American Addict (2012)

In the shadow of a De Beers diamond mine, a remote indigenous community lurches from crisis to crisis, as their homeland transforms into a modern frontier. Rosie Koostachin delivers donations to families who live in uninsulated sheds, overgrown with toxic mold. She is determined to raise awareness, believing that if only Canadians knew, her hometown's dire situation would improve. Over five years, filmmaker Victoria Lean follows Attawapiskat's journey from obscurity and into the international spotlight twice - first when the Red Cross intervenes and again during the protest movement, Idle No More. Weaving together great distances, intimate scenes and archive images, the documentary chronicles the First Nation's fight for justice in the face of hardened indifference.

Shored Up is the story of our coasts where life on the edge of a rising sea has placed our towns and cities on the front lines of climate change. Following frustrated scientists, confused politicians and level-headed surfers, Shored Up follows the conflicts that are erupting from New Jersey to North Carolina as the ocean rises and we challenge nature to an unwinnable duel.—Anonymous

The story of Regina Jonas found me. The world's first woman Rabbi lived in Berlin of the 1930s, and her greatest dream was to become a Rabbi. She felt that she was born to be a Rabbi, but women were barred from becoming a Rabbi according to the Jewish laws. I was deeply impressed by her short life story, which was full of struggles. But how can I tell her story, when there is one surviving photo of her and only a few letters? That was the challenge. Rachel Weisz as the inspiring figure Regina, makes this story complete. The use of archive and experimental editing technique adds a magical layer which pulls the audience into this unique story.—Anonymous

Explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

The epic journey of two friends, ex-soldiers, who battle the moral injuries of war, and the temptation to escape through suicide, as they walk across America. Step by step, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson confront the demons that haunt them, while discovering the power of community and spirituality to heal them.

In a villa housing transgender women, residents try to fulfill the last wish of their late friend, buried in male clothing against her will.

Blood Relative is a cinema verite documentary that follows the remarkable story of Indian activist Vinay Shetty who is fighting to save two children who are dying from the rare disease Thalassemia. As a result of not being able to afford the life-saving medication, fourteen year old Divya and twenty-four year old Imran have severely stunted growth and remain trapped in the bodies of children. Chronicling Vinay's battle against the Indian government to get Divya and Imran free medical treatment, the film gets unprecedented access into modern India's broken healthcare system. Caught in the middle are Vinay and the children he must look after who are bound together by ties stronger than blood.—Anonymous

Honest Man: the Life of R. Budd Dwyer is a movie about politics and corruption, suicide and survival. Four years in the making, it explores the scandal that led an honest, hard-working man to take his own life. This independently produced feature-length documentary follows Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who infamously committed suicide at a televised press conference. The film chronicles Dwyer's meteoric rise to political power and examines the bribery scandal and subsequent trial that pushed him to his breaking point. Honest Man also delves into the controversy and consequences of the uncensored airing of Dwyer's death on television stations worldwide. Honest Man reveals a story that has remained untold for over 24 years. The film features exclusive new interviews, including William Smith, the man whose testimony convicted Dwyer, and Dwyer's widow Joanne--her last interview before her death in 2009. Was Dwyer venal, or a victim? Did he kill himself because he couldn't live with being guilty, or because he couldn't live with being innocent? Honest Man allows audiences to judge for themselves.

A new era is coming, and Warsaw stands uncomfortably at its edge. Art school classmates Christopher and Michal, on the precipice of their own coming of age, restlessly roam their city's streets in search of living forever inside the beautiful moment. Never content with answers, they push each experience to its breaking point, testing what it might mean to be truly awake in a world that seems satisfied to be asleep.

Is there such thing as love before first sight? This doc explores the mail-order bride industry, chronicling on a group of Ukrainian women and the Western men they marry, in a search for modern love.

A visually stunning chronicle of what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters isolated from the rest of the world, and enduring months of darkness in the coldest place on Earth.

As though life is imitating art, actor and sex-symbol, Andy Whitfield, had just become a star as the lead in the hit television series,'Spartacus,' when he is faced with his biggest personal challenge - life-threatening cancer. 'Be Here Now' is a feature documentary that follows him on his dramatic journey to cure himself. Confirmed in matching affirmative tattoos, he and his charismatic wife and their two children, commit to taking Andy's healing into their own hands and living life fully, not in the shadows of the disease. Each step tests their limits and strength of character, while revealing their tenderness, humor and determination. And, as each person goes through their own transformations, the film becomes an inspiring and universal story of courage, love and resilience.

Adam, a young Tanzanian boy persecuted because of his albinism, finds a kindred spirit in Peter, a Canadian man with the same condition. Together they embark on an unlikely journey that transcends cultures and continents.

A documentary of an entire year in the lives of five real-bearded professional Santa Clauses to find out what the rest of the year is like for a man who perpetually looks like Jolly Saint Nick.

Sport and politics most definitely do mix in this gripping look back at a brutal and turbulent time for New Zealand rugby, told from the point of view of the players themselves including David Kirk and Buck Shelford.

The story of three American teenage girls-each adopted from China-who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history.

A daughter helps her father prepare for the end of his life.

'Forced Perspective' is a character portrait of famed artist Derek Hess and his rise to success through the vehicle of his dark artwork, while illustrating a strong connection between mental illness and creativity.

A deep dive into the making of the films with first time ever interviews with cast and crew, never-before-seen footage from the movies, and a preview of the seventh installment in the franchise, released at the same time as the documentary

A look at the high profile case of Liberian Olivia Zinnah, who died in 2012 of complications from a rape that occurred when she was just 7 years old.

When Linda Folley, an intellectual powerhouse and family matriarch, is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at the young age of 52, her community rallies to support her in the face of the insidious disease. RADICAL ACTS OF LOVE represents the interests of 50 million Americans suffering with Alzheimer's, impressing the sacred importance of living in grace, and dying with dignity.

From ticket-fixing in our police departments to test-score scandals in our schools, from our elected leaders' extra-marital affairs to financial schemes undermining our economy, dishonesty seems to be a ubiquitous part of the news. But it's not just true in the headlines - we ALL cheat.

Licu, a Romanian Story is a metaphor on the human condition and our ephemerality, a lesson on life and also a century of survival. Now 92-years-old, Licu has suffered, loved, laughed and cried. Here is Romania's last century seen by Licu.

A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.

Vicenta lives with Laura, her 19-year-old daughter, who suffers from a developmental delay. Laura is pregnant, the product of rape by a family member. She is legally allowed to have an abortion, but the system will put all kinds of obstacles to make sure this doesn't happen.—Mar del Plata International Film Festival

Evidence of Harm follows the lives of three health advocates as they struggle to inform the federal government and public that large amounts of toxic mercury vapors are released from "silver" amalgam dental fillings during routine dental procedures. The film presents a haunting portrait of a dental industry all too willing to turn a blind eye to science while placing profits and politics ahead of dental patient's health.

Young filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.

Caroll Spinney has been Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969; at 78-years-old, he has no intention of stopping.

Dramatises the revelry that happened in No 10 Downing Street with the harsh realities of Covid restrictions and the national scandal over lockdown rules in the rest of the country based on the Sue Gray report.

This documentary was subjected to condemnation and attempts for institutional censorship as soon as it was done. The film observes how one man makes a career using another in the totalitarian society of Communist Bulgaria. Uncle Tony created pivotal films in a tandem with the politically privileged D. D. that turned history in nineteen seventies but his name remained unknown to the public. D. D. made a spectacular career and traveled worldwide while Tony was not allowed to leave the country or pursue his dream of making his own film.—Anonymous

This uniquely telling film takes an entertaining and unsettling look into Chinese rehabilitation centers treating internet addiction, which the Chinese government has classified as a serious clinical disorder.

Khodorkovsky, the richest Russian, challenges President Putin. A fight of the titans begins. Putin warns him. But Khodorkovsky comes back to Russia knowing that he will be imprisoned, once he returns. When I heard about it, I asked myself: why didn't he stay in exile with a couple of billions? Why did he do that? A personal journey to Khodorkovsky.

Holy Man is the story of Douglas White, an 88 year old Lakota Sioux medicine man from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, who spent 17 years in federal prison for a crime he did not commit. During the making of this film, filmmakers uncovered new evidence of White's innocence and brought the case back to Federal Court. Holy Man offers a rare glimpse into the mysterious world of Lakota religion, their intimate connection to the land, and a provocative expose of the systemic injustice that Native Americans face in the criminal justice system.—Anonymous

In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.

This docudrama examines the history of scientific discovery that lead up to Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 and its aftermath in the creation of nuclear energy. This includes Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic fields; Antoine Lavoisier's discovery that mass is never lost; and Emilie du Chatelet's demonstration that Newton's calculation of the velocity of a falling object was incorrect. By 1905, the miracle year where the publication Einstein's four physics papers changed over 200 years of scientific fundamentals, all of this came together with his now famous equation. Afterwards, Lise Meisner's work on uranium let to her conclusion that splitting an atom would release large amounts of energy.—garykmcd