The Smart Studios Story

Make Me Young: Youth Knows No Pain

April 2009 •English

An age-obsessed daughter of a plastic surgeon takes a journey through America's $60 Billion a year anti-aging world. In this Alice-in Wonderland tale, McCabe spends 2 years traveling across America visiting doctors, experts and lives with a cross-section of characters from Minnesota to Texas who've gone to varying lengths to "beat the clock", to paint a funny but troubling portrait of a country that desperately needs to stay young.

Adam Sandler: What the Hell Happened to Me?

October 1996 •English

Live performance from June 29, 1996 in Chicago of Adam Sandler with a live backing band supporting his newly released comedy album, "What the Hell Happened to Me?". Originally aired as an hour long special on HBO.

That Way Madness Lies...

May 2017 •English

One woman and her family trek the broken mental health system in an effort to save her brother as he descends into madness. Beginning as a testimony of his sanity, his iPhone video diary ultimately becomes an unfiltered look at the mind of an untreated schizophrenic.

(On the Quest for) Belgrade Underground

November 2012 •Serbian

"(On the Quest for) Beograd Underground" is an independent documentary film in the form of a sequence of interviews with alternative artists from Serbia who have dedicated their lives to the creation of one (sub)culture, very rich in its nuances, yet very precarious in its existence. Numerous artists speak of their conceptions of the underground as a movement, a way of perceiving reality, a way of social engagement, and even a way of living. The specific socio-historical condition in the '90s resulted in intensive artistic activity as a response to the totalitarian regime. This film is a collection of the personal experiences of artists who were involved in the underground scene since the '90s until the first decade of the new millennium.

Last Day of Freedom

April 2015 •English

When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime he agonizes over his decision to call the police.

Annie Girardot, ainsi va la vie

September 2008 •French

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

April 2024 •English

This documentary looks at the surge in political violence through the story of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, showing the roots of anti-government sentiment and its reverberations today, along with the emotionally charged warnings of those who suffered tragic losses in the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history.

Don't Fall in Love with Yourself

November 2022 •English

A documentary about the life and music of Justin Pearson. An enigmatic underground musician and owner of Three One G records.

Pontormo and Punks at Santa Croce

January 1982 •English

Full Metal Village

April 2007 •German

The film describes the microcosmos of the small village Wacken and shows the clash of the cultures, before and during the biggest heavy metal festival in Europe.

Manson

August 2009 •English

Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson follower and former 'Family' member details her life at the Ranch and the final days leading up to the grisly 1969 Tate/La Bianca murders.

Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series (Arthur Verocai)

January 2010 •English

Folk-jazz composer/arranger Arthur Verocai was born in Rio de Janeiro. He has created challenging arragements and compositions for Brazilian artists Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins, Leny Andrade and Gal Costa. In 1972 Verocai recorded a self-titled solo LP. It is a stunningly innovative effort. It puts Verocai into a rarified field with the heavy string oriented music of Charles Stepney, David Axelrod and Frank Zappa. Released in a period marked by the Brazilian military government, the album fared poorly. Following its re-issue in 2003, the album has become a highly influential oft sampled classic (see Ludacris, MF Doom and Little Brother). The performance of this seminal 1972 record in its entirety brought the capacity Luckmann crowd to a stand still. According to Verocai, 'he had never played the record, alive or dead!' His delight can be seen on the DVD. The music has been mixed by Verocai himself in Rio. History turned on its head and musical justice served.

A Very British Brothel

August 2015 •English

A look at the daily life of an English brothel.

J. Cole Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming

January 2016 •English

Part concert film, part backstage pass, the special tells his compelling life story through Cole’s own words and music, and through the observations of those who know him best.

Hard Problems

January 2008 •English

Hard Problems is about the extraordinary gifted students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world's toughest math competition: The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). It is the story of six American high school students who competed with 500 others from 90 countries in Ljublijana, Slovenia. The film shows the dedication and perseverance of these remarkably talented students, the rigorous preparation they undertake, and the joy they get out of solving challenging math problems. It captures the spirit that infuses the mathematical quest at the highest level.

Von Da da da bis 99 Luftballons

August 2015 •German

NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton

January 2016 •English

Documentary looking back at the West Coast group who invented gangster rap. The original lineup of N.W.A consisted of Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, all of whom went on to be successful in their own right. The documentary looks at how the group influenced the world of rap music as well as the controversial life and death of Eazy-E and the career developments of Ice Cube and Dr Dre.

Matriculation

January 1979 •Polish

The final oral exam in history and social studies at one of Warsaw's high schools. The film illustrates the theatre of social life in Soviet Poland where one says different things on the stage and another behind the scenes.

MARTERIA Live Doku 2015

December 2015 •German

The Best of the Blues Brothers

July 1994 •English

Writer Tom Davis hosts a Blues Brothers retrospective that tells the whole truth about the legendary band's early days and righteous ways. The Blues Brothers were an unforgettable part of Saturday Night Live's golden era, making their musical debut in bee costumes singing "I'm a King Bee," and becoming an overnight sensation. Switching to hats and shades inspired by John Lee Hooker, they combined classic Chicago Blues with Stax-Volt R&B to create a sound all their own. Their first album, Briefcase Full of Blues, went double-platinum and led quickly to their hit movie and milestone soundtrack album. The rest is history, and it's all here in a music-filled, memory-blasting account of a band that will always be on a mission from God.