A poignant story about overcoming our demons and finding hope through darkness. Haunted by the affects of PTSD induced by fighting a war, the physical injuries that led to copious amounts of opiates, the emotional strain of his squad leader committing suicide, losing his best friend from overdosing on heroin, all combined with his drug addiction ultimately left Shawn losing all hope in life.
Self
Self
Self
Self
Self
Self
Hello explores changes in two people’s working lives: a Mexican trash picker who separates and collects recyclable materials from landfills to sell by the kilo, and a German freelance computer-animation designer working for the advertising industry in Berlin. The double interview is controlled and manipulated by a computer-generated severed hand which Maria describes as an object once discovered in the trash while working in the violent northern town of Mexicali. This CGI hand was in turn produced by Max, who was born with no arms, and sought refuge in computer-imaging as a means to operate and manipulate a digital reality.
The film tells the story of three best friends named Ako, Aki and Awang, who are well-known in their village for their mischievous and humourous pranks. The trio work for Pak Man. One day, they are assigned to pick up his daughter Misha, who has just returned from overseas and dreams of becoming a doctor. The trio have been in love with her for a long time but she does not pay them any heed. When Misha is robbed by a snatch thief one day, she is rescued by a doctor named Shafiq. Her face reminds the doctor of his late wife, and he begins to pursue her, which annoys the trio.
When Max (Eric Stoltz), urged on by "Risk Management," a self-help book for the hapless, decides to approach his fellow ferry-commuter Rory (Susanna Thompson), he hopes simply saying hello might change his life for the better. But Rory only accepts contact by contract. Max finds he can play along. As the two negotiate a whirlwind relationship on paper, Rory slowly lets down her guard; but when her unresolved personal life intervenes in the form of Donald (Kevin Tighe), Max must manage a little more risk than he bargained on.
An elder brother who lived a life of crime but left to show his younger brother the lifestyle is not fit for anything. Years later his younger brother takes his footsteps in the life of drugs/crime, to a deal gone wrong his younger brother is murdered, his elder brother steps back into his crime ways and to find and avenge his younger brother's death.
This is a story about a city guy Nikolai, who will have to go instead of his friend on a rural business trip. A series of funny events, meetings and the beauty of the Yakut village encourage Nikolai to make an important decision in his life…
Produced by WGBH-TV in Boston, THE MEDIUM IS THE MEDIUM is one of the earliest and most prescient examples of the collaboration between public television and the emerging field of video art in the U.S. WGBH commissioned artists – Allan Kaprow, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, James Seawright, Thomas Tadlock, and Aldo Tambellini – to create original works for broadcast television. Their works explored the parameters of the new medium, from image processing and interactivity to video dance and sculpture.
Janma Bhoomi is a compelling Nepali film that celebrates culture, family, and the triumph of good over greed. Arjun and Krishna, two brothers unaware of their bond, face Kuber Agarwal, a wealthy businessman set on destroying Naya Basti village to build a factory, ignoring the villagers’ heritage. Agarwal’s daughter Sirjana falls in love with Arjun and marries him against her father’s wishes.Chameli secretly loves Arjun but remains silent, while Krishna falls for Gita. With the villagers’ support, Arjun and Krishna resist Agarwal’s plans. The story takes a tragic turn as Agarwal and Chameli die, but the brothers succeed in protecting the village. Sirjana’s decision to leave her father highlights that love and integrity triumph over greed. Directed and written by Mohan Nirula and produced by Chabi Ojha, Janma Bhoomi showcases Nepal’s cultural roots and the power of unity.
The naive school teacher Lena suddenly loses both her job and her husband. "The problem is definitely in me," she decides, and on the advice of a friend, she signs up to reshape herself for the "Become a Goddess" training. The result is obvious: a new image and a loving admirer Andrey. It's just not clear whether Lena managed to find herself, and whether something very important was lost in the process.
A down-on-his-luck street hustler is cursed with eternal misfortune by a ruthless crime boss who murdered him and his lover in a past life. The hustler reunites with his ghostly lover, trapped in a human-skin lantern by the same man. Together, they must confront the crime boss, break the curse, and free her soul so she can finally pass to the afterlife.
Ragat (Blood) is a powerful Nepali film that highlights caste discrimination and social injustice. The story follows Krishna, a young man from a lower-caste family, who bravely fights against the oppression of the rich and upper-caste elites. Hemant Kaji, a wealthy and influential man, strongly believes in caste superiority and looks down on the poor. Amidst this division, Laxmi, a girl from a rich family, falls in love with Gopal, a lower-caste boy. Defying societal norms and family pressure, they marry against their parents' wishes, challenging the rigid caste system. Their love becomes a symbol of change, but their struggle is met with resistance. In the end, Radha, Laxmi's caring aunt, tragically loses her life, leaving behind a message that all human blood is the same-hot and red. Directed with a strong social message, Ragat questions why caste discrimination still exists in Nepali culture and calls for equality and justice.
The true story of four men who narrowly escaped death at the hands of Argentina's military death squads in 1977. Claudio Tamburrini is a goalie for a minor-league football team when he is abducted by members of the Argentine military police and taken to an unofficial detention center on the false suspicion that he is a terrorist. As he is tortured by intelligence agents looking for information he doesn't have, Tamburrini fully expects to be killed. After many sessions of brutal torture, Tamburrini and his fellow captives Guillermo and Tano are being readied for execution when, in a final desperate act, Tamburrini dives out a window during a rainstorm.
A wealthy couple seeks to secretly adopt the unborn child of an impoverished and troubled rural teenager, in this slow-burning and ultimately shocking drama from writer-director Albert Shin.
With Afghan Spring, Noriaki Tsuchimoto widened his focus to the international arena. Working in collaboration with his compatriot, Hiroko Kumagai, and Afghan film-maker, Abdul Latif, he examined society and politics in Afghanistan af the time of the Soviet withdrawal. The film now serves as a valuable record of a culture partially destroyed soon after by the Taleban regime.
9/11 was perhaps the defining historical event of the postwar era. Broadcast live around the world like horrifying theatre, it was a moment in history imprinted onto people's memories. But what was it like to actually live through, and how easy is it to move on from a day that society wants to go on remembering? Twenty years on, this film brings together 13 ordinary people who were caught in an event they weren't able to fully comprehend at the time and which they are still working through.
The persecution, kidnapping and murder of Assyrian Christians in Iraq is tragically increasing!
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.
Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over.
An in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002.
War and Peace of Mind explores what war does to the human mind and how both, the individuals and the nation as a whole, survive it psychologically. Finland and WWII, locally known as continuation war, is the backdrop of this documentary.
"The Jock: a Montford Point Marine" unveils the harrowing yet inspiring journey of an American Marine from the segregated boot camp of Montford Point, North Carolina. Raised on the tough streets of Philadelphia, Dave Culmer is drawn to the Marines, enchanted by the impeccable attire and imposing stature of a local Marine. After being dismissed from high school, he finds his path leading him not to the widely known Parris Island boot camp, but to the lesser-known Montford Point. His path to becoming a Marine is fraught with discrimination and grueling trials that push him to his physical and mental limits. Amid the struggle, he learns resilience, embodying the relentless spirit of Montford Point that drove these men to exceed expectations set by a society that predicted their failure.
Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
THE SCIENCE OF TAPPING is a collection of videos about the practice of Emotional Freedom Techniques (or "tapping"). Tapping techniques are interventions that apply principles of Chinese medicine for self-regulation — especially for the relief of chronic stress, anxiety, or pain. Interviewees discuss the evidence basis for the benefits of manually percussing some associated acupuncture points.
Shocking documentary centering on victims of violent crime who seek to get revenge on their assailants.
The story of Shaista, a young man who—newly married to Benazir and living in a camp for displaced persons in Kabul—struggles to balance his dreams of being the first from his tribe to join the Afghan National Army with the responsibilities of starting a family. Even as Shaista’s love for Benazir is palpable, the choices he must make to build a life with her have profound consequences.
Ten families read letters from their loved ones killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in this powerful and moving HBO documentary by Oscar and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Couturie (Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam). Photos of the soldiers in military and civilian life are shown as family members read the final correspondence received from Iraq and share their thoughts and memories about the fallen troops and the realities of war.
As filmmaker Maria Carolina Telles comes to terms with the death of her father, a man who regretted never making it to the frontlines of World War II, she focuses her lens on the life of another man who had his own unique experience as a civilian in the midst of combat: award-winning war photographer André Liohn.
A group of Kuchi children are living in a minefield around Bagram airfield, Afghanistan. They dig out anti-personal mines in order to sell the explosives to child workers mining in a Lappis Lazulli mine. The trajectory of the blue precious stones goes towards Tajikistan and China, through an area controlled by child soldiers. When they are not waging their own mini-wars in the daily madness of life in Afghanistan, the children are fleeing away in their personal fantasies and dreams, while the American soldiers are planning their retreat...
Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Documentary showing the backstage of production of Samira Makhmalbaf's film Panj É Asr(At Five in the Afternoon), in Kabul, after the fall of the Taliban regime. Everything was recorded with a small digital camera by Samira's 14-year-old sister Hana.
After ex-NFL star turned soldier Pat Tillman's death is covered up by the U.S. Army, Rory Fanning is discharged from the Army for resisting a second combat tour. Back home, he walks across the country while studying the history of war resistors.
How do we heal our deepest wounds? Two combat veterans, suffering from severe trauma, abandon pharmaceuticals in order to seek healing through psychedelic medicines. Recent scientific research has shown that these substances can help people to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Beyond the personal stories, From Shock to Awe raises fundamental questions about war, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US legal system.