Hundreds of thousands of cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years they've wandered in and out of people's lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich.
Winner of Best First…
Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the United States and the world. There are immigrants from every country in South America, Mexico, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and China. The…
Past and present collide in this powerful documentary about Faubourg Treme, the fabled New Orleans' neighborhood that gave birth to jazz, launched America's first black daily newspaper, and nurtured generations of African American activists.
Executive produced by Wynton Marsalis and…
This acclaimed documentary explores the surprisingly domestic subterranean world of a homeless community living in a train tunnel beneath NYC. Through stories heartbreaking and hilarious, tunnel dwellers reveal their reasons for taking refuge and their struggle to survive underground. With…
CENTRAL PARK is a film about the famous New York City landmark and the variety of ways in which people make use of it: running, boating, walking, skating, music, theatre, sports, picnics, parades and concerts. The film also illustrates the…
BELFAST, MAINE is a film about ordinary life in a beautiful old New England port city. It is a portrait of daily life with particular emphasis on the work and the culture of the community.
Among the activities shown in…
Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill town in Tuscany came up with a remarkable way to confront their issues - they turned their lives into a play. Every summer, their piazza became their stage and residents of…
PUBLIC HOUSING documents daily life at the Ida B. Wells public housing development in Chicago. The film illustrates some of the experiences of people living in conditions of extreme poverty.
Events shown include the work of the tenants council, street…
ASPEN is a film about a town famous in the 19th century for silver mining and now known for its scenic splendor, mountains, skiing, hiking, music, intellectual activity and fashionable people. The film documents the daily life and activities of…
ESSENE is about daily life in a Benedictine monastery and the resolution of conflict between personal needs and the institutional and organizational priorities of the community. In the Order, where the focus of life is the relationship of individual work…
Diego Echeverria's Los Sures skillfully represents the challenges of its time: drugs, gang violence, crime, abandoned real estate, racial tension, single-parent homes, and inadequate local resources in Los Sures, a Puerto Rican barrio in Brooklyn. Five different people living in…
In 1968, two hippies hiking near Mt. Shasta in Northern California stumbled across an unlikely property for sale: an abandoned goldmine and surrounding land, 300 acres for $22,000. Fueled by contributions from the Doors, the Monkees, Frank Zappa and others,…
Why Does America Have the Worst Public Transit in the Industrialized World, and the Most Freeways? Taken for a Ride reveals the tragic and little known story of an auto and oil industry campaign, led by General Motors, to buy…
A highly charged journey across the landscape of aging. This film travels from coast to coast exploring the unprecedented highs and the prolonged lows of growing old. From burlesque dancers in their seventies to geriatric prison wards, this film takes…
Can a school save a community?
OYLER profiles how a "community school" helped fuel a dramatic turnaround in one of Cincinnati's most poverty-stricken neighborhoods, part of a growing national movement to help poor children succeed by meeting their basic health,…
A music-fueled journey through folk and traditional arts in America. At a time when the existence of the National Endowment for the Arts has never been more threatened, Alan Govenar's documentary focuses on one of its least known and most…
In the late 1990s, three victims of police brutality made headlines around the country: Amadou Diallo, the young West African man whose killing sparked intense public protest; Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold; and Gary (Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic…
Zenith Virago's personal and professional experiences quietly challenge our core assumptions about life and dissolve our taboos around death. The most sought-after marriage celebrant in an increasingly commercialized wedding destination town, Zenith is also co-founder of the Australian Natural Death…
As American food nears a state of crisis, Ingredients explores a thriving local food movement where community, food-safety, and flavor are commonplace. A feature-length documentary narrated by Bebe Neuwirth, the film takes us across the United States, from the urban…
"P.S. I Can't Breathe" welcomes dialogue around racial inequality, policing, and the Criminal Justice System by focusing on Eric Garners case. We hope viewers will increase their understanding of issues plaguing Black and Brown Communities by witnessing a massive group…
