FIGHT THE POWER – New section! Six films celebrate the power of activism.
Brothers of the Black List
Dir: Sean Gallagher, 2014, NYC Premiere
In the fall of 1992, despite efforts to recruit minority students, SUNY Oneonta set off a firestorm of controversy that led to the longest litigated civil-rights case in US history.
Disruption
Dir: Pamela Yates, 2013, NYC Premiere
Recognizing the persistence of income inequality in South America, a group of activist economists join together to offer an alternative path to eliminating poverty.
Divide in Concord
Dir: Kris Kaczor, 2014, NYC Premiere
A feisty octogenarian, concerned about the environmental impact of our disposable culture, is on a mission to ban the local sale of plastic bottled water, facing off against her celebrity publicist-turned-pundit nemesis.
Limited Partnership
Dir: Thomas G. Miller, 2014, NYC Premiere
A poignant portrait of four decades of devotion despite overwhelming odds, this film follows a transnational LGBT couple’s immigration battle.
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
Dir: Mary Dore, 2014, NYC Premiere
Through a treasure trove of archival material and profiles of several outspoken pioneers of the women’s movement, we revisit the remarkable eruption of activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s that signaled the arrival of modern feminism. International Film Circuit, opens Dec. 5.
Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa
Dir: Abby Ginzberg, 2014, NYC Premiere
At the height of apartheid, noted South African activist, author and attorney Albie Sachs was driven into exile, yet still faced threats to his life that cost him dearly.
SONIC CINEMA – Six films explore music and musicians.
Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto
Dirs: Béla Fleck and Sascha Paladino, 2014, NYC Premiere
Commissioned to create a first-of-its-kind concerto for the banjo and an 80-piece symphony orchestra, virtuoso musician Béla Fleck faces an intensely personal challenge of collaboration and composition. Argot Pictures, opens Winter 2015.
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock & Roll
Dir: John Pirozzi, 2014, NYC Premiere
A fascinating exploration of history as reflected through a nation’s popular culture, this film excavates Cambodia’s lost era of American-inflected music. Argot Pictures, opens Spring 2015.
Heaven Adores You
Dir: Nickolas Rossi, 2014, NYC Premiere
An artful tribute to the too-soon departed singer/songwriter Elliott Smith.
Jingle Bell Rocks!
Dir: Mitchell Kezin, 2013, NYC Premiere
An entertaining quest to locate the top twelve strangest holiday songs you’re likely to ever hear, from “Santa Claus Was a Black Man” to “Christmas in Vietnam.”
Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-1990)
Dir: Scott Crawford, 2014, US Premiere
An exploration of the development and evolution of the Washington, DC punk scene, and how it shaped independent music and popular culture in the decade that followed.
Songs for Alexis
Dir: Elvira Lind, 2014, NYC Premiere
Eighteen-year-old hopeless romantic Ryan, a young transgender man, writes songs about his sixteen-year-old girlfriend Alexis as the couple navigates a long distance relationship between Long Island and San Francisco.