Theory and Practice: Conversations with Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn

The Red Herring

May 2022 •Korean

Is Korea a democratic republic or a prosecution republic? Can you be confident that the blade of the prosecution is not aiming at you? Their hunt has begun. Following the coordinates thrown by the prosecution, the media gathers, and rumors circulate. Prosecutors wield a sword before the angry public. Who is the one being chased over there? Are you confident that you are not the one?

Four Women of Egypt

January 1997 •Arabic

Four female friends from Egypt with opposing religious, social, and political views listen to one another's perspectives and argue openly, without ever breaking the bond that unites them.

Who Flew First: Challenging the Wright Brothers

July 2016 •German

Officially, the Wright Brothers flew first in 1903. But the Australian aviation expert John Brown argues that German born Gustave Whitehead flew in Connecticut in 1901. To display the Wright flyer, the Smithsonian Museum agreed that it will never claim that anyone flew before the Wrights. History may not be as certain as we thought.

Henry VIII & Trump: History Repeating?

March 2020 •English

Documentary offering a fresh perspective on the question of how history will judge Donald Trump, by setting his life next to that of a controversial leader from our own past.

Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown

November 2015 •English

Jim Traficant was a legendary quarterback turned mob busting Walking Tall Sheriff who rose to power on a platform of “honesty in politics”. He quickly ascended to the hallowed halls of Congress, becoming its most outspoken member. "Jimbo" as his die-hard supporters called him, was known for his polyester thrift store suits, shock top wigs, vulgar humor and profanity laced rhetoric against the FBI, IRS, and every president since Reagan. His one minute speeches made C-SPAN must see programming, as he signed off with his patented “Beam Me Up!” In his post-industrial hometown of Youngstown, Ohio -- dubbed Crimetown, USA for being the most mobbed up city in America -- "Jimbo" was a living legend, once garnering more than 90% of the vote. However, the eccentric maverick also had a dark side, becoming only the second Member of Congress expelled since the Civil War, eventually spending over seven years in federal prison on bribery and tax evasion charges.

A Doctor's Sword

August 2015 •English

An Irish doctor survived the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki and was given a Samurai sword for the lives he saved. 70 years later his family searches for the origin of their father's sword.

Death of a Nation

August 2018 •English

Parallels are drawn between Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the presidency of Donald Trump. Not since 1860 have the Democrats so fanatically refused to accept the result of a free election. That year, their target was Lincoln. They smeared him. They went to war to defeat him. In the end, they assassinated him.

A Greater Society

September 2018 •English

It’s the 2014 midterms and residents of a South Florida retirement community feel the weight of democracy on their shoulders. In one of the most influential counties of America’s largest swing state, these political kingmakers trade their golf clubs for clipboards and hit the pavement to get out the vote. A GREATER SOCIETY is a feature documentary to inspire voter turnout. Inside the gates of Wynmoor Village are three miles of manicured lawns lined with palm trees, a golf course, and carefully maintained condominiums. At first glance, it’s just another retirement community where elders go to enjoy their golden years relaxing by the pool and taking ceramics classes; but look further and you’ll see that the people who live in this community share something unique: the power to have a real impact on national politics.

Citizen Clark... A Life of Principle

December 2017 •English

For fifty years, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark has challenged the abuses of U.S. power and championed the causes of human rights.

Prison or Exile

March 2021 •Turkish

Nursel Aydoğan, Fırat Anlı and Zülküf Karatekin are linked by political exile in Europe after threatened prison sentences in Turkey.

Pussy Riot: The Movement

May 2013 •English

Pussy Riot: The Movement embarks on the odyssey of the girls who rocked a country and continue to fight for human rights throughout the world. Documentary follows Masha Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich through their harsh two year sentences for playing music to their freedom. What started as a punk rock collective has catapulted to a world movement for human rights.

Ceremony: The Return of Friedrich Engels

June 2018 •English

Following the artist Phil Collins' search for a decommissioned statue of German philosopher Friedrich Engels in eastern Ukraine, and documenting its journey and arrival to a homecoming party in Manchester.

Out of Darkness

January 2016 •English

Out of Darkness is a full length three-part documentary by director Amadeuz Christ (Δ+), examining the untold history of African people, the African cultural contribution to the nations of the world, and the events that have contributed to the condition of African people today. Out of Darkness will explore the Nubian/Kushitic origins of Nile Valley Civilization, contact between Africa and the Americas since the times of antiquity, as well as the influence of the Moors in Europe leading to Europe’s intellectual Renaissance. In addition, the film will analyze the history of modern day racism, the concept of “white supremacy,” the impact of Hip Hop as a social movement, and the idea of nationhood. Out of Darkness is narrated by Prof. Kaba Kamene and co-stars Dr. Umar Johnson, Dr. Claud Anderson, Tim Wise, Prof. James Small, Dr. Joy DeGruy, Anthony Browder, Sabir Bey, Atlantis Browder, and Taj Tarik Bey.

The Red Pill

October 2016 •English

When a feminist filmmaker sets out to document the mysterious and polarizing world of the Men’s Rights Movement, she begins to question her own beliefs. Chronicling Cassie Jaye’s journey exploring an alternate perspective on gender equality, power and privilege.

Lyndon B. Johnson - Succeeding Kennedy

November 2013 •German

Noam Chomsky: Knowledge and Power

October 2015 •English

An in-depth look at the work and views of the man described as 'one of the greatest minds in human history'. He first emerged through his pioneering work in linguistics in the 1950s but later became a political activist and a critic of US foreign policy in Vietnam, its neo-liberal capitalism, and mainstream media. Consisting primarily of interviews with Chomsky and other writers, academics, philosophers, social commentators and broadcasters, this film explores the breadth, originality and importance of his work; and the alternative narratives he has advanced at some of the most critical periods in recent history.

God Save Justin Trudeau

November 2014 •English

This documentary feature follows the much-hyped 2012 charity boxing match between Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau. A behind-the-scenes look at the fight to win, whether in politics or in the ring, gives new, surprising insights into what makes these ambitious political leaders tick, and reminds us that outcomes are never certain.

Absent

November 2015 •Romanian

For over a hundred years, Mărculești was a vibrant Jewish agricultural and mercantile community in Bessarabia (now present-day Moldova). In July 1941, the village was the site of an unimaginable atrocity. Seventy-three years later, few speak honestly or completely about what happened. ABSENT is a cinematic portrait of the ghost village of Mărculești, its current inhabitants, and their very complex relationship to their own history. Filmed entirely on location, the film documents one of Europe's poorest, most remote, and least-visited places.

Drexciya

November 2010 •English

A portrait of a dilapidated Olympic-sized pool in Accra, Ghana.

The Illinois Parables

January 2016 •English

From dreamy aerial opening shots, we are sent on an expedition through the storied land of our fifth most populous state, Illinois, often called a miniature version of America. Deborah Stratman’s experimental documentary explores how physical landscapes and human politics can each re-interpret historical events. Eleven parables relay histories of settlement, removal, technological breakthrough, violence, messianism, and resistance. Who gets to write history—physical monuments, official news accounts, or personal spoken-word memories?