ChickenHawk

Capturing the Friedmans

May 2003 •English

An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.

Land

May 2010 •English

American resort developers bear down on the wild west coast of Nicaragua, hoping to build the next tourist paradise. With lax labour and environmental regulations, some of the developers take full advantage of the situation, and the local fishermen start accusing them of exploitation and land thievery. Unexpectedly, in the midst of this conflict, firebrand Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas sweep back into government, boldly empowering the local fishermen. The tables turn viciously on the American developers, who get much more than they bargained for. But when the local fishermen, corrupted by new found power, begin acting in the same manner as the American developers, questions are posed about human nature, morality, and ethics on a much larger scale.

Ekstase - Der Prozeß gegen die Satansmädchen

April 1979 •German

Mondo Cane and the Schoolgirl Report series stand as obvious influences on this occasionally amusing but generally rather tedious exploitation film that alternates between documentary, fake documentary and docudrama. The theme is Satanism and the linking thread is a recreation of what is supposedly the real-life case of a murder and attempted murder of two Munich teenage men by a quartet of girls who had been dabbling in devil worship. During the ensuing trial, the lawyer resorts to dilatory tactics while the hearing is frequently interrupted by the girls breaking into incantation, temper tantrums or shivery fits ostensibly bearing on demonic possession. When the subject of the Manson killings is brought up, the most obnoxious of the defendants breaks in indignantly, claiming that Sharon Tate’s “execution” was justified as she posed dangers to the Satanic community.

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films

October 2014 •French

Cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus relive the creation, rise and fall of their independent film company, Cannon Films. This documentary recounts their many successes and discusses their eventual downfall.

This Wonderful Dirty World

April 1971 •English

The effects of pollution on the inhabitants of a Japanese fishing village; group psychotherapy methods used in the United States; animal testing for the effects of drugs; assisted fertilization in a Swedish clinic; a gay dance in London; heart surgery by American surgeon De Bakey; a dog fight in Japan; sex education for blind children in Sweden; military training for young Palestinians in Lebanon; contraceptive techniques taught in Sweden; state-managed abortion combined with female infertility treatment; a female priest celebrating Mass; a school for children with phocomelia: these are some of the themes explored in this mondo documentary.

Dominion

March 2018 •English

Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.

VICE News Presents: 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself'

January 2024 •English

How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.

42nd Street Forever, Volume 5: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

October 2009 •English

WELCOME TO THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA, the most awesome post-modern hot spot for exploitation movie revival, deep in the heart of Texas! Home to world-famous events such as The Quentin Tarantino Film Fest, Fantastic Fest and Butt-Numb-A-Thon, the Alamo is one of the last places on earth where you can still see grindhouse classics such as THE DEVIL WITHIN HER and MAD MONKEY KUNG FU. Now, the Alamo has opened their vaults for a peek at some of the most outrageous cinematic gems from several golden ages of sleaze cinema. Digitally re-mastered in high-definition from the actual reels that show every week at the Alamo, this exciting edition of the 42ND STREET FOREVER series is the most bizarre, the most terrifying and the most hilarious one yet!

Joe D'Amato Totally Uncut: The Horror Experience

January 2001 •Italian

Documentary on various horror movies that Joe D'Amato directed and/or produced in the 1970's, 1980's, and early 1990's.

Savile: Portrait of a Predator

October 2021 •English

This new documentary looks inside the criminal world of Jimmy Savile through the eyes of those who worked alongside him and those who investigated him.

Boys Beware

January 1961 •English

This anti-homosexual social "scare" short film focuses on the dangers of young boys talking to strangers.

Survivors Rowe

April 2015 •English

For almost two decades, the Anglican Priest Ralph Rowe sexually abused First Nation boys in the north during his days as an Anglican minister. Though the true number will never be known, the documentary reports that Rowe molested as many as 500 children throughout northwestern Ontario.

The Explorer

December 2020 •French

A former lawyer leaves everything behind to embark on the quest for a dinosaur-like animal supposedly living in Africa's unexplored forests.

An Open Secret

November 2014 •English

An investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry.

Sinister Harvest

May 1930 •English

Early "shockumentary", apparently shot in Egypt, which documents the habits of opium addicts. The interiors of drug dens are shown, and at the conclusion the film an addict is shown collapsing on a sand dune; the booming voice of the narrator informs us that the addict has perished. Footage used is from the silent film Dope Fiends.

American Grindhouse

February 2011 •English

This documentary explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film. The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment.

Louis Theroux: A Place for Paedophiles

April 2009 •English

Louis has gained access to Coalinga Mental Hospital in California, which houses more than 500 of the most disturbed criminals in America, convicted paedophiles. Most have already served lengthy prison sentences, but have been deemed unsafe for release. Instead, they have been sent here for an indefinite time. Spending time with those undergoing treatment, Louis wrestles with whether he can ever allow himself to believe men whose whole history is defined by deception and deceit.

Teaserama

September 1955 •English

A collection of numerous burlesque acts from the 1950s, including strippers, and cult character Betty Page introducing the acts.

Machete Maidens Unleashed!

October 2010 •English

In the final decades of the 20th century, the Philippines was a country where low-budget exploitation-film producers were free to make nearly any kind of movie they wanted, any way they pleased. It was a country with extremely lax labor regulations and a very permissive attitude towards cultural expression. As a result, it became a hotbed for the production of cheapie movies. Their history and the genre itself are detailed in this breezy, nostalgic documentary.

Mondo Strip

September 1980 •English