Religion & Spirituality


A COMMON SEQUENCE
A COMMON SEQUENCE

2023  Anthropology  Biology  Cinema Studies  Cultural Studies  Directed by Women  Health  Indigenous Studies  Latino Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Science  Sociology  Spanish Language 

Within the human struggle to live and work on a changing planet, questions of value, extraction, and adaptation echo across seemingly disparate worlds. A Common Sequence examines shifts of life and labor through a critically-endangered salamander and plant patents in the apple industry. Weaving the stories of Dominican nuns running a conservation lab, a group of fisherman attempting to live off of a depleting lake, engineers developing AI-driven harvesting machines, and an indigenous biomedical researcher resisting the commodification of human DNA, the film becomes a meditation on the shifting border between the natural and unnatural world, and the dynamics of power at play.

WITH THIS LIGHT
WITH THIS LIGHT

2023  Children & Young Adult  Cultural Studies  Directed by Women  Economics  Education  Peace & Conflict  Latino Studies  Political Science  Religion & Spirituality 

Nun. Activist. Entrepreneur. Force of nature.  For over 70 years, Sister Maria Rosa Leggol helped over 87,000 Honduran children escape poverty and fortified her legacy as an activist and visionary. Her work continues with Maria and Rosa, two teens in her programs fighting to create their own lives.


THE ACCUSED: Damned or Devoted
THE ACCUSED: Damned or Devoted

2021  Criminal & Law  Cultural Studies  Economics  Education  Islamic Studies  Middle Eastern Studies  Religion & Spirituality  World History  2022 

There is a divide in Pakistan over its blasphemy law, which if broken can lead to a death sentence for those accused. Cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, has one mission: to preserve Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and now he’s running for the highest office in the country.  Now everyone,  those that oppose him and even his followers,  are just pawns in his quest for absolute power.


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.

THE DAWN CHORUS
THE DAWN CHORUS

Environmental Studies  Anthropology  Religion & Spirituality  2021 

A cinematic meditation of the dawn of May 3, 2020–International Dawn Chorus Day–as observed from around the world during the Covid-19 lockdown.

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.

SURVIVORS ROWE
SURVIVORS ROWE

2017  Indigenous Studies  Cinema Studies  Cultural Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Loud Roar Productions 

Survivors Rowe documents the tragic stories of three men who were victims of Ralph Rowe, an Anglican priest who molested over 500 children, and the courageous journey they undertake to arrive at a place of healing and forgiveness.

CONVERSATIONS WITH A DEAD PRIME MINISTER
CONVERSATIONS WITH A DEAD PRIME MINISTER

World History  Religion & Spirituality  Political Science  Loud Roar Productions  2017  Short Films 

An engaging cinematic portrait of one of Canada’s most eccentric prime ministers, Mackenzie King, who led a secret life conducting séances and speaking with the dead.

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.

RADICAL GRACE
RADICAL GRACE

2016  Religion & Spirituality  Women's Studies  Sociology  Directed by Women 

What does it mean for women to be both devoted to and in conflict with a powerful religious institution? A riveting example of feminist disobedience, Radical Grace follows three extraordinary American Catholic nuns—including Sister Simone Campbell who plays a pivotal role in the organization of the Nuns on the bus - who faithfully honor their vow of obedience to God, even when it means angering the Church hierarchy.

JOURNEY TO THE WEST
JOURNEY TO THE WEST

2015  Cinema Studies  Narrative Films  Religion & Spirituality 

An immersive and transporting experience directed by Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang (Stray Dogs), Journey to the West focuses on the figure of the Walker, a character loosely based on the life of Xuanzang, a seventh-century Buddhist monk who painstakingly traversed Asia for seventeen years in search of "the void."

AMERICAN ARAB
AMERICAN ARAB

Islamic Studies  American Studies  Middle Eastern Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Kartemquin Films  2014  Immigration 

A provocative look at the complexities of Arab identity in post 9/11 America, American Arab interweaves filmmaker Usama Alshaibi's own story, and that of his family, as well as other Arab Americans to thoughtfully explore the values, passions, hopes and perceptions of his community, from inside and out.

WAVUMBA: THEY WHO SMELL OF FISH
WAVUMBA: THEY WHO SMELL OF FISH

Anthropology  Indigenous Studies  African Studies  Environmental Studies  Cultural Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Literature  Aging / Gerontology  2013 

A gorgeously filmed ethnographic portrait of an elderly Kenyan shark fisherman who has a primeval bond with the ocean and its creatures, Wavumba: They Who Smell of Fish delivers an enchanting depiction of Africa's storytelling tradition, where fantasy, dreams, belief and reality blend.

SUN, MOON, STARS: INDONESIA TRILOGY
SUN, MOON, STARS: INDONESIA TRILOGY

Southeast Asian Studies  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Political Science  Islamic Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Sociology  Asian Studies  2012 

A landmark documentary trilogy, Sun, Moon, Stars captures the tumultuous changes taking place in Indonesia by following three generations of a single Jakarta family for over a decade. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich, it offers an unparalleled, vibrant portrait of the world's fourth most populous nation; and home to the largest Muslim community.

POSITION AMONG THE STARS
POSITION AMONG THE STARS

Southeast Asian Studies  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Political Science  Islamic Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Sociology  Asian Studies  2012 

For over a decade, noted filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich followed the lives of an Indonesian family in Jakarta. In this final film of his acclaimed Sun, Moon, Stars trilogy, Helmrich confronts the most important issues facing the country's fast-changing society: corruption, conflict between religions, gambling addiction, the generation gap, and the widening disparity between rich and poor.

SHAPE OF THE MOON
SHAPE OF THE MOON

Southeast Asian Studies  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Political Science  Islamic Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Sociology  Asian Studies  2012 

The end of the Suharto regime ushered in an era of rapid sociopolitical upheaval in Indonesia. In this second installment of the Sun, Moon, Stars trilogy, filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich returns to the Sjamsuddin family to intimately capture the changes taking place in their country, including the troubling rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

THE EYE OF THE DAY
THE EYE OF THE DAY

Southeast Asian Studies  Anthropology  Cultural Studies  Political Science  Islamic Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Sociology  Asian Studies  2012 

Against a backdrop of social unrest that led to the ouster of Indonesia's long-time dictator President Suharto, The Eye of the Day begins filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich's award-winning trilogy Sun, Moon, Stars. It introduces us to an ordinary family living in the slums of Jakarta; a family Helmrich would return to and document for more than a decade.

AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR

Criminal & Law  American Studies  Latino Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Kartemquin Films  2009 

An impassioned exploration of the legal and ethical issues surrounding capital punishment, this award-winning documentary looks at the death penalty through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Picket, who served 15 years as a death house chaplain in a notorious Texas penitentiary and presided over 95 executions.

EGYPT: WE ARE WATCHING YOU
EGYPT: WE ARE WATCHING YOU

Islamic Studies  Cultural Studies  Peace & Conflict  Political Science  Religion & Spirituality  African Studies  Media Studies  2009  Directed by Women 

From the director of the acclaimed Al-Jazeera documentary Control Room, this extremely prescient and insightful film shows how three women activists used digital cameras and a website to expose widespread fraud and violence in the country's last presidential elections - in which Mubarak won with 88.6% of the vote.

IN SEARCH OF GANDHI
IN SEARCH OF GANDHI

Peace & Conflict  Asian Studies  Cultural Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Political Science  Islamic Studies  2009 

Over the past two decades India has experienced steady economic growth resulting in the rise of a new middle class. But what does it mean to actually live in the world's largest democracy? In Search of Gandhi seeks to discover the current and future state of democracy in India.

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