From acclaimed director Steve James ( The Interrupters ), Academy Award -nominated (Best Documentary Feature, 2018) ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL tells the saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York.
Accused…
BORDERLINE is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of Eunice Baker, a borderline mentally retarded woman who was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for murdering a young child, despite evidence that the death was accidental. After…
In this stirring picture of the American Dream gone wrong, BETTING ON ZERO follows controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme…
When the curtain rose on the murder trial of the Pamela Smart murder case 23 years ago, the stage was set for the birth of reality TV. Accused of plotting the 1990 murder of her husband Gregory, the 22-year-old Smart…
LAW & ORDER surveys the wide range of work the police are asked to perform: enforcing the law, maintaining order, and providing general social services. The incidents shown illustrate how training, community expectations, socio-economic status of the subject, the threat…
Three years in the making, Crude tells the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet: the infamous $27 billion "Amazon Chernobyl" lawsuit pitting 30,000 rainforest dwellers in Ecuador against the U.S. oil…
Late in the 20th century, in response to repeated mass atrocities that convulsed the world, more than 120 countries united to form the International Criminal Court (ICC)--the first permanent, independent (treaty based) international criminal court created to prosecute perpetrators (no…
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator is a story of destinies joined by Guatemala's past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation's turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present. In Granito our characters sift for…
70 year old Grace Mallard refuses to believe her son Andrew is guilty of murder. 11 years ago Andrew was put away for life for the murder of a local jeweler. Over the course of a decade, Grace and her…
In a series of short episodes Lizzie O'Shea talks to Australia's top legal minds. She takes you into the courts, and the places where our law is made. Clip #1: "Legal Briefs - What is the Law?" -
Clip #2:…
JUVENILE COURT shows the complex variety of cases before the Memphis Juvenile Court: foster home placement, drug abuse, armed robbery, child abuse, and sexual offenses. The sequences illustrate such issues as community protection vs. the desire for rehabilitation, the range…
Unlocking the Cage follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. After thirty years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team, the…
The Dictator in the Dock short film series brings viewers into the courtroom as former dictator General Efrain Rios Montt stands trial for genocide and crimes against humanity in Guatemala. This historic case marked the first time, anywhere in the…
For the past several years, stop & frisk in New York City has been front-page news. It has stirred passions, sown division, inspired social activism, and led to a monumental change in New York City's understanding of policing and its…
The only documentary on the Auschwitz Trial held in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, from 1963 to 1965. Based on 430 hours of original audiotapes, this production is an unparellel document of the first Auschwitz Trial. In one of the…
The prosecuting attorney is the most powerful official in the criminal courts. As such, an effective prosecutor must have an encyclopedic knowledge of the intricate structure and history of the law. However, beyond his role as a legal scholar, the…
A multi-layered courtroom drama about the global politics of food, the dynamics of 1st and 3rd world nations, and human rights at its simplest through a landmark legal case pitting a dozen Nicaraguan plantation workers against Dole.
Nominated for Best…
This film explores the three questions crucial to determining fair use exemptions and presents illustrative examples from nonfiction, fiction, and experimental films that use pre-existing footage, music and sound from other individuals' creations--without permission or paying fees. Through on-camera interviews…
When the South African government promises to 'eradicate the slums' and begins to evict shack dwellers far outside the city, three friends who live in Durban's vast shantytowns refuse to be moved. DEAR MANDELA follows their journey from their shacks…
The only documentary on the Auschwitz Trial held in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, from 1963 to 1965. Based on 430 hours of original audiotapes, this production is an unparellel document of the first Auschwitz Trial. In one of the…
