Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown (2016)

Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.

In the oppressive 1980s communist Romania, the smuggled VHS tapes of banned Hollywood films become an inspirational ray of hope. A hybrid feature about the magic of film and the power it has to change lives.

The story of one man entering the culture and character of Santa Claus for a single season. We follow Jack as he bleaches his hair and goes to Santa School. He tries to do everything that Santa is asked to do. He works as a sidewalk Santa, does home visits, a Polar Express Train and a parade. Along the way, Jack collects children's wishes, learns about the benefits of belief, the history and origin of Santa and the ordinary people keeping the spirit alive.

They were the Grand Funk of Glam and the NY Dolls of Metal. Some considered Twisted Sister a joke, others called them the greatest bar band in the world. While microcosm of Punk/New Wave was taking over NYC in the mid 70s - early 80s, Twisted Sister was battling their way to the top of a vast suburban, cover-band bar scene that surrounded NYC in a 100 mile radius, yet existed in a parallel universe.

Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.

Whether you know him from his iconic role as Batman in the 1966 television series or from his bizarre portrayal of the Mayor on Fox's Family Guy, Adam West is sure to have made an impression. But few people know the man behind the mask. Documentary filmmaker James Tooley spent three years following the legendary actor, meeting his legions of fans, and trying to understand what keeps the 85 year old actor as passionate as ever. Starring Adam West is a fan funded documentary about the creative and turbulent life of Adam West and the fan supported quest to recognize the beloved actor with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

An exclusive backstage pass into a fascinating underground world of alternative Christmas music. Starring an eclectic cast of characters - The Flaming Lips, Run DMC, John Waters - plus two dozen amazing and original songs, JINGLE BELL ROCKS. is a cinematic sleigh ride into the strange and sublime universe of alternative Christmas music.

The life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.

A heartwarming comedy about six piano players striving to win the World Championship of Old-Time Piano (mostly ragtime). With brilliant showmanship and skill these competitors vie for the glow of victory, for escape from the trials of their everyday lives, and for the revival of the first distinctly American popular music.—Anonymous

A Personal Journey Into The Uncharted Depths Of Nerd Culture, A Realm Full Of Dangers, Creatures And More Or Less Precarious Working Conditions...

GreasePaint is a documentary film by Daniel Espeut that follows Joey Thurmond and his family as they travel around the country performing the art of American circus clowning. The movie resurrects the dying art of clowning demonstrated by Joey's love for the craft and makes sure that people see the human side of clowning. While the over-arching story focuses on Joey and his ability to balance the business and family life, the viewer also hears from circus performers, old and new, discussing the positive and negative connotations that people have of clowns. Having started the clowning full time, Joey Thurmond has put his life savings and police pension into his ultimate passion. He overhauls the new show completely with a new background, traveling set, and living quarters. The family starts the year not knowing whether they will have enough money to make it back home from the road. His wife, Jamie, manages a lot of the day to day affairs and keeps the peace in the family. Joey's son, Tyler, weighs his options of staying with the business or pursuing his own dreams. Hernan Colonia, a late-comer to the show works on adjusting to his new surroundings and unfortunate immigration situation. The movie is a glimpse into a year of traveling in the most significant and dynamic year in the business' history while examining the clowning world as a whole. The audience sees the backstories of quite a few of the characters including Joey's rise from professional wrestler, to police officer, to clown. It is about the love of a family and how they manage to live and work together 24 hours a day while following their circus dreams.

Baratometrajes 2.0 is a 'more than a documentary' that radiograph the cinema in Spain, giving a lead role and voice to filmmakers of low-budget films, to cultural promoters which make things differently, and to distribution and exhibition professionals, obtaining the (almost) perfect portrait of what could be the future of cinema made in Spain.

A time capsule of teenage life in the 1980s.

EXPOSED profiles eight women and men who use their nakedness to transport us beyond the last sexual and social taboos that our society holds dear. These cutting edge performers -- operating on the far edge of burlesque -- combine politics, satire, and physical comedy to question the very concept of 'normal.' Flying high with them, we get to look down on our myriad inhibitions. This film creates a unique perspective, taking the audience into the clubs an other hidden spaces where 'new burlesque' is challenging traditional notions of body, gender, and sexuality. The body types of the performers range from statuesque to trans-gender to disabled, and their personalities from sensational to scintillating.—Anonymous

In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the LGBT community as they took over a local store, Circus of Books. A decade later, they had become the biggest distributors of gay porn in the US. The film focuses on the double life they led, trying to maintain the balance of being parents at a time when LGBT culture was not yet accepted. Their many challenges included facing jail time for a federal obscenity prosecution and enabling their store to be a place of refuge at the height of the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books offers a rare glimpse into an untold chapter of queer history, and it is told through the lens of the owners' own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker and musician.

It covers topics like politics, self-improvement, parenting young kids, and aging parents.

From award winning journalist John Pilger, reveals what the news doesn't - that the world's greatest military power, the United States, and the world's second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, may well be on the road to war.

When 35 year old stand-up comedian Steve Mazan learned he was dying of cancer, he dedicated the rest of his life to making his dream come true: performing comedy on The Late Show with David Letterman. This documentary chronicles his five-year journey, as he races his own ticking clock to achieve a nearly impossible goal. Hilarious and heart-breaking, Steve brings a brand-new perspective to living with cancer. This is a story that proves it's not how much time you have, it's what you do with it. As Steve says, 'If you stop chasing your dreams, you're already dead.'

Documentary about North Korea, set in the future after the regime has collapsed. Harnessing the power of hindsight the film questions the morality of the current inaction by regional and global powers towards the North Korean dictatorship.

Bitcoin is the most disruptive invention since the Internet, and now an ideological battle is underway between fringe utopists and mainstream capitalism. The film shows the players who are defining how this technology will shape our lives.

It tells the story of Major Karl Plagge, a Nazi officer who, during the Holocaust, was commandant of a forced labor camp called "HKP" in Vilnius, Lithuania. In reality, he was sheltering hundreds of Jewish families. By the end, many were saved in hiding places dug into the ground and carved into the walls. Many more were executed by the SS and buried in a mass grave. Today, the former "HKP" is unchanged. A group of scientists arrive to locate the hiding places of those that were saved and identify the mass grave of those who were murdered. A child survivor of the camp and an American physician, whose mother was saved by Major Plagge, join them. The film tracks their three stories and, ultimately, brings to light the unknown tale of a Schindler-type German who listened to his conscience, instead of his superiors.

The theory of evolution and a re-write of American history are caught in the crosshairs when an unabashed Creationist seeks re-election as chairman of America's most influential Board of Education.

A documentary on Phil Rosenthal's experiences during the making of "Voroniny," the Russian-language version of "Everybody Loves Raymond".

Amazing biography and introspective on the boy, the man, the husband, the father, the entrepreneur and the businessman as well as the inventor and his genius.

The pivotal year that essentially ushered in the true 1960s is explored.

A documentary about a 10-year-old transgender girl who finds acceptance and empowerment in the company of a queer roller derby collective.

A portrait of Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor, who continues to wage his lifelong crusade in the fight for law and peace.

Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.

Follows Kishi Bashi as he goes on a journey to learn about history and its relevance when a media interview links the muslim ban and the immigration crisis at the USA-Mexico border with the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during WWII.

Who were the men and women of the Apollo Space Program? Where are they today? What do they think of the extraordinary effort they helped make possible? Half a century later, Project Apollo remains the single greatest initiative in peacetime the world has ever known. Its story speaks to the most beautiful characteristics of our humanity: a metaphor for our ability to rise to challenges once thought insurmountable and push past them with even bigger and bolder solutions. Behind every astronaut who set foot upon the moon and every figurehead who inspired us to get there was Apollo's massive workforce: a team of men and women over 400,000 strong--spanning race, socio-economics, culture and company--who came to understand that the overall Program was only as good as the effort they put into it. When We Were Apollo is a feature-length documentary offering an intimate and personal look at Apollo through the lives and experiences of some of its most inspiring behind-the-scenes figures: engineers, technicians, builders and contractors who spent the better part of a decade working to get us to the moon and back.

Oliver Stone 's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.

This six-part series traces the Second World War, from the rise of the Nazis to the surrender of the Japanese, with detailed portraits of key figures.

Never-before-heard audio tapes recorded with Neil Armstrong during the final years of his life reveal an intimate portrait of this iconic - and famously private - man. Illustrated through previously unseen personal photographs and archival footage, this documentary special takes viewers on an emotional journey into the thoughts and experiences of the first man on the Moon.

From Willie Nelson to Wilco, Ray Charles to Radiohead, A SONG FOR YOU: THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS STORY offers the ultimate backstage pass to 40 years of incredible live music - see how long-time producers and loyal fans have made ACL the longest running music show in television history.

Today, all anybody needs to run is the determination and a pair of the right shoes. But just fifty years ago, running was viewed almost exclusively as the domain of elite male athletes who competed on tracks. With insight and propulsive energy, director Pierre Morath traces running�۪s rise to the 1960s, examining how the liberation movements and newfound sense of personal freedom that defined the era took the sport out of the stadiums and onto the streets, and how legends like Steve Prefontaine, Fred Lebow, and Kathrine Switzer redefined running as a populist phenomenon.

Heralded as one of the most influential musicians in the modern era, Sam Bush pioneered a new genre of music, inspired some of today's most successful commercial acts, yet he remains the music world's best-kept secret.