Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 81
Language: English
Director: Carl Jackson
Plot: The L.A. Mass Choir is an American gospel choir from Los Angeles, California. The group released several commercially successful albums in the late 1980s and 1990s, and was nominated for Stellar Awards and Gospel Music Excellence Awards. This documentary explores Donald Taylor and his vision that changed Gospel music.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 75
Language: English
Director: Mark Linfield
Plot: Disneynature’s “Monkey Kingdom†spotlights the gripping reality of a newborn monkey and its mother, struggling to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia, alongside a rich cast of forest characters. Life is grand, food is plentiful and safety is assured if you’re lucky enough to be born on the higher rungs of the Troop’s social ladder. But this young mother and her infant find themselves in a constant state of hunger, dodging threats from higher-ranking monkeys determined to keep them on their assigned rung. It’ll take a lot of ingenuity, hard work—and a little luck—if this little family hopes to change their place in the world.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 40
Language: English
Director: Robert Kenner
Plot: Inspired by the acclaimed book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, MERCHANTS OF DOUBT takes audiences on a satirically comedic, yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver-tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 137
Language: English
Director: Erik Anjou
Plot: Jewish culture reflects the heart of a vital ethnic history. As that culture continues to shift and adapt alongside mainstream America, delicatessen food – as its name suggests – remains a beloved communal delicacy.In Houston, Texas, third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber has built arguably the finest delicatessen restaurant in the U.S. His story – augmented by the stories of iconic delis such as Katz’s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al, Carnegie, and the Stage – embodies a tradition indelibly linked to its savory, nostalgic foods.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 124
Language: English
Director: Jody Lee Lipes
Plot: From first rehearsal to world premiere, BALLET 422 takes us backstage at New York City Ballet as Justin Peck, a young up-and-coming choreographer, crafts a new work. BALLET 422 illuminates the process behind the creation of a single ballet within the ongoing cycle of work at one of the world’s great ballet companies.
New York City Ballet, under the artistic direction of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, boasts a roster of more than 90 elite dancers and a repertory of works by many of the greatest choreographers in the history of the art form. When 25-year-old NYCB dancer Justin Peck begins to emerge as a promising young choreographer, he is commissioned to create a new ballet for the Company’s 2013 Winter Season. With unprecedented access to an elite world, the film follows Peck as he collaborates with musicians, lighting designers, costume designers and his fellow dancers to create Paz de la Jolla, NYCB’s 422nd new ballet. BALLET 422 is an unembellished vérité portrait of a process that has never before been documented at New York City Ballet in its entirety.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 144
Language: English
Director: Michele Josue
Plot: On October 7, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tied to a fence and left to die because he was gay. Years later, Michele Josue, a close friend of Matt’s, revisits the shocking case with never-before-seen photos, rare video footage, as Matt’s all-too-brief life is remembered through the vivid testimonies of those whose lives he touched, from the friends and family who knew him best to the bartender who saw him on the night of the attack.
New revelations emerge in one of the most notorious hate crimes in US history, leading to a searing, poignant, and multi-layered biographical and sociological portrait. In the end, the notion of forgiveness–embodied in the moving and courageous final act of Matt’s parents–takes on truly heroic proportions.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 92
Language: English
Director: Andrea Kalin
Plot: Below the belt cancers and a below the radar cause are thrust into the limelight as N.E.D., or No Evidence of Disease, a rock band of GYN surgeons, put the plight of their patients center stage in this riveting story of women fighting for their lives.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 115
Language: English
Director: Stephen Kijak
Plot: BACKSTREET BOYS: SHOW ‘EM WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF is a surprising and rewarding journey filmed over 2 years that delves into the extremes of fame, fortune, betrayal and renewal. The documentary follows the members as they share their lives with us and relive their journey together, revealing new and old tensions that need confronting and resolving.
The multiple award winning and Grammy-nominated group has sold 130 million records worldwide and is recognized as the best-selling boy band in history. Not only have their first 9 albums all debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 but they have gone gold and platinum in 46 countries. The Backstreet Boys are the only group in Canadian history to have 3 consecutive diamond albums commemorating sales of over 10 million records and they hold 2 diamond awards in the US. The group also made history when their anticipated 11-week, 39-city 1999-2000 North American MILLENNIUM arena tour sold out within the first hour. The Backstreet Boys continue to be an essential figure in pop culture receiving a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 125
Language: English
Director: Gabe Polsky
Plot: From Oscar and Emmy award winning filmmakers, Red Army highlights the Soviet Union’s legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team’s captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy. The film turns a unique lens on the social and cultural transformation of the Soviet Union leading up to the fall of Communism, mirroring the rise and fall of the Red Army team.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2015
Runtime: 33
Language: English
Director: Tim Mahoney
Plot: For more than 50 years, the vast majority of the world’s most prominent archaeologists and historians have proclaimed that there is no hard evidence to support the Exodus story found in the Bible. In fact, they say that the archaeological record is completely opposed to the Bible’s account. This view of extreme skepticism has spread from academia to the world. The case against the Exodus appears to be so strong that even some religious leaders are labeling this ancient account as historical fiction.
Despite this, many religious authorities continue to vigorously defend the biblical account and the history of the Jewish people. If this foundational story of the Hebrew Bible is fiction, then two of the world’s great religions: Judaism and Christianity, are clearly founded on a colossal lie. The Koran also describes the Exodus event.
Filmmaker Tim Mahoney begins with the question, “Is the Bible just a myth, or did the archaeologists get it wrong?†He decides to tackle this issue with a deliberate scientific approach. After examining the details in the biblical text, he journeys across the globe to search for patterns of evidence firsthand. The result is the most in-depth archaeological investigation into the Exodus from Egypt ever captured on film.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 156
Language: English
Director: Grant Barbeito
Plot: TOUCH THE WALL is the story of two Olympic swimmers – Gold-Medalist Missy Franklin and Silver-Medalist Kara Lynn Joyce – and their journey to the 2012 London Olympics. When the veteran Joyce joins teenager Franklin and her age-group swim club, everything changes. The veteran Kara finds a new start and a world-class training partner Missy finds a veteran and older sister to learn from. Together they train, compete, and support each other until the pool becomes too big for the two of them. Thrown apart by coach and circumstance, they reunite at Olympic Trials to redefine what it means to win..to request a theatrical screening in your city http://bit.ly/ttwtugg
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 120
Language: English
Director: Anthony Powell
Plot: ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON ICE is a visually stunning journey to the end of the world with the hardy and devoted people who live there year-round. The research stations scattered throughout the continent host a close-knit international population of scientists, technicians and craftsmen. Isolated from the rest of the world, enduring months of unending darkness followed by periods when the sun never sets, Antarctic residents experience firsthand the beauty and brutality of the most severe environment on Earth. Capturing epic battles against hellacious storms, quiet reveries of nature’s grandeur, and everyday moments of work and laughter, this unique documentary shows a steadfast community thriving in a land few humans have experienced. Using specially modified cameras and spectacular time-lapse photography, filmmaker Anthony Powell captures the splendor of the region like no film before. ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON ICE gives testament to the planet’s natural wonders, humanity’s thirst for adventure, and the emotional extremes that accompany a year within the last pristine wilderness on the planet.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 139
Language: English
Director: Sanjay Rawal
Plot: There is more interest in food these days than ever, yet there is very little interest in the hands that pick it. Farmworkers, the foundation of our fresh food industry, are routinely abused and robbed of wages. In extreme cases they can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved – all within the borders of the United States.
Food Chains reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of the supermarket industry. Supermarkets earn $4 trillion globally and have tremendous power over the agricultural system. Over the past 3 decades they have drained revenue from their supply chain leaving farmworkers in poverty and forced to work under subhuman conditions. Yet supermarkets take no responsibility for this.
The film carries a powerful call to action for every viewer to demand that retailers use their power to eradicate abuse in their supply chains.
The narrative of the film focuses on an intrepid and highly lauded group of tomato pickers from Southern Florida – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or CIW – who are revolutionizing farm labor. Their story is one of hope and promise for the triumph of morality over corporate greed – to ensure a dignified life for farm workers and a more humane, transparent food chain.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 247
Language: English
Director: Kirsten Kelly
Plot: Three homeless Chicago teenagers seasoned by rejection and life on the streets defy the odds to create a future, finding sympathy and support in surprising places. The filmmakers follow aspiring actor Roque, poet/painter Kasey, and Anthony, a rapper, poet and entrepreneur, into the haunting underworld of children cast off by broken or unfit families and left alone to navigate the perils of poverty and predation. As the three tenaciously fight for an education and eventual independence, the film powerfully explores surrounding issues of race, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 142
Language: English
Director: Lacey Schwartz
Plot: Little White Lie tells Lacey Schwartz’s story of growing up in a typical upper-middle-class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity — despite the open questions from those around her about how a white girl could have such dark skin. She believes her family’s explanation that her looks were inherited from her dark-skinned Sicilian grandfather. But when her parents abruptly split, her gut starts to tell her something different. At age of 18, she finally confronts her mother and learns the truth. What defines our identity, our family of origin or the family that raises us? How do we come to terms with the sins and mistakes of our parents? Lacey discovers that answering those questions means understanding her parents’ own stories as well as her own. She pieces together her family history and the story of her dual identity using home videos, archival footage, interviews, and episodes from her own life. Little White Lie is a personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and power of telling the truth.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 120
Language: English
Director: Florian Habicht
Plot: Though culminating with the farewell concert the band played to thousands of adoring fans in their hometown of Sheffield, England, PULP is by no means a traditional concert film or rock doc. As much a testament to the band as it is to the city and inhabitants of Sheffield, PULP weaves exclusive concert footage with man-on-the-street interviews and dreamy staged sequences to paint a picture much larger, funnier, moving, and life-affirming than any music film of recent memory.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 127
Language: English
Director: Stephanie Riggs
Plot: A documentary revealing the under-appreciated, highly demanding world of Broadway Understudies and Standbys. Three undiscovered performers at various points in their careers get the chance of a lifetime. Their struggle is put into perspective through never-before-heard stories from celebrities who themselves were once Understudies or Standbys.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 106
Language: English
Director: Angus Macqueen
Plot: For over a decade Shorty has been on the run from US and Mexican government and during that time over 80,000 Mexicans have been murdered as a result of narco drug wars. Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty takes us on a trip few outsiders have ever been, knocking on the door of the most wanted man in the world.
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 139
Language: English
Director: Paul Crowder
Plot: “1” is an action documentary showcasing the glamour, speed, danger and excitement of Formula One Grand Prix racing. Narrated by Michael Fassbender, the film tells the story of the golden age of Formula 1®, when the sport became terrifyingly dangerous. In the late 1960s, Formula 1® cars doubled their engine size and sprouted wings, making them incredibly quick, but even more hazardous. With money pouring in from sponsorship and a new worldwide television audience, superstar drivers were born, thrown like gladiators into the ring. The drivers were legendary with charisma and raw talent, but many of them paid the ultimate price. “1” follows the story of the drivers who raced on the edge and those who stood up to change the sport forever. It is about the greatest show on earth, Formula 1®
Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 88
Language: English
Director: Michael Dunaway
Plot: It’s been said that the first 21 years defines the career of an artist. Few directors have single-handedly shaken up the film establishment like the godfather of indie, Richard Linklater. From the groundbreaking SLACKER to his innovative BOYHOOD, Linklater has reached the 21-year mark and has unapologetically carved his signature into American pop culture.
Get a raw and honest perspective on Richard through candid conversations with Ethan Hawke, Jack Black, Keanu Reeves, Billy Bob Thornton, Matthew McConaughey, Jason Reitman, Julie Delpy and others, and see their stories brought to life through hilarious animated sequences. For a man who became famous for celebrating the cool and casual, Linklater emerges as a surprisingly strategic and visionary director who has already established a legacy and perfected a style that can’t be denied.