Third-class Travel

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream

January 2004 •English

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream. But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge...

Adonis

February 2024 •French

A hard-hitting documentary that tackles head-on a controversial but increasingly alarming subject: young men's obsession with the perfect body, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs to achieve it. Once the preserve of top-level athletes, the use of anabolic steroids has become endemic among teenagers and young men with a passion for bodybuilding. Daring to tackle head-on the taboo of male beauty standards, Adonis offers a field investigation into the heart of this muscle-building machine, questioning the reasons behind and the physical, psychological and social risks of this race to the perfect body. As he stages his own vulnerability, the filmmaker lifts the veil on the scale of the public health crisis that is looming.

First Thing Sunday

January 2025 •English

Jyire holds a motocross race in his hometown, where he must adhere to the park’s restrictions and drown out the public’s concern.

The Other Side of Fear

November 2020 •English

The Other Side of Fear signifies the actions which incite religious violence and broaden the divide of cultural and moral beliefs in society. The film shadows two clashing perspectives both of which are searching for safety in their own communities and these perspectives blend testimonies of trauma and manifestos of power. By using poetic documentation, the director acknowledges that there are more than two sides to every story and intertwines these sentiments, embodiments and experiences into one journey to understand what is happening behind the doors of communities the other hasn’t experienced.

Between the Sun and the Sidewalk

February 2024 •English

Christian Garcia, a fiercely dedicated Latino political organizer, leads a team of young people mobilizing their community for a soda tax. Tested during their fight for the right to vote, the young recruits dare to beat back the goliath soda industry and ignite a youth-powered movement for health equity and justice.

The Corporation

September 2003 •English

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

The Earth Is Blue as an Orange

November 2020 •Ukrainian

Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine. While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family is managing to keep their home a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How to picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human.

Dear Thirteen

November 2022 •English

A nuanced portrait of a new generation, Dear Thirteen is a cinematic time capsule of coming of age in today’s world. Through the eyes of nine thirteen-year-olds, we see how pressing social, geographical and political challenges are shaping, and being shaped by, young people: rising anti-Semitism in Europe, guns in America, gender identity and racial divisions across Australia and Asia. With no adult commentary outside the filmmaker, Dear Thirteen offers an intimate view into the universal uncertainty inherent in growing up.

Woven Songs of the Amazon

January 2007 •English

The Shipibo-Konibo people of Peruvian Amazon decorate their pottery, jewelry, textiles, and body art with complex geometric patterns called kené. These patterns also have corresponding songs, called icaros, which are integral to the Shipibo way of life. This documentary explores these unique art forms, and one Shipibo family's efforts to safeguard the tradition.

From Local to Social

January 2024 •English

Using local media footage from the London Borough of Southwark spanning the past 20 years, this documentary discusses complex social issues including gang violence, knife crime, and mental and sexual health.

The Living Room of the Nation

September 2009 •Finnish

The Living Room of the Nation is a documentary film that portrays a number of Finnish living rooms. The film is a story of changes, the inevitable passing of time, and the human desire to be needed, visible.

Is This Sexual Harassment?

January 2019 •English

Social experiment hosted by journalist and presenter Ben Zand in which a group of people come together to try to understand what constitutes sexual harassment.

Africa Light / Gray Zone

January 2010 •English

"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.

The Patent Wars

October 2014 •English

Did you know that you can patent colours, numbers, plants and animals – and that 20% of your genes are patented and owned by private corporations? In a creative investigation, filmmaker Hannah Leonie Prinzler uncovers who profits from intellectual property, and who bears the economic and social consequences.

Poverty, Inc.

July 2015 •English

Poverty, Inc. explores the hidden side of doing good. From disaster relief to TOMs Shoes, from adoptions to agricultural subsidies, Poverty, Inc. follows the butterfly effect of our most well-intentioned efforts and pulls back the curtain on the poverty industrial complex - the multi-billion dollar market of NGOs, multilateral agencies, and for-profit aid contractors. Are we catalyzing development or are we propagating a system in which the poor stay poor while the rich get hipper?

Children Of The Soil

March 2020 •Hindi

A thought provoking short film on Indian farmers told through clay sculptures made from barren farms of the farmers who have committed suicide.

Tratado de Invisibilidad

October 2024 •Spanish

A reflection on the concept of invisibility, narrated by women who clean public spaces in Mexico City. Combining documentary, fiction and still photography, the film is an intimate mosaic of testimonies and experiences that highlight the precariousness of work in the cleaning industry, in a world where subcontracting rules.

Laissez-faire

January 2015 •Italian

A historical perspective to understand Neoliberalism and to understand why this ideology today so profoundly influences the choices of our governments and our lives.

Des Rives

April 2023 •French

This Way of Life

March 2010 •English

Peter Karena, his wife Colleen, their six children and many horses live almost wild in the stunning beauty of New Zealand's rugged Ruahine Mountains. Until, that is, Peter's escalating battle with his own father has profound consequences for the whole clan.