuba changed the morning of January 1, 1959 with the outbreak of a revolution that promised to help the poor of the island with educational, agricultural and health reforms. A rebel army led by Fidel Castro then forced Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista to flee Cuba beginning what some have reconciled to know as "the period of Cuban exile."
Sunday May 30, 2010 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
Filmmaker Israel Rodriguez, a Cuban native and member of Orlando Ballet, danced under Mr. Bujones' direction for many years. Amazingly, Rodriguez had been documenting Mr. Bujones' work with Orlando Ballet for two years, when his sudden death from a rare form of cancer rocked the ballet world in 2005. Rodriguez's personal insight into the man is evident throughout the film as is his love for the art of dance. Breathtaking never before seen footage of Bujones' work with this extraordinary company, along with Rodriquez's bold, unique style of directing, makes this stand out from other dance films of its kind. The result is a film that will not only be appreciated by all those who love ballet, but by those who love film as well.
Sunday May 30, 2010 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA
The comparison is inevitable. How could it be otherwise? Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him - imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It's in his looks, his joy, his music. No doubt, every time Tito Jr. walks on stage - he walks in his father's footsteps. He dances in celebration, throws his head back in pure joy and lights up the room with that oh-so-familiar smile. Tito Jr. is on a passionate mission. The younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father. He refuses to let it become a distant memory; "He was just too vibrant, too exciting. There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy, all over the world. My goal is to keep it alive, and in doing so, expose it to a whole new generation." Over the past two years, Tito Jr. has found captive audiences who echo his passion. Crowds once lured to a venue by the father's magic have returned to enjoy the son -- participating once again in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage.
Sunday May 30, 2010 10:30pm - Monday May 31, 2010 1:00am EDT
Doral Ballroom4400 N.W. 87 Avenue, Doral Florida 33178 USA