Music


RECORDIALLY YOURS, LOU CURTISS
RECORDIALLY YOURS, LOU CURTISS

2023  American History  Business  Music  Performing Arts  Sociology 

Filmmaker Yale Strom explores the life and work of Lou Curtiss - creator of the San Diego Folk Festival, Adams Ave. Unplugged Festival, audiophile, folklorist, author, raconteur, radio host and proprietor of Folk Arts Rare Records, a mecca for some of the most celebrated American roots musicians in America.

LOS ULTIMOS FRIKIS
LOS ULTIMOS FRIKIS

2021  Cinema Studies  Cuban Studies  Latin-American Studies  Music  Media Studies 

Filmed in Cuba over the course of ten years, Los Últimos Frikis tells the story of iconic Cuban heavy metal band Zeus and their three-decade fight to be heard. As Cuba’s political and social climate once again shifts the band embarks on a national tour across the island to defend their cultural impact and livelihood.

STRANGE NEGOTIATIONS
STRANGE NEGOTIATIONS

2021  American Studies  American History  Anthropology  Cinema Studies  Family Relations  Music  Religion & Spirituality  Political Science 

Musician David Bazan retreated into a solitary life after renouncing his long-held Christian beliefs and walking away from his critically-acclaimed band, Strange Negotiations follow David a decade into his journey, during which he has become a sort of reluctant prophet to Americans during the 2016 presidential election.

I AM GAGARIN
I AM GAGARIN

2019  Cinema Studies  Cultural Studies  Directed by Women  Music  Russia  World History  Urban Studies 

A deeply personal exploration of post-Soviet Russia, I am Gagarin examines the Moscow rave scene, and the influential trendsetters at the forefront of the subculture. 



HÍBRIDOS, THE SPIRITS OF BRAZIL
HÍBRIDOS, THE SPIRITS OF BRAZIL

2019  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Cinema Studies  Dance  Directed by Women  Indigenous Studies  Latin-American Studies  Music  Religion & Spirituality 

HÍBRIDOS, THE SPIRITS OF BRAZIL is an ethnomusicological journey into the sacred culture of Brazil, from Roman Catholic to Ubanda and candomblé--mixures of African traditions with Catholicism.

MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS
MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS

2018  Music  African-American Studies  American Studies  Media Studies 

Milford Graves Full Mantis is a feature-length portrait of renowned percussionist Milford Graves, oscillating from present to past and weaving intimate glimpses of the artist’s complex cosmology with blistering performances from around the globe, exploring his kaleidoscopic creativity and relentless curiosity.

WHIPPING ZOMBIE
WHIPPING ZOMBIE

2018  African Studies  Anthropology  Dance  Music  Short Films  Cinema Studies 

In a remote Haitian village there is a dance with slaves and masters: the whipping zombie ritual. To trance-inducing music played by rara bands, men whip and fight until they die and are reborn in the infinite cycle.



GHOSTS OF OUR FOREST
GHOSTS OF OUR FOREST

African Studies  Music  Anthropology  Indigenous Studies  2017  Dance  Environmental Studies  Performing Arts  Loud Roar Productions 

Forcefully removed from their ancestral home by the Ugandan government to protect the endangered gorilla population, the indigenous Batwa people start a music club in hopes to preserve their culture through song and story.

LINEFORK
LINEFORK

Anthropology  American Studies  2017  Music  Sensory Ethnography Lab  Cinema Studies  Aging / Gerontology 

Meet Lee and Opal, an elderly couple living in the Appalachian Mountains. Recorded over three years, Linefork is an observational film about marriage, community, resilience, and the raw yet delicate music of an unheralded banjo legend, linked to the past yet immediately present.

JOE'S VIOLIN
JOE'S VIOLIN

Academy Award Winners & Nominees  Music  New York City  Performing Arts  Jewish Studies  2017  Education  Directed by Women 

2017 ACADEMY AWARD® Nominee for Documentary Short Subject In Joe’s Violin, a donated musical instrument forges an improbable friendship between a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor and 12-year-old Bronx school girl, showing how the power of music to bring light in the darkest of times and how a small act can have a profound impact.

IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE
IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE

Environmental Studies  Health  Religion & Spirituality  Science  2017  Music 

In Pursuit of Silence is a meditative exploration of our relationship with silence, sound and the impact of noise on our lives. This critically acclaimed documentary takes us on an immersive cinematic journey around theglobe.

COME WORRY WITH US!
COME WORRY WITH US!

Women's Studies  Music  Labor Studies  Family Relations  2014  Business  Directed by Women 

What happens to female artists once they become mothers? A heartfelt exploration of how motherhood affects and impinges on one's creative life, Come Worry With Us! follows violinist Jessica Moss and singer/guitarist Efrim Menuck, founding member of the revered Montreal band, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as the couple attempts to integrate their young son into their lifestyle.

VIRAMUNDO: a musical journey with gilberto gil
VIRAMUNDO: a musical journey with gilberto gil

Music  Anthropology  2013  Indigenous Studies  Latin-American Studies 

After decades of sold out shows and international recognition, musician Gilberto Gil embarks on a new kind of world tour. Traveling from Brazil to Australia and Africa, where he meets with local indigenous communities, Gil continues the work he began as Brazil's first black Minister of Culture - promoting the power of cultural diversity in a globalized world and sharing his vision for the future: a diverse, interconnected planet filled with hope, exchange… and of course music!

BAM150
BAM150

Performing Arts  Art History  New York City  Dance  Music  American History  2013 

A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the staging of a major operatic production, Verdi's masterpiece, "La Traviata," starring world-famous French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay and directed by the celebrated Jean-Francois Sivardier.

MUSICWOOD
MUSICWOOD

Environmental Studies  Native American Studies  Music  Performing Arts  2013  Business  Directed by Women 

For hundreds of years, the acoustic guitar has been made from the same species of Spruce. Today, due to an extreme logging practice known as clear-cutting, this tree is in danger of disappearing - and with it, the acoustic guitar. In this captivating documentary, owners of the top guitar makers unite with Greenpeace and travel to the largest forest in the US to meet with Native American landowners in the hope of finding a sustainable solution.

BOB AND THE MONSTER
BOB AND THE MONSTER

Music  Alcohol & Drug Abuse  Psychology & Psychiatry  2013  Directed by Women 

Bob and the Monster follows outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest through his life-threatening struggle with addiction to his transformation into one of the most influential and controversial drug counselors in the US today (appearing alongside Dr. Drew Pinsky on shows such as "Celebrity Rehab" and "Sober House.")

BECOMING TRAVIATA
BECOMING TRAVIATA

Music  Performing Arts  2013 

A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the staging of a major operatic production, Verdi's masterpiece, "La Traviata," starring world-famous French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay and directed by the celebrated Jean-Francois Sivardier.

EVERYDAY SUNSHINE: the story of fishbone
EVERYDAY SUNSHINE: the story of fishbone

African-American Studies  Music  2012 

Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, Everyday Sunshine charts the turbulent history of the pioneering all-Black rock band Fishbone. This lively documentary tells the story of a band that broke racial stereotypes, and for a brief moment, seemed to challenge the political order of the music industry and the nation.

NE CHANGE RIEN (CHANGE NOTHING)
NE CHANGE RIEN (CHANGE NOTHING)

Music  Cinema Studies  Performing Arts  2011 

A luminous exploration of the creative process from one of the world's most important filmmakers, Pedro Costa's Ne Change Rien is a spare, hypnotic portrait of French chanteuse Jeanne Balibar. Photographed in shimmering black-and-white and featuring a soundtrack of haunting jazz-inflected pop songs.

THROW DOWN YOUR HEART
THROW DOWN YOUR HEART

African Studies  African-American Studies  Music  Anthropology  2009 

Throw Down Your Heart follows American banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck on his journey to Africa to explore the little known African roots of the banjo. This exuberant musical adventure provides a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of Africa - a picture that is very different from what is often shown in the media.

1 2 3 4