2017


BRILLO BOX (3¢ OFF)
BRILLO BOX (3¢ OFF)

Family Relations  Art History  American Studies  Media Studies  New York City  Directed by Women  Economics  2017 

Brillo Box (3˘ off) follows a beloved Andy Warhol Brillo Box sculpture as it makes its way from a family's living room to a record-breaking Christie's auction, blending a humourous family narrative with Pop Art history, and exploring how we navigate the ephemeral nature of art and value.

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.

RAT FILM
RAT FILM

2017  Urban Studies  Environmental Studies  Political Science  Sociology  Cultural Studies  Cinema Studies  Anthropology  American Studies  Architecture  African-American Studies 

A documentary that uses the rat to explore the complicated history of Baltimore and how racial segregation, redlining, and environmental racism built the American city we see today.

THE WRONG LIGHT
THE WRONG LIGHT

2017  Asian Studies  Children & Young Adult  Criminal & Law  Family Relations  Southeast Asian Studies  Cinema Studies  Directed by Women 

A charismatic activist leads a globally-regarded NGO that provides shelter and education for girls rescued from brothels in Northern Thailand. But as the filmmakers meet the girls and their families, discrepancies begin to emerge and the story they're telling takes an unexpected turn.

FIVE FINGER DISCOUNT: a crooked family history
FIVE FINGER DISCOUNT: a crooked family history

Pacific Street Films  Family Relations  American History  American Studies  Criminal & Law  2017  Literature 

Based Helene Stapinski’s best selling memoir “Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History.” The book and the film tell the story of Helene’s childhood, of her growing up working-class in Jersey City, New Jersey – in a family nearly overrun with crooks, petty criminals, corrupt politicians, mobster wannabes and murderers – and how she became a journalist and a best-selling author.

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.

SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDS
SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDS

2017  Environmental Studies  Latin-American Studies  Science  Sociology  Cinema Studies 

In Bolivia, the glaciers are melting. Samuel, a ski lift operator at the world’s highest elevation ski resort is seeing firsthand the effects of climate change. Generations of his family have lived and worked in the snowy mountains, but now due to unprecedented environmental changes, the snow is gone. With scientists looking for answers, Samuel turns to ancient rituals to soothe the mountain’s spirit in hopes of bringing back the snow and his way of life.

FAREWELL FERRIS WHEEL
FAREWELL FERRIS WHEEL

Labor Studies  2017  American Studies  Latino Studies  Business  Cinema Studies 

Follow the day-to-day lives of Mexican migrant workers as they travel the United States to work for the struggling carnival industry. They are legally employed through the controversial H-2B work visa program and may be the last hope for the carnivals. Farewell Ferris Wheel takes a good hard look at the crossroads between economic need and human rights through one of the most emblematic symbols of Americana.

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.

CINEMANIA
CINEMANIA

Cinema Studies  New York City  Psychology & Psychiatry  Disabilities  Directed by Women  2017 

A documentary cult classic, Cinemania is an affectionate portrait of five obsessive filmgoers whose voracious appetite for film has consumed everything else in their lives. A fascinating look at the roots of film-addiction, Cinemania is an irresistible and hilarious ode to cinephilia for the ages

ALMOST THERE
ALMOST THERE

Kartemquin Films  Art History  Aging / Gerontology  Psychology & Psychiatry  Disabilities  Cinema Studies  Media Studies  Family Relations  Criminal & Law  Health  American Studies  Photography  Human Sexuality  2017 

Humorous and candid, Kartemquin Films' documentary Almost There is a fascinating portrait of eccentric "outsider" artist Peter Anton. Living in a home that has been consumed by mold and filth, the octogenarian has produced a startling collection of unseen paintings, drawings, and notebooks. The film’s remarkable journey follows this witty and gifted artist through startling twists and turns.

YOUTH BEHIND BARS: The Iran Trilogy
YOUTH BEHIND BARS: The Iran Trilogy

Middle Eastern Studies  Criminal & Law  Cinema Studies  Sociology  Cultural Studies  Family Relations  Children & Young Adult  Peace & Conflict  2017 

A groundbreaking documentary trilogy directed by Iran's most prominent documentary filmmaker Mehrdad Oskouei, Youth Behind Bars: The Iran Trilogy, with incredible humanity, captures the lives, dreams and hopes of Iran's imprisoned youth.

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