POVERTY
Up the Yangtze
This documentary examine China’s rapidly changing economy by focusing on the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. For the government, the dam stands as a symbol of progress; but it displaces hundreds of families during its creation. Following local teenagers Chen Bo Yu and Yu Shi, who work on one of the Western cruise lines that sails up the Yangtze near the dam, the film details the friction in Chinese society as its citizens struggle with the realities of its new consumer capitalism.
Born into Brothels
Documentary photographer Zana Briski journeyed into Calcutta’s underworld to photograph the city’s prostitutes. In return, she offered to teach the prostitutes’ children the basics of photography so that the kids could document their own lives on the streets of one of the world’s poorest cities. The resulting photographs, often astonishing, were exhibited around the world; many of them are seen in this film, which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2005.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT – R
Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.
IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE
In 2006, director Spike Lee created an astonishing record of the cataclysmic effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans with his epic award-winning documentary, When the Levees Broke. Five years later, Lee returns to New Orleans, to see how the ambitious plans to reinvent the Crescent City were playing out. He finds a patchwork of hope and heartache just as a new disaster unfolds. The four-hour documentary is a continuation of the heart-rending story of destruction and rebirth of America’s most unique city.
RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION
Trailer for Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home on TrailerAddict.
Narrated by Catherine Keener, Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home takes an uncompromising yet life-affirming look at the lives of eight remarkable individuals–people who have found a way to make a life for themselves within the community of homelessness. The film shows how their descent into society’s basement has been Continue reading
THE PEARL
Quino is a Mexican diver who discovers a pearl at the bottom of the sea. He and his wife Juana, and their son have just taken possession of a pearl that is worth thousands. Everyday people try to get in on the cash, even Pearl Dealers try to rip them off. When Quino is attacked one day, he kills his attackers in self defence. His brother suggests their only hope is to leave the village. But on their journey to give their son an education they never had, someone may just do anything to prevent it.