In 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced thousands into labor camps. Dr. Haing S. Ngor escaped after years of torture, recreating his experiences in The Killing Fields. With a blend of animation and archival material, this is the story of a man who became a worldwide ambassador for justice in his homeland, only to be murdered in an L.A. Chinatown alley.
Lis, Margarita and Mily are three blind women trying to survive the rapidly changing country of Cuba. From the music halls of Havana, a cinema club for the blind and a national singing competition, Tocando la Luz weaves together the stories of their lives, revealing both the pain and exhilaration of fighting for independence.
Monday morning, two choreographers appear in a San Sebastián high school in Spain to work with students who have never danced before. They have Five Days to Dance; motivating a classroom full of teenagers outside of their comfort zone to train and perform a complex choreographed work. Can they rise to these challenges and be ready?
Turkish soap operas are incredibly popular -- not just in Turkey but also the Middle East to Asia. Although the stories break social taboos that are meant to restrict women, many Christians and Muslims are fans. Kismet examines the paradox behind these soaps that inspire their female devotees to fight for the freedoms they witness on the screen.
Set during the bloodiest period in Pakistan’s modern history, Among the Believers is a dramatic and chilling examination of the ideological battles shaping the education of its children. While teachers and a growing activist movement work against the Taliban regime, a charismatic cleric is creating his own version of a strict Islamic utopia.
Fifteen-year-old Georgiana Halmac is the head of the family. Living in a cramped apartment in Bacau, Romania with her six younger brothers and sisters, they await their single mother's return; she was forced to leave for Italy to earn money. As the younger siblings get by, Georgiana manages the difficult task at hand with both naiveté and grit.
Namie, a fishing village ravaged by the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, was a childhood paradise to filmmaker Kyoko Miyake. While younger generations have relocated, older residents still dream of returning home. A timely film, Surviving the Tsunami - My Atomic Aunt offers fresh perspectives about our relationship with nuclear energy.
Follow three students in Kenya competing to become the next school president. Magdalene must prove herself in a male-dominated school, which has never elected a female president. Harry hopes to win so that he will be able to take care of his family in the future but struggles against the popular Said, a natural leader with a disarming smile.
An uplifting tale of a small village’s attempt to harness renewable, sustainable energy. Friends Tashi and Jeevan journey to Namdok in the hopes of building a stronger Nepal, one wind turbine at a time. But the elements and landscape bring unforeseen difficulties -- increasing the struggle to realize the community’s vision of power created by wind.
In 1897, Robert E. Peary, the first American to “conquer" the North Pole, brought back six polar Inuit to create an exhibition at a New York museum. The only one who survived was a young boy. Peary’s Inuit great-grandson confronts this unsettling history when he makes an expedition to his ancestral home in order to discover his cultural legacy.
For centuries, the Badjao people have lived on and from the sea but the expanding fishing and tourism industries now make it difficult for them to survive. Diver Alexan wants to teach his young nephew, Sari, everything he knows. For Sari, it is a struggle between his dream of being a fisherman and his attraction to the outside world.
Paula Madison knew her mother was half Chinese, half Jamaican. Growing up in Harlem, she wondered about her Chinese grandfather, Samuel Lowe. When did he immigrate and then leave the islands? Madison embarks on a trip of a lifetime, tracing her grandfather back to his ancestral village – and finds she has a whole new family to embrace.
On May 12, 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, China, killing nearly 90,000 people - many of them children. Under China’s strict family planning policy, every one is their family’s only child. Follow three families from the city of Beichuan as they struggle to understand the disaster and find a way to live with their personal tragedy.
Bemz Benedito is the first transgender woman to run for a seat in the Philippine Congress. Her party, which calls itself the only LGBT political party in the world is on a quest to convince voters that gay and trans people belong in national politics. OUT RUN is the story of their campaign. In this Catholic and conservative country, can they win?
Filmmaker Rick Tejada-Flores travels to Bolivia, trying to unravel his family’s history – his grandfather’s role in Latin America’s bloodiest war, the slaves his family owned in their privileged past lives, and a strange connection to an infamous Nazi war criminal. What else will he find hidden in his ancestors’ past?
Two stories, two countries: China - With 5,000 tables and a staff of 1,000, West Lake Restaurant, "the biggest Chinese restaurant in the world," is a microcosm of modern China. Japan - Naoki had it all but when the economy crashed, he lost it all. Now he and his new girlfriend Yoshie are barely surviving in the world’s second richest economy.
Two stories, two countries: Israel - Young female veterans offer a unique perspective on the strained relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, which has left an unforgettable impression on each of them. Yemen - Revolution is breaking out in Yemen and tour guide Kais finds himself at the epicenter of protests in Yemen's Change Square.
Two stories, two countries: Australia - Andrew McAuley set out to become the first sea-kayaker to cross the Tasman Sea but the need to conquer the unknown may cost him his life. India - The construction of a suspension bridge in Mumbai could save lives in gridlocked Mumbai. Follow three supporters and opponents of the massive project.
A man who survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident becomes a Zen Buddhist monk and works to save others from committing suicide.