Killing America

Smoke Signals(en)

"Smoke Signals" follows the volunteers at High Point Lookout, one of the last remaining fire lookout towers in California. Alternating between the daily duties of the fire lookouts, and a series of profiles on wildfires that have traced their history, "Smoke Signals" questions the role of the fire lookouts in the face of rapidly advancing technology and climate change.

Hold on Tight(en)

A short documentary exploring the ways LGBT couples show affection, and how small interactions like holding hands in public can carry, not only huge personal significance, but also the power to create social change.

We Will Dance Again(en)

A music festival symbolizing peace, freedom, and eternal love transforms into a horrifying nightmare of terror. Survivors, marked by death and trauma, reconstruct the event through their perspectives, embodying the lost innocence and beauty of youth, forever scarred by the tragic events that unfolded. This is a horrifying glimpse through the eyes of the individuals who endured the brutal October 7th onslaught at the Nova Music Festival.

Who Are We?(en)

On the 23rd of June 2016 Britain voted to leave the European Union. Who Are We? is a re-working of material from a BBC television debate transmitted a few weeks earlier.”The most provocative of the bunch is John Smith’s Who Are We?. Leading up to the Brexit vote, BBC’s Question Time became ever more vicious and confrontational. Who Are We? is a manipulation of one of those broadcasts, with David Dimbleby prompting “you, sir, up there on the far right” repeatedly.“Get our identity back – vote leave!” one audience member shouts, while another declares himself a veteran, followed by a swift manipulated cut to rapturous applause. It’s a heavily edited and remixed edition of Question Time, but by highlighting those in the audience with attitudes ranging from nationalistic to xenophobic, Smith’s short film shows the now normalised extremism within our society and our political discourse.” Scott Wilson, Common Space magazine, April 2017

Shadow in the Stream(en)

Explores the natural history of the otter, depicted through the fictitious account of a day in the life of Otto the Otter and his mother. The narrator claims that the short features "the first film ever taken of an otter swimming underwater."

« Je ne suis pas chinetoque » : Histoire du racisme anti-asiatique(fr)

Journalist Émilie Tran Nguyen invites the viewer to follow her in her quest and discover, at the same time as her, the historical origins of this anti-Asian racism. Told in the first person, alternating archive images, interviews with historians, sociologists and field sequences, this film traces the making of prejudices in the French imagination and pop culture, to twist the neck of stereotypes, deconstruct and act.

But... Seriously(en)

A documentary juxtaposing the events of the 20th century with the commentary of stand-up comedians.

Ticket from Azrael(it)

Gettin' Back Out There(en)

Mark does a shaky weekend in Dallas after 80+ days. He's used to going up 3 times a night and on the road every weekend then Covid hit and forced him to take off. The rust built up, he's wobbly and unprepared but luckily, a film crew was there to capture it all!! Let's watch. Gotta start somewhere. Comedy!

After the Apology(en)

Suellyn thought the Department of Community Services (DOCS) would only remove children in extreme cases, until her own grandchildren were taken in the middle of the night. Hazel decided to take on the DOCS system after her fourth grandchild was taken into state care. Jen Swan expected to continue to care for her grandchildren but DOCS deemed her unsuitable, a shock not just to her but to her sister, Deb, who was, at the time, a DOCS worker. The rate of Indigenous child removal has actually increased since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the apology to the ‘stolen generations’ in 2008. These four grandmothers find each other and start a national movement to place extended families as a key solution to the rising number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. They are not only taking on the system; they are changing it…

Guide to a Midwest Hometown(en)

Coming back during Winter, Alex Powell explores both the places and personal connections found in his hometown and how they've changed. “Guide to a Midwest Hometown” explores what makes the barren places at home feel sentimental and special, and the good and bad feelings that come when being back home. Inspired by "How To With John Wilson".

Afraid Doesn’t Exist(de)

Anna Zett collages mostly unreleased footage from the Berlin Archive of the GDR-Opposition into a pulsating short film thriller. The film opens up an associative realm which allows for the re-evaluation of experiences of violence hard to access today.

Yellow Fever(en)

What does beauty look like? In this award-winning short, Kenyan filmmaker Ng’endo Mukii combines animation, performance, and experimental techniques to create a visually arresting and psychologically penetrating exploration of the insidious impact of Western beauty standards and media-created ideals on African women’s perceptions of themselves. From hair-straightening to skin-lightening, YELLOW FEVER unpacks the cultural and historical forces that have long made Black women uncomfortable, literally, in their own skin.

House of Trés(en)

A quickfire portrait of the New York City ballroom scene in the ‘80s.

Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair(en)

Murray Sinclair's acceptance speech for an award in honor of his role as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, intercut with the testimonies of survivors of the Indian residential school system.

Nin E Tepueian: My Cry(fr)

NIN E TEPUEIAN - MY CRY is a documentary tracks the journey of Innu poet, actress and activist, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, at a pivotal time in her career as a committed artist. Santiago Bertolino's camera follows a young Innu poet over the course of a year. A voice rises, inspiration builds; another star finds its place amongst the constellation of contemporary Indigenous literature. A voice of prominent magnitude illuminates the road towards healing and renewal: Natasha Kanapé Fontaine.

The Trees with Orange Rings(en)

Conservationist photographer and filmmaker Kyle Dudgeon, with the help of wildlife biologist Steve Hoffman, follows a family of great gray owls in the Bridger Mountains of Montana whose habitat is threatened by a logging project. The first feature film of this longtime bird photographer, The Trees with Orange Rings is a passionate documentary short profiling the natural history of these owls and confronting important environmental issues over the span of two years.

A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con(en)

This fast-paced Documentary was filmed inside America's biggest Comics/Film Convention and includes informative and humorous interviews with Levar Burton (Star Trek Next Generation, Roots), William Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal, Wrath of Khan) Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk) Saul Rubinek (Warehouse 13), Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch, Num3ers) Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds) and more!

Bald: The Making of 'THX 1138'(en)

The film features a conversation between Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, producer of THX 1138. They discuss Lucas' vision for the film, including his ideas about science fiction in general and in particular his concept of the "used future" which would famously feature in his film Star Wars. Intercut with this discussion is footage shot prior to the start of production of THX 1138 showing several of its actors having their heads shaved, a requirement for appearing in the film. In several cases the actors are shown being shaved in a public location. For example, Maggie McOmie is shaved outside the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, while Robert Duvall watches a sporting event as his hair is cut off. Another actor, Marshall Efron, who would later play an insane man in the film, cut off his own hair and was filmed doing so in a bathtub.

More Dangerous Than Dynamite(en)

A short film warning the unaware housewife of the dangers of “dry cleaning” with gasoline at home.