According to the filmmakers website, the film "reveals that radical Islamists driven by a religiously motivated rejection of western values cultures and religion are engaging in a multifaceted strategy to overcome the western world." In contrast to the concept of violent jihad, the filmmakers introduce the concept of "cultural jihad as a means to infiltrate and undermine our society from within." The overriding theme from their perspective is how this "cultural jihad" is a threat to United States national security. The film contains excerpts of speeches by Islamic organizations and terrorist groups, includes interviews with government…
The documentary follows three young juvenile offenders who signed up for a screenwriting class with producer Gabriel Cowan as they await their respective trials in Los Angeles County. Arrested at 16, Jarad faces 200 years-to-life for four attempted murders; Juan, also arrested at 16, faces 90-to-life for first-degree murder; Antonio was arrested at 14 and faces 90-to-life for two attempted murders.
The film is a commentary on Vidal's professional and personal life, and the impact he had in art and politics. It includes exclusive interviews with Vidal, as well as figures such as Burr Steers and Christopher Hitchens.
For the production of Mirt Sost Shi Amit (Harvest: 3,000 Years) Gerima returned to his native Ethiopia to produce the tale of a poor peasant family who eke out an existence within a brutal, exploitative, and feudal system of labor. The film follows several characters living in a small rural area, moving from vignette to vignette in their daily lives. The local landowner treats his workers harshly and shouts orders at them from the chair outside his house.
The film follows Douglass's life from slavery as a young man through to his time in Ireland, where he befriended Daniel O'Connell, toured the country spreading the message of abolition and was treated as a human being for the first time by white people. His arrival in Ireland coincided with the Great Famine, and he witnessed white people in what he considered to be a worse state than his fellow Black Americans back in the US. The film follows Douglass back to America, where he buys his freedom with funds raised in Ireland and Britain.
The film follows the recovery and aftermath of the 2011 assassination attempt of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords becomes partially paralyzed and has a language impairment aphasia.
The documentary explores the world's oceans. After an introduction about the formation of the seas and human water use, it focuses on microscopic life in the oceans. The food chain is illustrated using diatoms , which serve as food for crustaceans.
Budo: The Art of Killing is a compilation of various gendai budō each demonstrated by famous Japanese martial artists from the late 1970s. The film treats its subject matter with deep respect and demonstrates a great reverence for both Budō and Japanese culture in general. The film begins with Kunishirō Hayashi, reenacting seppuku, the ritualistic form of suicide practiced by Japanese samurai during Feudal Japan.
The film makes use of archive footage and interviews with John Waters, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Sonic Youth, Laurie Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, and David Cronenberg. The film looks at the life of a man whose works attacked conservative ideals, spawned countercultural movements, and influenced 20th century culture. The film is narrated by Peter Weller, with a soundtrack by Patti Smith and Sonic Youth.http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/film/38/William-S-Burroughs-A-Man-Within
After the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster, four independent volunteers, with little money and no experience, race off to volunteer in tsunami ravaged Sri Lanka. They meet up by fate at the Colombo airport and form a volunteer team. They rent a van, fill it with supplies and start driving down the coast to see where they can help.
In 1896, Ethiopia defeats an Italian military bent on conquest and colonization. The Battle of Adwa resulted in an Ethiopian victory over Italy and became an important symbol of Ethiopian independence. The outcome also influenced broader African movements and ideas concerning resistance to colonial rule, sovereignty, and self-determination.
