Facts of Life

Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) was, undoubtedly, one of the greatest directors in the history of Japanese cinema, whose work was acclaimed throughout the world. From “Rashomon” (1950) through “Seven Samurai” (1954) to his late masterpiece “Ran” (1985), Kurosawa produced one of the most important and influential bodies of work in the history of filmmaking.

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Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.

A series of explorations, episodes and comments on creativity by Saul Bass, a master of conceptual design, this film is one of the most highly regarded short films ever produced. Humor, satire and irony are combined with serious questions about the creative process and how it comes into play for different individuals. A fascinating cornucopia of trenchant ideas and important truths, it is stimulating and enjoyable for a very broad spectrum of ages and interests. Organized into eight major sections, the Edifice, Fooling Around, the Process, Judgment, a Parable, Digression, the Search, and the Mark, Why Man Creates is appropriate wherever creative problem-solving is the goal.

Where do we draw the line between Man and Machine? Technocalyps is an intriguing three-part documentary on the notion of transhumanism by Belgian visual artist and filmmaker Frank Theys. The latest findings in genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, bionics and nanotechnology appear in the media every day, but with no analysis of their common aim: that of exceeding human limitations. The director conducts his enquiry into the scientific, ethical and metaphysical dimensions of technological development. The film includes interviews by top experts and thinkers on the subject worldwide, including Marvin Minsky, Terence McKenna, Hans Moravec, Bruce Sterling, Robert Anton Wilson, Richard Seed, Margareth Wertheim, Kirkpatrick Sale, Ralph C. Merkle, Mark Pesce, Ray Kurzweil, Rabbi Youssouf Kazen, Rael and many others.

Part 1: Transhuman

Part 2: Preparing for the Singularity

Part 3: The Metaphysics of Technology

LOUIS KAHN, WHO IN 1974 DIED BANKRUPT AND ALONE in New York City’s Pennsylvania Station, is considered by many architectural historians to be the most important architect of the second half of the 20th century. He left behind a brilliant legacy of intensely powerful and spiritual buildings – geometric compositions of brick, concrete and light, that in the words of the L.A. Times “change your life.” Kahn’s dramatic death laid bare a complex personal life of secrets and broken promises.

DIRECTOR: JAN HARLAN(KUBRICKS-BROTHER IN-LAW)…..CELEBRATES THE LIFE AND FILMS OF ONE OF THE PREMIER FILMMAKERS OF THE LAST FIFTY YEARS..COUNTLESS INTERVIEWS AND RARE FOOTAGE PIECE TOGETHER THE DIRECTORS LIFE FROM HIS CHILDHOOD IN (“THE BRONX!!”)NEW YORK..HIS EARLY YOUTH AT “LOOK” MAGAZINE AS A(15 YEAR-OLD… PHOTOGRAHER!!!)…TO THE COMPLETION OF “EYES WIDE SHUT” IN MARCH 1999.. A FEW DAYS BEFORE HIS UNTIMELY DEATH..THE FILMS COVERED CHRONOLOGICALLY BEGINNING WITH “DAY OF THE FIGHT-1951…WITH INSIGHT PROVIDED BY TECHNICIANS..ACTORS AND PRODUCERS..THERS ALSO A GREAT DEAL OF PRAISE FROM DIRECTORS ..”MARTIN SCORSESE AND WOODY ALLEN”..AND DISCUSSIONS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AND COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE MYTHS SURROUNDING “KUBRICKS” WORKING HABITS…A BRILLIANT PIECE OF WORK!!!

An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit. Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to the heights of international art stardom. Vik collaborates with the brilliant catadores, pickers of recyclable materials, true Shakespearean characters who live and work in the garbage quoting Machiavelli and showing us how to recycle ourselves.

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Leila Khaled was the first woman to hijack a plane. In 1969, she showed her grenades to the terrified passengers by order of the Che Guevara commando unit of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Through the ensuing media bombardment, she put the Palestinian nation on the global map. The pretty 24-year-old Leila became a hero to many Palestinians, including the Swedish/Palestinian teenager Lina Makboul, who is now a filmmaker. At least Leila dared to do something, Lina thought at the time. She visits Leila 35 years later with a camera, and finds a woman who does not regret anything.

WATCH ONLINE —>Leihla Khaled

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City’s World Trade Center’s twin towers in 1974, what some consider, “the artistic crime of the century.” I call it daring. Not criminal.